This compilation offers a vital introduction to Kenyan icon Joseph Kamaru, long celebrated as the ‘King of Kikuyu Benga’. Spanning 17 tracks, it moves from highlife-inspired guitar chants and afro-funk workouts to drum machine-driven disco grooves and folk-inspired laments. The music is raw, immediate, and irresistibly danceable, with incisive lyrics ranging from social protest to tender relationship advice.
Kamaru was a towering cultural figure in Kenya, connecting with politicians, the rural working class, and city audiences alike. Despite his stature at home, his music remains under-appreciated internationally — something this collection seeks to change. Compiled by his grandson, the sound artist KMRU, in partnership with Disciples, the album has been carefully remastered from original tape transfers by Dubplates & Mastering in Berlin.
The release is completed with sleeve design by Karolina Kołodziej, drawing on family archive material, and extensive liner notes by Kenyan academic Maina wa Mũtonya, journalist Megan Iacobini de Fazio, and KMRU himself.
Kamaru was a towering cultural figure in Kenya, connecting with politicians, the rural working class, and city audiences alike. Despite his stature at home, his music remains under-appreciated internationally — something this collection seeks to change. Compiled by his grandson, the sound artist KMRU, in partnership with Disciples, the album has been carefully remastered from original tape transfers by Dubplates & Mastering in Berlin.
The release is completed with sleeve design by Karolina Kołodziej, drawing on family archive material, and extensive liner notes by Kenyan academic Maina wa Mũtonya, journalist Megan Iacobini de Fazio, and KMRU himself.
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