After a two-year hiatus, Boiler Room x Ballantine’s True Music will return to Nairobi, Kenya this month with an exclusive show that celebrates the gengetone scene captivating Nairobi’s youth.
Set to showcase the vibrant sound and culture that is integral to the city, the show – scheduled for Thursday 30th January 2020, in an as-yet-unannounced venue – will feature a curated lineup of the most exciting talent that have been steadily carving up local dancefloors.
The return to Nairobi comes at a pivotal moment in the city’s thriving music scene, as the gengetone genre is speed shifting from underground to become the dominant sound in Kenyan music today. This show is part of Boiler Room and Ballantine’s commitment to pushing True Music scenes forward and support artists, fans, crews and communities around the world, by spotlighting the home-grown talent redefining their local scenes. The lineup includes: Femi One, Ochungulo Family, DJ Lyta, Boondocks Gang, DJ Kalonje, Rico Gang and DJ Tryce.
The Boiler Room x Ballantine’s True Music partnership enables and empowers local scenes to continue pushing boundaries by giving them a global platform to create music that stays true to their creative convictions.
Tom Elton, Ballantine’s Head of Music commented “Ballantine’s True Music is excited to return to Kenya, especially to explore Nairobi’s gengetone scene. The artists on our lineup have been making waves in the local scene for some time now, and we are truly humbled when we get to showcase and share such amazing talents with the world through the True Music project.
Kenya is a digitally progressive country, it’s no wonder why the creatives are always pushing boundaries and easily adapting and reinventing their art. This is part of the reason the True Music project was established, to help showcase and support local music scenes from around the world.”
Boiler Room CBDO Steven Appleyard commented “We are returning to Nairobi for our second True Music show, which will be celebrating one of the most exciting emerging music scenes in Kenya – Gengetone. After exploring #NuNairobi in May 2018, we are now delving into a genre that has grown massively in the past couple of years, despite being largely banned on Kenyan radio. It’s provocative, boundary-pushing spaces in music like this that are so important for us to explore and connect to the wider world.”
Boiler Room x Ballantine’s True Music takes place in Kenya on January 30th 2020. Tune in at 17:00-21:30 UTC on https://truemusic.boilerroom.tv/ to watch the broadcast live.
