KENGE KENGE

About the Artist

Kenge Kenge (their name means "fusion of small, exhilarating instruments,") explore the origins of benga, a style popular in Kenya the way rumba is in Congo or highlife is in Nigeria.

This is roots music from the JoLuo community of Western Kenya, with lyrical arrangements that reflect influences from the popular Benga pop-music style. Dense textures of rhythm and chant are overlaid with an unusual assortment of self-made traditional instruments: Nyatiti lyre, Bul drums, the Nyangile sound box, Ongeng’o metal rings, Asili flute, and the Oporo horn. But the singing is in fact the central event, and it is strong and generous, full of character and contrast.

In addition to tremendous popularity in their home region, Kenge Kenge have toured to Norway, Sri Lanka, and Thailand, and will continue bringing their irresistible dance music and celebration to the world.

Recordings