I was recently told by a radio consultant that my radio show, SNMS, breaks almost every rule of conventional radio. Some of his criticisms were general- that we don’t have a clear structure, that the week-to-week format is all over the place, etc. But most of his criticisms (paranoia-alert!) seemed to be directed at me- that I talk too much, that I talk in the middle of songs, that I can be a little shout-y (I concede that one), that I’m sometimes rude to callers (but it’s SO funny!), that my enunciation needed work etc etc. By the time he was done with me, I felt about 1 foot tall.

When I thought about it a little later, I realised that although his points were valid, he was describing the sort of boring, cookie-cutter radio show that I absolutely hate and that we did not want SNMS to become.

Every production meeting we have for the show starts with the same question: how can we make our next show better than our last, and that philosophy has served us quite well for the 2 years we’ve been on air. It’s what makes us try things like the BFE game night that you are about to hear.

If you are a radio consultant, you should switch this off now because what you are about to hear may hurt your sensibilites. For the rest of you, enjoy the craziness! And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes!

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My thinking was that this foosball thing cannot be that hard.  I’d learn how to play in week one, become a foosball ninja in week two, beat any and all comers in week three, and off to Amsterdam I go!  I went to Legends last Wednesday full of confidence and challenged one of the Heineken reps to a game to gauge my skill level and see how much work I had to do.  Bad idea. Not only did he beat me quite comprehensively, but once he saw I was more Foosball Wannabe than Foosball Ninja, he picked up a drink and played one-handed.

Tres embarrassing.

My game needed work, so I moved on to Plan B, in which I channel Rocky Balboa and train, train, train until I reach the top! All I needed was a pasty who I could beat a few times to get my confidence up.

Enter theMith.

I’ll jump right to the end and tell you that he beat me twice and both times he came from behind- I was up 7-0 in one game- BUT HE CHEATED!!!

I don’t have conclusive proof (yet) but there are some “coincidences” that give me pause:

1. He said he’d never played foosball before. (Liar!!!)
2. He was very cosy with the supposedly impartial Heineken referee. (You can see from this picture, which was taken at Heineken’s launch event, that they had met before). Did I see money being exchanged after our game? No I did not, but that doesn’t mean it didn’t happen…
3. He was very particular about the table we played on. Did he perhaps have it rigged? Did he know the table enough to give him an unfair advantage. My Spidey Senses say yes.

In the end I had to swallow a ton of pride and get theMith’s round of drinks. But I got my revenge.  TheMith broke a cardinal Foosball rule (that I just made up): never leave Mister Deejay alone with your phone after you have beaten him cheated at foosball.

He got distracted while I was listening to his new single, “Winner”, and I bluetoothed the song to my phone.  The game is always on! Mwahahaahaha! If you want a copy of the song, tweet me @misterdeejayug or email me at contact@misterdeejaypresents.com and I’ll send it to you.

That’ll teach him

The challenge continues at these spots around town, and you best believe I will be at each of these. I am currently in the middle of some serious Karate-kid type training in an effort to take my game to the next level. If theMith is man enough, he’ll show up and there will be a replay.

I have a very simple recording for you this week and it’s from when Navio came by the show to drop the remix to his Kata track. The remix features Benny D (Akon’s official DJ) and it maintains the high energy, high tempo feel of the original.

Before Navio and I got down to the buiness at hand I had to play him my own (very unofficial) Kata remix.

Enjoy! And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes!

This podcast is produced, edited and distributed by:

An interesting article appeared in the New Vieion recently entitled “Why most of Uganda’s pop music is junk.” The article, written by Mr Josph Batte, claimed that Uganda’s pop music scene lacks creativity and innovation, and is full of one-hit-seekers, who sacrifice musicality for the sake of a quick buck. Mr Batte was not afraid to call out particular artists in his article and although I disagreed with the general argument he made, I did agree with some of his particular points.

Although I am, on the whole, optimistic about the direction of Ugandan pop music in general and of the urban genres in particular, Mr Batte made some very persuasive points in his article and I invited him on to SNMS to discuss them.

Enjoy! And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes!

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This week’s podcast features an interview we conducted on SNMS with DJ Global, who stopped by the show to discuss his latest single “Toluleta”. The song is a bouncy dance number that features Salvado, a local comedian and radio-presenter.  Salvado has been known to perform the occasional musical number during his act, but he doesn’t usually record full songs.  I asked DJ Global amongst other things, how he made the collaboration happen and why he wanted Salvado in particular for this track.

While he was with us, DJ global also also broke down the instrumental for the track and walked us through the decisions he made in studio. As usual, this is talk-heavy, but it’s the way we like it on SNMS.

Enjoy! And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes!

This podcast is produced, edited and distributed by:

I have two interviews for you this week- the first is with JT and the second is with Ruyonga. It feels natural that these two should be on the same podcast because not only are they are long term music collaborators, they are also very good friends.

JT is a producer/rapper rapper who runs Yego Productions a local imprint that among other things is responsible for a most of Ruyonga’s output over the past couple of years, including his latest single “Tutuuse” for which there is a video being released soon.

Ruyonga is a local rapper for whom faith and art are inseparable and who I believe is poised to make a serious impact on the continental stage.

JT came my SNMS to talk about his projects for 2013 and to play us his new song which is about his recent decision to give up alcohol. Ruyonga was in with a new track that (produced by JT) called “Yeah we back”, and we ended up talking about all kinds of non-music stuff.

Enjoy! And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes!

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This week’s episode features a conversation I had with Keko on SNMS near the beginning of this year.  Keko is currently riding high after being signed to Sony Music Africa last year and we are all eagerly awaiting her debut project with them, which I am sure will take the whole continent by storm.

Her debut major label single “Let me go” was released to much fanfare in December and there’s no doubt that she is one of the main flag-bearers and trend-setters of Ugandan urban music.

Now, given her recent successes and being the classy interviewer that I am, it did not take long for me to hit Keko for some money.

Enjoy! And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes!

This podcast is produced, edited and distributed by:

The official remix of Navio’s “Kata” featuring Benny D.

Listen here:

Download (right click and save as)

A few weeks ago we invited Qwela on to SNMS to talk about their new album Afrotopia.  Joe, Alice, FEsto, Roy, Anita, MoRoots, Vincent and Ian were generous enough to bring their instruments along with them to Radiocity and treat our listeners to a little on-air mini-concert. For those that don’t know, Qwela is a very popular and very accomplished afro-jazz band based here in Uganda.  After we got past the technical difficulites of setting up an entire band in the cramped Radiocity studios, we had a little fun.

Afrotopia is available in numerous outlets around town including BOLD in Krsna mart, Kisementi. If you don’t live in Uganda but like what you hear please in touch with Qwela band thru their facebook page at facebook.com/qwelamusic, or via Twitter: @qwelamusic

Enjoy! And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes!

This podcast is produced, edited and distributed by:

We devote the first SNMS of every month to Ugandan music. It’s my opinion that local music does not play as much as it should on radio here in Uganda, especially on English-speaking radio stations, and we on SNMS consider it our mission to promote Ugandan music as much as possible.  So (and this was actually suggested to us by Enygma) on the first Saturday of every month, we only play music by local Ugandan artists on SNMS, and that includes our Power Hour segment.

The concept for this segment is simple: I highlight a particular artists catalog by doing a live mix of their music for, you guessed it, an hour. This past weekend we featured Bebe Cool in the power hour and that’s what I am bringing you on today’s podcast. Bebe Cool has been a staple of the Ugandan music scene since the late 90s. He started his career in Nairobi, but has since established himself as one of the big cats of our local music scene.

I should warn you that this is an unedited recording from the show and I sometimes get a little carried away on the microphone as you’ll hear in a bit.  (Cover your ears and forgive me)

Enjoy! And don’t forget to subscribe in iTunes!

This podcast is produced by:

On this week’s episode we feature an interview with Cedric Babu, the CEO of Kinetic.  Kinetic has firmly planted its imprint on the Ugandan sports scnece with events like Friday NIght lights and the Uganda tennis open, and now the company is expanding into other ventures including music. We had a chat with Cedric about the company’s origins, where he hopes they’ll go and about their musical roster which includes theMith and Ruyonga, who both stopped by for the interview too. We covered a lot of ground in this interview including what “levels of efficiency” are. If your want to know more, listen on.

Enjoy! And don’t forget to subscribe!

This podcast is produced by:

A little under two years ago when we pitched the Saturday Night Mix Show (SNMS) to Radiocity, we told them we wanted to create a different kind of Saturday night radio show. Most stations, not just here in Uganda but all over the world feature a DJ mixing club music on Saturday nights and it works. It works because to the average 18-35 year-old (the demographic that advertisers target most aggressively) Saturday nights are for letting your hair down and partying.  Saturdays are not for in-depth discussions about the South African battle rap scene (for example), but that’s what we pitched to radiocity.

We pitched a show that would, as well as playing club music, incorporate things like aritst interviews, games, discussions on cultural events, etc. We pitched what we called a variety mix show, and in order to execute our vision we had to break a lot of the rules that most experts associate with “good radio”- like the rule of talking too much. We talk a lot on SNMS and we get away with it because in radio (and we’re delving into the business of radio a little here), Saturday nights are not the prime-time real estate that daily breakfast and afternoon drive shows are.

We asked for and were granted a comparatively long-leash with SNMS, and that results in  and it also means discussions like the one you are about to listen to. This week’s episode of MIster Deejay Presents features a recording of a roundtable discussion I had with JB, Navio, enygma and JobieOne (who is South african rapper Proverb’s manager). JobieOne was an SNMS guest that week, and the rest just popped in to have a chat and we ended up talking for ages about music, rap, hip-hop and everything in-between.

This is by no means an example of quote-unquote good radio, but it is an exmaple of the kind of show SNMS is, and I believe it’s the reason why we’ve has grown so quickly. If you ever have some free time on a Saturday nights, tune in to us on radioity 97fm or oniline at radiocity.ug and check us out, we’ love to have you on board.

Otherwise enjoy the podcast! And forgive my gravely voice. I was battling the flu when we recorded.

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On this week’s episode of Mister Deejay Presents (Happy New Year by the way… and no, it’s not too late to still be saying that), we play you snippets from a conversation we had with Batabazi over the holiday period.

Batabazi is a Ugandan hip-hop group based in Boston USA and made up of Tasha, Jerome aka J Bizzy, PG, Gera and Mayor. We were extremely honored to have them on SNMS (well, three-fifths of them anyway) and even more honored that they allowed us to play their debut album on the show.

Enjoy the show! And if you like the music, support Batabazi by buying their album on iTunes and spotify.

Also don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes. No need never miss an episode!

This podcast is produced by:

• New Year’s Rewind Party at Mask Lounge, C&C building Bukoto. Why you should go: f you are a fan of old school music (and who isn’t?) DJ Aludah & BthaMyth will be serving up the goods tonight at the Mask Lounge. Ladies free before 9pm. Entrance is 20k.

• Legends End of year Carnival. Why you should go: cause that’s where I’ll be!   I’ll be behind the decks from 11pm to 2 at Legends tonight, so come along and let’s welcome 2013 together! Entrance is 10k.

• Heineken NYE party at the Seventeen Apartment Hotel in Kololo. Why you should go: cause Heineken knows how to put on a party. Unfortunately this one is invite only, so if you know someone, start making calls.

Of course there are other New Years Eve parties going on. Whatever you do tonight, BE SAFE!!!

Happy New Year!!

Every now and then, when Val “the Teacher” and I find time in our schedules, we organise a “back in the day” party called Back to Basics.  The idea of the party this simple: pure, clean fun for those of us who remember what a VHS tape looks like.  We party like it’s 1999. The third edition of our little shindig will be on December 7th at Big Mike’s on Acacia Avenue.

Doors open at 8pm and we’ll have all kinds of fun stuff going on. Val will be doing a “back in the day” video mix, we’ll have a slow dance session (you remember the type form high school) and we’ll be giving out a lot of free stuff like mixtapes and t-shirts all courtesy of our sponsor Tusker Lite.

Preview the mix here:

(Tracklisting after the jump)

Pre-sale tickets will be 15k, 20k at the door. You can call 0789800700 to reserve your ticket or email me at contact@misterdeejaypresents.com

All the artwork is by the brilliant team at Kinaya. Hope to see you there!

1. Intro
2. Anything (old skool remix) – SWV ft Wu-Tang Clan
3. Award tour – A Tribe Called Quest
4. Down 4 whateva – Nuttin Nyce
5. Hakuna matata – Swahili Nation
6. Put your hands where my hands can see – Busta Rhymes
7. Night and day – Men of Vizion
8. Get it on tonight – Montell Jordan
9. Hip Hop hooray – Naughty by Nature
10. Too close – Next
11. Been around the world – Puff Daddy & the Family
12. Here we go again – Portrait
13. Funky big band – Janet Jackson
14. This is your night – Heavy D
15. It’s a shame – Monie Love
16. Make it happen – Mariah Carey
17. Lets talk about sex – Salt-N-Pepa
18. Humping around – Bobby Brown
19. Live & learn – Joe Public
20. What about your friends – TLC
21. Mona Lisa – Slick Rick
22. In the closet – Michael Jackson
23. Mr Wendel – Arrested Development
24. Got to be real – Cheryl Lynn
25. Ain’t my type of hype – Full Force
26. Ain’t gonna hurt nobody – Kid ‘n Play
27. It feels good – Tony! Toni! Toné!
28. Gypsy woman (la da dee la da da) – Crystal Waters

On this week’s podcast I sit down with Babaluku to discuss Ugandan hip-hop- where the music has been, where it’s going, what’s working and what needs to change.  This interview was conducted on this past weekend’s SNMS and I’ve decided to bring it to you in its entirety because we touch on a number of very important topics to Ugandan music in general and to Ugandan hip-hop in particular.

I also get taken to school by a MC Flower, who is special in three ways:

1. She is a she
2. She has been winning rap battles left, right and center
3. She is 10 years old!!

Make sure you subscribe to the podcast in iTunes and never miss an episode!

Enjoy!

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One of the more popular features we have on the Saturday Night Mixshow is the Power Hour. During this segment, I mix music from one artist or group for (you guessed it) an hour.

Last Saturday we honored the legendary GNL Zamba of Baboon Forest Entertainment in the Power Hour and I decided to put the entire mix in this episode of the Mister Deejay Presents podcast.

Enjoy!

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As some of you may know I went to extreme lengths to watch the Skyfall premiere last night. I wanted to be one of the first not just in Uganda, but in the whole world to watch the 22nd James Bond film.  Daniel Craig is proving to be a pretty good Bond.  The best one ever? Maybe. One of the top three? Definitely.

Heineken put on a real show at the Cineplex Oasis. The decoration and organisation of the entire event was perfect.  From the moment you arrived at Oasiss Mall you were immersed in the Bond experience.  There were parked BMWs at the entrances guarded by men in dark suits and glasses and Heineken-green ties with the Bond theme (you know the one) blaring on the speakers.  The entire Cineplex area was well-decorated in green and white, DJ Global played the perfect music for the mingling sessiona and the beer was free! Free beer = a good party (although it’s not very good for watching a movie- more on that later).

The only two (minor) faults I can report were that the air-conditioning in the waiting/mingling area was low so it quickly got a little sweaty and that the movie started an hour later than it was supposed to.  The former is a Cineplex issue (I’ve been to other events there and experienced the same thing) and the latter… well this is Uganda, is it not?

To the movie! I won’t give away any plot points here, except to tell you I really, really enjoy Daniel Craig’s Bond. the character is not perfect. He still delivers his trademark one-liners and tons of gorgeous, intelligent women still want to sleep with him for no apparent reason, but this Bond is less gimmicky and than the previous version.  There’s more meat in the story. Which brings me to my five observations from last night’s premiere:

1. Javier Bardem’s character is the BOMB! He steals every scene he’s in.
2. Uganda made it into the movie! We got a bonafide mention in Skyfall. It wasn’t for anything we want to brag about, but a mention is a mention is a mention.
3. The two hours of free beer that we were treated to before the movie meant that there were s a lot of people going for bathroom breaks during the movie. If you’re the kind of person who likes to actually watch movies, that can be distracting.
4. As you can imagine, an event of this kind is full of “LOOK-AT-ME!” types, and someone is always going to do something to grab the spotlight.  We had two wholly unnecessary outbursts in the screening I was in. Annoying.
5. Product placement and Bond films go hand in hand these days. Here’s a fun game to play when you watch: see how many companies you can spot in the movie. Maybe take a sip of Heineken for every spot (wink, wink).

All in all it was a fun night. Highly enjoyable and Heineken gave out these glasses as party favours.  There were supposed to be 1 litre bottles of Heineken in each one, but I missed out on that.  One of the bar workers actually tried to sell me one, which I thought was just ballsy.

Was it worth the embarrassment? Ab-so-freaking-loutley. Cheers to Heineken!

Sometimes I wonder…

On Thursday  Heineken is bringing the Skyfall premiere to Uganda and I am EXCITED!! Only one problem: the event is invite-only and I do not have a ticket. Yet…

Heineken had a promotion last weekend where a couple of girls hit the bars and gave out raffle tickets if you bought two beers.  My plan was to chase them around town and keep buying drinks until I got a ticket, (my logic was if I spend 25k, it will be just like buying a ticket, and I’ll have had 25k worth of Heineken!) but it didn’t work out .  Selector Jay let me know when they were at Bamboo Forest, but by the time I got there, they had left.

No matter. It wouldn’t be worth it if it were easy.  My plan this week is to hunt, stalk, cold-call, hustle my way to a ticket to this premiere.  It’s going to happen….

Follow my progress on my twitter feed.

Episode 23 of the Mister Deejay Presents features an edited version of the interview we conducted with Maurice Kirya about his new album, The Book of Kirya. We listened to every song on the album and Maurice discussed his writing process and inspirations for each one.

If you haven’t yet bought the album, correct that ovesight immeditaely by visiting all the places around ton that are stocking it (a list can be found on Maurice’s Facebook page) or by buying the album on iTunes & CDBaby.

(Psst… while you’re on iTunes, you should also subscribe to this podcast. It’s free, don’t ya know).

Enjoy!

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We celebrated the Golden Jubilee by  doing a countdown of the Top 50 songs from the past 50 years on the Saturday Night Mixshow (SNMS). We couldn’t fit the entire countdown in the podcast (it took over 5 hours!) but we are featureing the top 10 songs.  So, on this week’s podcast: Joe Tabula, Afrigo Band, Philly Lutaya, Ragga Dee, Racheal Magoogla and more. Can you guess what our number 1 was?

Enjoy!

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There are a handful of people that were instrumental in bringing Konshens to Uganda, one of whom is my colleague at Radiocity, Dave Dash. He began working on the idea months ago but found sponsors reluctant to jump on board.

There are three types of companies that are willing sponsor concerts by international artists in Uganda: soft-drink manufacturers, alcohol companies and telecoms.  There are other companies  with enough money (Samona, Mukwano etc) but they don’t actively seek greater brand visibility among the youth the way telecoms, soft-drink, beverage companies do.  These companies want to be being associated with “cool” events.  When it works, it works a charm. (The Nile Gold Jazz Safari, which this year was on the same night as the Konshens concert, comes to mind).  The problem is it doesn’t work all the time, and there is nothing worse than having your brand be associated with a flopped concert.

READ THE REST ON MATOOKENATION.COM

It’s been a while since my last mixtape (I had planned on releasing one every month this year but that obviously didn’t happen-life got in the way), but I’ve been planning this particular one for months.  Anyone that listens to my radio show #SNMS (Saturdays, 8pm East African time, radiocity.ug) will be familiar with my obsession with MJ’s music.

This mixtape is the first in what I hope will be a series of 3 mixtapes that explores the great man’s musical legacy. The idea is to focus mainly on his solo output (he put out 10 albums!), to explore his hidden gems and lesser known hits, but also serve up most of his hits, of which they are quite a few.

Vol 1 is finally ready!

It’s is available at BOLD, shop 29 Krsna Mart in Kisementi for the low low price of 10k. For those outside the country I can provide a download link, but only if you’re nice to me. Send me an email at contact[at]misterdeejaypresents[dot]com

You can listen to a preview of the mixtape below. Track list after the jump.

Tracklisting:

Photo credit: TarikB. Used under cc

I understand why Leo Laporte once referred to Twitter as “the Internet’s central nervous system”.  It has become (for me and others like me) more than just a distraction.  I use Twitter a lot.  At the time of writing my profile reads: 6,228 tweets, following 420, 1172 followers.  Not Lady Gaga numbers by any means (29 million followers!), but I hold my own.

I find it a valuable source for local and international news; for keeping up with my industry and others; for staying “in touch” with people that interest me; and for keeping my fans up to date with whatever I’m working on.

The Twitter community in Uganda is quite small- I don’t think, for example, we have enough numbers to make CNN change a headline like the Kenyans did- but it is quite active and engaged.

I know that that how you use Twitter is a matter of preference, and that there isn’t a right way or wrong way to use the technology, but that here are some things people do on there that gnaw at me.

These are my personal Twitter dos and don’ts:

1. Do not retweet blindly - Some people seem not to know how to properly use the retweet function.  They just blindly retweet every mention they get, even when the tweet is not retweetable (e.g someone saying something unflattering about them or when they’ve been asked a question).  You should always read before you retweet.  It looks very odd when, for example, someone asks you where they can buy an item you’re peddling, and all they get in reply is their question retweeted.
2. Do tweet about things that you think your followers may be interested in - The BEST thing about Twitter is that you can curate your online friends in a way you can’t on Facebook. (You can do the same thing on Google Plus, but who uses Google plus?)  I follow ?uestlove (@questlove) because apart from being one of the coolest people on the planet, he frequently tweets links to interesting articles and websites. Assume people follow you because they think you’re interesting, then show them that you really are!
3. Do not beg for retweets - Begging for retweets makes you sound cloying and desperate. Your followers will retweet what they they like, so if you want retweets, don’t beg- just tweet interesting things!
4. Do credit people when you use their tweets/pics - There is a high level of plagiarism on Twitter. I know one guy who (I think) just copies and pastes from a ‘famous quotes website’  and pretends he came up with them. I’m assuming that he thinks tweeting those quotes makes him look intelligent, but the reality is it just makes him look sad. Remember: 1) EVERYONE has Google machine these days and 2) if you’re super-interesting on Twitter but a dullard in person, people will notice.  Always give credit where credit it due.
5. Do recommend interesting things/people to your followers - I enjoy the #FollowFriday hashtag (at least I used to enjoy it before the bots overran it) and its equivalents, but only when people give me a reason to follow someone.  Just mentioning your close friends and asking me to follow them is not going to cut it.
   

   Photo credit: Constantine Belias via photo pin cc

6. Do not conduct private conversations over twitter This is the WORST!  Rule of thumb: if it’s a one-on-one convo, stick to SMS.  Or Whatsapp. Or BBM.  Or (this is radical thinking, I know) pick up the damn phone!
7. Do not ask people to “check DM” when you send DMs – When you send someone a Direct Message, there’s absolutely NO NEED to tell them about it in a public tweet.  They will get a notification that they have a DM and they will DM you back. You can have a merry back and forth without polluting your followers’ timelines.  Please spare us this sequence:
   • @soandso: hey @youguy Check your DM
   • @youguy: @soandso I replied. Check your DM
   • @soandso: @youguy. I replied your DM. Check your DM.
   • ARRRRRRGH!!! *Pulls hair out*
8. Do check your tweets for proper spelling and grammar - Self-explanatory, but while you’re at it, see if you can edit that mini-essay you were about to post and bring it down to under 140 chracters. Going over 140 chracters, while not necessarily wrong, forces your users to click over to another site, which completely disrupts the seamless browsing of our timelines. Grammar, editing and rewrites… yeah, I know I’m fighting a losing battle.
9. Do not mass mention mundanity  - I love getting mentions (some people call them @replies), but I HATE this particular type of mention.  The tweet is often mundane, something like: “Good morning! Hope you have a good week!”, and it is followed by a tagged list of everyone under the sun.  This process if then repeated over and over, so if you browse the offender’s timeline, you see the same message repeated over and over again, the only difference being the people tagged or mentioned. I sometimes get lumped into these mass mentions (probably because of my radio job), but I never retweet them, because I feel that mass mentioning is just lazy. Interestingly enough I see this most with corporate accounts in Uganda, and there are two reasons I think it happens:
   1. Some social media “guru” (beware the social media guru!) has told them this is a good way to get retweets and up their followers. (Not good)
   2. Responsibility for the company Twitter account had been given to a junior marketing exec who can’t think of anything interesting to say about their brand. (Really not good) .
10. Do follow @misterdeejayUG.  Cheeky, cheeky…

WE’RE BACK!!!

After a short(ish) summer break the podcast is back to bring you more of Uganda’s life, music and culture.

For today’s episode 21 we feature a look back at ;ast week’s Namalayo concert.  A taste of of Mun G’s first solo concert awaits below.

Listen, download, listen, tell a friend to tell a friend.

Enjoy!

Produced by:

Being a musician in Uganda is tough.  You can get by making a UGX200k ()for appearances here and there. A lucky(?) few are in demand for weddings and corporate gigs which can fetch up to UGX3M (1200), and those few have been known to do multiple weddings in a weekend, effectively gobbling up that market.

Concerts, which are one of the main sources of revenue to artists in the west, are few and far between- and not because there isn’t an audience for them, but because they are darn expensive to put on.  Before the gates open the artist has to have paid for the venue, the sound and stage, a band, his backup dancers, the opening acts, security and permits and a million other little miscellaneous expenses. I would not be surprised if most concerts in Uganda actually reported a loss.

The way to negate this is to have a corporate sponsor pony up some money in exchange for the right to be associated with your show. Unfortunately, corporations do not believe in local artists (especially those doing so-called “urban music”) the way they should. They are happy to give artists airtime on radio and television to promote their concerts, but they rarely give cash.

If that were the policy across the board, I would accept it as the way things are and move on. However, I have heard stores (that they are much more willing to give cash to promoters that bring in international acts because they feel they will have more impact locally. That bothers the hell out of me.

It is reprehensible that Ugandan companies think the best way of selling products to Ugandans is to use foreign front-men.  That sort of self-loathing is sad and downright disgusting.

I wrote an open letter to Ugandan corporations in my weekly column for MatookeNation.com and I’m glad to say it has been well received well.  Goodness knows if it will do any good,   but you can read it  over at MatookeNation.com.

Let me know what you think!

[Photo credit: crsan - christianholmer.com. Licensed with Creative Commons]

Episode 20 features new music from MAdtraxx, from 2Bad Entertainment, from Babaluku and Saba Saba and interviews with Code and Ngoni.

Tracklisting:
- Madtraxx ft Cola Boy & Sign C – Moving to the beat
- 2bad Entertainment – Atamukute
- Babaluku & Saba Saba – Batulidewo
- Interview with Code
- Interview with Ngoni

Enjoy! Tell a friend!

Produced by:

On the show this week, we have a tribute song for the victims of 7/11 bombings by Rudeboy music, a new song by Benezeri, one from Code (@timothyCode) and an interview with BOLD, Kwesh, Qulture, Kiroto and def.in.i.tion.

Enjoy!

Produced by:

The entire episode this week is dedicated to the Kwivuga Poetry Session, which occurs every last Thursday of the month here in Kampala.  Included are some of the poems that were recited on the night, a few musical performances and an interview with the event organisers, Gabs and Nunu.

Make sure you follow @Kwivuga on Twitter and join their Facebook group to support the event.

Enjoy! And as always, tell a friend.

This podcast is produced by:

On this week’s podcast we feature new music from Preacher Man, Helen Lukoma, AirporTaxi, a remix to Kirko Bangz “Drank in my cup” by Navio and JB and two new songs from Benny Black, Ruyonga and Enygma one of which was produced by O’lee Branch.

Download, listen, tell a friend, spread the luurve. Support and export

No interviews this week due to an unfortunate technical glitch. But we still have new music from St Nelly Sade, Brian & Popper, Gasuza and DJ Global raps on his first single called “Shine”.

In this week’s episode of Mister Deejay Presents, we play new music form Vampino, St Nelly Sade and Nyonyozi and we sit down with Don MC and his TooBad Entertainment crew.

This podcast is an extension of the Saturday Night Mixshow which airs on Radiocity 97FM in Kampala and online at radiocity.ug.

You can subscribe in iTunes by following this link, or by any other medium by following this link.

Drop me a line and let me know what you think!

Email: contact[at]misterdeejaypresents.com

FB: facebook.com/heymisterdeejay

Twitter: @misterdeejayUG

Produced by:

On this week’s episode we feature music from three underground rap collectives in Uganda: Blue Ice entertainment, Luga Luga Squad and Urban Aksent.

Enjoy! Don’t forget to subscribe in iTunes so you do not miss an episode.

Lucky episode 13 of Mister Deejay Presents features music from Ciddy, from Nyonyozi and an extended interview with Mckenzie about his Rudeboy Music imprint.

Enjoy!

Peter MIles teams up with Spice from Jamaica for the Hot Patty Wine remix.  Word on the streets is that Peter has a few collabos with Jamaican artists up his sleeve.  His work on this track has (rightly) done  well for him as far as Jamaican artists are concerned.

A couple of new tracks by the Goodlyfe duo.  They are having a concert this weekend which I hope to attend.  As long as the entrance isn’t as ridonkulously overcrowded as the battle of the champions was last weekend.

Akalimu:

Hamida:

This week’s episode is dedicated to theMith’s new album. It is called The Week of September and is “in stores now”! The podcast features snippets of songs from the album intertwined with soundbites of theMith discussing each song which were taken from interview I conducted with him on Saturday’s SNMS.

Enjoy! Tell a friend! Make a donation! Plus me on Google! Feed the birds! Tupence a bag!

Just some young artists doing their thing on SNMS. Word.

Every Monday I write a column for Matookenation.com.  This week I discuss theMith’s debut album and Afrigo band.

The music we featured on the weekend’s edition of SNMS highlighted why I love doing the show.  First we had theMith, who was promoting his debut album release, The Week of September.  Promoting projects like these was the reason we started SNMS so I was happy to go through the album song by song and let theMith explain the inspiration behind each track and the various processes involved in putting an album project together.  Complete albums are sadly few and far between in our music industry.

Read the rest on matookenation.com

Last week I wrote a piece for Matooke Nation about how many radio stations in Uganda require payment before they can play a new or upcoming artist’s song.  These payments are not officially sanctioned by the management at most radio stations.  They are just a way for presenters and programming directors to make a little money on the side.

For the most part the reaction to this practice was (rightly) negative, but I should point out that not all stations do this and in some ways the paltry sums paid to radio programmers and presenters at the big radio stations force them to do this.  Only a select few make a comfortable living just doing radio.  Most have to supplement their income in some way- either by having an outside job, or by screwing over desperate young artists, or both.

I have made it a point not to accept money on SNMS.  We take songs on their merit.  Sometimes we misfire and bring on artists who are going nowhere fast, but every now and then we find someone who I’m sure will make a major impact on the music scene for years to come. (Two names spring to mind immediately, but i’m keeping them close to my chest.)

So… how does one get their song on SNMS?  Easy.  Send me an email: contact[at]misterdeejaypresents.com. That’s it.  I try and reply all the music-related emails I get (although I readily admit I am not the best at that) and all I ask is that you as an artist a) respect my point of view and b) realise that it is just that: MY point of view. Mine is not the be-all and end-all. And my not liking your song doesn’t make it a bad song.  It just means it is not for me.

Only about one in ten songs makes it onto the show and even then, sometimes my judgement is wrong and a song gets panned by the audience.  (Again, some names spring to mind- and again, I’m keeping them close to my chest.)

There are, however, some ways you can endear yourself to me and my producer.  I have to sift through the music, he has to book potential artists for the show.

1. If you email an attachment of your songs, be positive and polite.  Remember you want me to like you. So go ahead and sell yourself and your music, but refrain from threatening me or cursing me to hell if I don’t play your song. (Yes, this has happened to me).
2. Also if you email remember to check your spelling and grammer. I know  am fighting a losing battle with this one, but fight I will.
3. If you give me a a CD make sure it is in a jewel case or in a plastic sleeve.  Remember to include your name, a tracklisting and your contact information on the CD. There is nothing worse than hearing to a great song or one with potential and not knowing  who sang it or how to get in touch with them.
4. I don’t think it’s necessary to include a media kit with your music, but if you DO include one, your chances of making it onto SNMS increase ten-fold.  It shows me that you care about your career and that it is just that: a career.  Not something you woke up one morning and decided to give a go.
5. Be prepared for rejection.  SMNS is an underground show so we  have some latitude in regards to which songs get played on air, but I cannot tell you how many people just don’t understand that their music is not yet ready for radio.  It is easier for some artists to think I’m putting on airs, or that I have no taste, or that (God forbid) I require some sort of payment than to face the possibility that their song is just not good.  Taste in music is a subjective thing, and as such differs from one person to the next.  Part of being an up-and-coming artist is proving to others that your music, your sound, your vision is as good as you think it is.  And that is no easy task.

Good luck! And keep making that good music.

Every Monday I write an article for Matookenation.com.  The

A certain artist Whatsapped me last night asking why I hadn’t played a song he had sent me.  We have made it a point of emphasis to be as open to new musicians as possible on SNMS, so we get a lot requests from artists then a lot of follow-up questions if we do not play their music. (Not everything we get is great- surprise, surprise).  It turned out that I hadn’t received this particular artist’s song but before I could tell him that, he wrote the following…

How’s that for a hook?  :) Read the rest on Matooke Nation.

Did you know Margla and Bonstylez are brother and sister?? I certainly didn’t until they visited SNMS last week.  They feature on this weeks podcast along with new music from Maurice Kirya, Nutti Boi, B-Trabol, Ngoni and Batabazi.

Enjoy! And tell a friend.

On this weeks podcast I run-down the top 10 singing performances from the first year of SNMS.  Featured on the show are: Qwela Band, Lilian & the Sundowners, Jungle Da Maneater, Mister 97, Marky Mark, theMith, JB and yours truley.  Although I cannot reallycall what I did “singing”.  It was more like croaking…. or warbling…

Tell a friend and subscribe in iTunes. Enjoy!

Ruyonga brought this JT produced track to SNMS last Saturday and me likey. It is always difficult to marry traditional sounds with what is a western style of music (i.e. rap), but I think these guys pulled it off

Song of the Week on #SNMS last week was the Aydee produced Love Song by Lyrikal Proof ft Bonstylez.

Listen below and check out LP’s Reverbnation page for more of his music.

I have no idea who this guys is, but he is a certified Internet legend after posting this priceless review of Kanye West’s Theraflu.  It is rambling, unfocussed, nonsensical and funny as hell!

And in case you haven’t heard it, this is the song he is talking about:

I discuss the state of hip-hop in Uganda, play Lilian’s new track forever and feature a Baboon Forest freestyle session.

I made some of the recordings with my Blackberry so I apologise for the poor sound quality.

Don’t forget to subscribe in iTunes to get updates on the regular. Enjoy!

Every Monday I contribute an article for Matooke Nation.   Today I reveal the top 10 urban songs form Uganda in March.

- Why Lie -  Ekky
- Allow me – theMith, GNL Zamba, JB, Navio, Enygma & Bigtril
- Everyday (Women’s day) – Ruyonga
- Tuvude wansi – Lugaflow Army
- Make u dance – Keko ft Madtraxx

…

Read the entire article on matookenation.com

I know, I know… I am really slacking with the every-Wednesday schedule.  My personal apologies to everyone that has been waiting for this, especially @sonofmymoma and @mwakae, who keep me on point on Twitter.

On to the business at hand: on episode 9 we feature new music from Lugaflow army, from Elektrik (a name I just cannot get my tongue around), from GNLZamba and Leilah, two songs from Red Republik camp and Klear Kut show us that there is more to their music repertoire than just rapping.

Don’t forget to subscribe on iTunes to get updates on the (ir)regular. Enjoy!

Red Republik are a 7-person collective out of Kenya consisting of Madtraxx, Kora, Ndegzee, Mutash Afric, Mvoo512, Majik Mike and Fina VonRoe.  They recently released three promotional singles that you can listen to before. Make sure you check out their site and give them your feedback!

Kora, Mustash Afric & Ndegzee – Ruka yuu

Mustash Afric ft Ndegzee – Party Katika

Madtraxx ft Mustash Afric & Ndegzee – Ring my bell

For the non-Luganda speakers, Tuvudde wansi means “we’ve come from below” (or far, metaphorically).  This is the latest single from the rap collective Lugaflow Army. From left to right in the picture are Burney MC, Foever MC, (me), Cyno MC, Fausie and Nelly Saint Sade.

I’m actually not sure whether the featured singer on this song is called E or Em.  The file i have says E, but I distinctly remember Benny Black saying it was Em.

Small matter.  This won Song of the Week on SNMS Episode 50.

Photo courtesy of Friday Night Lights

A new GNL Zamba and Leilah song over the (still) very popular Overproof riddim.

An old school typewriter, DJ Global, def.i.ni.tion shirts… what’s not to like?  Check out Lilian’s video for her song Danger, directed by Jah Live.  Like I told Lilian yesterday: it’s about time!

Follow Lilian on twitter @lmbabazi. She’s good people.

I cannot for the life of me get my tongue around the word Eklectik, which caused me a good deal of embarrassment When Eklecktik visited the show on Saturday.  This track is already doing the rounds on radio.

Every Monday I write a post for Matooke Nation.  In today’s post:

For your average rapper, what is said in the verse, i.e his/her raps is THE most important part of the song.  When you get two or more rappers in a room battling, they look for punchlines and clever word play in each other’s lyrics. When you get two or more rappers in a studio those punchlines and clever word play lyrics make it onto a song, and if whoever is producing the song doesn’t have a strong personality, you end up with what I call a “lyrical exercise” and what some others call “headphone music”.

Read the the entire post on matookenation.com.  They’re not as curmudgeonly about commenting as I am.

In this week’s podcast we feature new music from Benny Black, Ekky and Keko ft Madtraxx.  We also sit down with Keko and discuss her upcoming album called Kekonian and play “Allow me” which is a song that brings Baboon Forest, Klear Kut and Enygma together.

Enjoy! And don’t forget to follow me on Twitter at misterdeejayug.

Produced by:

Every Monday I contribute an article for Matooke Nation.   Today I discuss whether Washington is the Swizz Beatz of Uganda.

Ask any urban music fan to list their favourite producers,and you’ll get the usual suspects: Timbaland, the Neptunes, DJ Premier, Kanye West, Dr Dre etc.  Swizz Beatz rarely gets a mention, nor does he get the kind of respect I think he deserves. (Be honest, when you heard he was set to marry Alicia Keys, you thought she could do better, didn’t you?

Read the rest of the article on Matooke Nation.

What happens when the members of Klear Kut (plus Enygma) and the members of Baboon Forest (minus MunG) are all in the studio at 4am in the morning? This…

Keko, Madtraxx, a catchy hook, a dancefloor-ready beat… What’s not to like about this?  Just Jose showed me the first cut to the video for this and it looks niiiice!

I first heard of this in October of last year and I’ve had to keep it under my hat since then.  I’m so glad I’m allowed to play it now.

Make you daaaaance, oh oh

This was the song of the week on the show last week, and on last week’s podcast I mispoke and spelled Trabol’s name with two a’s instead of an o.  He’ll forgive me I’m sure.

Kigaflow giving Lugaflow a run for its money

Callers to my radio show on Saturday were polarized in their reactions to this song, Navio’s new single One and only.  Some loved it and some didn’t. When Navio sent emailed this to me this is what he had to say:

After Dream and the all the songs released last year, its a fact that women have been neglected by Nav for the last few years.  Dream was the last straw of hardcoreness, as far as the ladies are concerned.  This is the first attempt at saying sorry.

So this one if for the ladies.

{One and only is unavailable to stream at the moment. Sowwy}

DJ Ian Kal Bryan does what someone told me is “his DJ Khaled thing” i.e produces a song and gets a bunch of hip-hop artists to jump on it.  It’s ok. I would have stuck with one of the vocalists, but I’m no DJ Khaled. Yet…

However a few humorous folks have restored my faith in the internet and its ability to dissect complicated issues with well places captions.  These are my favorite Kony-influenced Internet memes:

1. Let’s face it, the vast majority of the people who clicked on the link think like this:
   
2. Now this is  a call to action I can get behind:
3. One does not simply walk into Mordor! LOL
4. This one is kinda wrong, but so funny! I bet Jay-Z never thought that line would go THIS far:               
5. And last but not least, the grand-daddy of them all:

In case you’re wondering (and you really shouldn’t be), I think this whole stopKony nonsense is exactly that: nonsense.  If you need a reason why, check out this tumblr blog, or listen to the podcast on Wednesday.

Every now and then I get a song that works so well that it’s best to just step back and let it do its thing.  Ekky’s “Why lie” in one such song.
This is is her first foray into music. Impressive, no?

Follow Ekky on Twitter at @Ekkymuisq and spread the word.  Remember: Support & Export.

Check out this song Ruyonga penned for Women’s day, which was celebrated around the world on Thursday of last week. Good, conscious lyrics from the rapper.

On the podcast this week: new music from B Trabol, a song produced by Olee Branch featuring Enygma, Benny Black and Ruyonga, and clips from the extended interview I had with Angella Katatumba on last week’s Saturday Night Mixshow.  Make sure you listen to the bonus clip at the very end.

Enjoy!

(Hope I don’t lose you forever after you listen to my voice the duet. )

Produced by:

Why the name Umlilo?  Because it means fire and SA house in all it’s variants is motto motto.

Only a limited number have been produced so if you want to reserve your copy, send an email to contact[at]misterdeejaypresents.com.

This mixtape is now stocked at BOLD in Krsna Mall in Kisementi. Price: a mere 10k. Get your copy now!

Here is a preview:

Artwork by Kinaya.

Tracklisting:

1. Intro
2. Seng’khathele- DJ Euphonik ft Shota
3. Xavatha – DJ Clock ft. Big Nuz, Tzozo & Sox
4. Serious – Big Nuz ft DJ Micks
5. Jezebel – Professor
6. Sizohlangana ku Facebook – DJ Cleo
7. The feeling – Paul G ft Ma-E
8. BBM – Liquideep
9. Casanova – DJ Choice
10. Live my life – Winnie Khumalo
11. Turn me on – DJ Black Coffee ft Bucie
12. Weekend Special (DJ Christos House Afrika Remix) – Brenda Fassie
13. Umlilo – Big Nuz & ft DJ Tira
14. Bashanyana – Mono T ft. Navy & Masheleng
15. Mr Uptight – Rhythmic Elements
16. Lento – Professor
17. Won’t let u go – DJ Tira

Distributed by:

Estelle’s upcoming album is the album I am looking forward to most in 2012.  Love this!

Squeslchy electro goodness from one of my favorite DJs, Atrak.  Dude is so far ahead of the game it hurts.

Off Lyrikal G’s 2012 album  Lyrikal G and Free Boy may join Baboon Forest Entertainment before the end of the year.

Episode 4 features new music from Angela Katatumba, BigTril and a new artist called Apass.

Produced by:

“Push it, push it, push harder”

BigTril loads his weapon, aims it squarely at the dancefloor and shoots.  Result: an uptempo shake-what-your-mama-gave-you track.  This won Song of the Week on SNMS last week.  Produced by Hannz.

Angela Katatumba has been away from music for a short while doing other business stuff, but she is looking to make a come-back in 2012. The first single she is pushing this year is a mid-tempo zouk number called “Only you”.  It sounds familiar.  I feel like I’ve heard a similar tune somewhere.  I’ll be sure to ask her about that when she visis the show on Saturday.  My earliest booking ever!

You’ll probably hear a lot from Rita Ora in the next so-many months becasue A) she’s young and pretty B) she has an OK voice  and C) she’s signed to Roc Nation, which means there’ll almost certainly be stories of her being a fly in Jay-Z/Beyonce/B.I.C ointment.

When you see “Party and bullsh*t” and “Jay-Z” in the same sentence you secretly hope for an ode to this classic, but that’s wishful thinking.  In reality it’s closer to this.  Song summary: we party a lot cause we can.

Like most pop these days it is very listenable, very enjoyable and very forgettable.

Patrobas fires warning shots to all the Ugandan MCs.  Dustville records plans to put in work in 2012.

Enygma, Lyrikal Proof & TheMith go in on a Koz’n'effect beat.  Not sure if this is slated for a particular project or if it is just a lyrical exercise.  It narrowly lost out to Kween G’s Bang bang boogie for Song of the week.

Episode 3 features new tracks by Kween G, Patrobas, Radio and Weasel and a collaboration between theMith, Enygma and Lyrikal Proof. Navio also talks about his Dream Big initiative and Weasel tells us once and for all whether he has 25 kids.  Sort of…

Kween G’s Bang Bang Boogie won song of the week on the Saturday Night Mixshow this week. Her soundcloud page says it was produced by Washington.  If that’s true, it’s quite a different sound for the producer.  Kween G told me she is working on a number of tracks during her stay here, so expect a lot more from her ins the weeks to come.

Radio and Weasel’s latest joint.  These guys churn out tunes at a rate of knots.

A surprise winner of the Song of the week on the Saturday NIght Mixshow last week, beating JB’s song.  Good flow, and obviously a good song for me to play for the YMCA crowd later this evening.  Clever boy.

Happy Friday!

I am a huge Enygma fan and I love that he spends so much time crafting his lyrics.  However, I think he indulged himself a wee bit on this one. It is, in my opinion, too long (I could do without the world events section at the end) and too late in the year.  Wrap up songs shoulf be released in the first week of the year methinks.  not in mid Feb.

Anyhoo, it is still a good listen.

A large section of my radio audience is younger than me, and I feel it is my responsibility to show them some grown-man goodness every now and then.  Raheem Devaughn even makes the perpetually juvenile Snoop sound mature on this.

My kind of music!

Great beat and JB attacks it with his usual panache. This is off his upcoming mixtape “Back for the forst [sic] time” out end of March.

Boston based Batabazi have been pushing their latest mixtape, Afro Movement Vol 2, and their manager sent me this remix of one of the lead singles.  Big drums on this one.  It has a slightly more commercial feel than the original but it’s still raw.

It remains to be seen whether this sound will crossover to the wider Ugandan market whose ears tend towards songs with obvious and immediate melodies. But for us hip-hop heads, braap!

I can’t get enough of this Miguel track, and it seemed to be an appropriate song to post for the lurrvurrs our there.  Happy Valentines day!

Chocolate, wine, music.

Maurice has been playing this at his shows for a while.  It finally gets an official release and word has it that there is already a video out for this.  Maurice is going to be busy in 2012.

Saint CA flirts with dancehall patois on her new single.

Keko features on a track by a new Nigerian singer called Selebobo.  Loving this!

As Peter Miles would say: “A big tune dat!”

Rabadaba’s new single.  He recorded it last year but released it last week.  I like the aggression in this.  Some say Raba has fallen off, but I think this sounds fresh.  One to keep an eye on.

Ndegz El Toro is out of the Red Republik camp, home of Madtraxx among others.  Found this on Twitter and me-likey.  Kenyans are developing a very clean production aesthetic at the moment.

The February mixtape is an old school mix collabo with Val “tha teacher’ Okecho.  We made this mixtape for the Back II Basics party we had at Ibama.  If you missed it, you missed.  Follow my facebook page so it doesn’t happen again.

This mixtape is now stocked at BOLD in Krsna Mall in Kisementi. Price: a mere 10k. Get your copy now!

Tracklist:

1.    I wanna be down (rmx)- Brandy
2.    It’s a party – Busta Rhymes ft Zhane
3.    Swing swang – Naughty by Nature
4.    No, no, no (rmx) – Destiny’s Child ft Wyclef
5.    Cold rock a party – MC Lyte
6.    Here we go – Funkmaster Flex ft Product G&B and Wyclef
7.    Stressed out – A Tribe called Quest ft Faith Evans
8.    Summer bunnies (remix) – R Kelly ft Aaliyah
9.    Me against the world – Tupac
10.    Somethin’ 4 da honeyz – Montell Jordan
11.    Come on – Billy Lawrence
12.    We right here – DMX
13.    The city is mine – Jay-Z ft BlackStreet
14.    Step into a world – KRS-One
15.    Wey de man – Cutty Ranks
16.    Champagne body – General levy
17.    Tight up skirt – Red Rat
18.    Take it easy – Mad Lion
19.    Romantic Call – Patra
20.    Paid in full – Eric B & Rakim
21.    Been around the world – Puff Daddy and the Family
22.    Breathe and Stop – Q-Tip
23.    The choice is yours – Black Sheep
24.    Loungin’ (rmx) – LL Cool J
25.    Family affair – Shabba Ranks
26.    Children’s story – Slick Rick
27.    Nothin’ but love – Heavy D
28.    We trying to stay alive – Wyclef

Artwork by Kinaya.

How to describe this track from Australia-based Ugandan rapper Kween G?  It fuses of french disco and rap and has an element of funk for good measure.  Good music!

(She’s a looker, no?)

There’s already a video for this so I am late picking it up, but I had to post it anyway cause it is banging!  The raps are nothing to write home about (I’ve listened to rap for almost two decades, so I’m-so-tough and I’ll-steal-your-girl raps don’t excite me anymore) but the production is on point.

I suspect K’Cous is responsible for a lot of Camp Mulla’s production, but I could be wrong. This has already made its way into my crate.

There is almost nothing nice to say about Elephant Man’s visit to our shores late last year, except that it produced this:

Peter Miles holds his own on this track.  Some would even say he out-performed the Energy God.  Nice and Polite was a good track before, this just made it better.

If we know anything this SHOULD be a number one song in Uganda.  We’ll see.

Arsene should keep the following songs on repeat if we are to avoid a repeat of the [un-mentionable scoreline]:

1. When you believe – Whitney Houston & Mariah Carey
2. Not afraid – Eminem (Credit: Sean Kibs Alex, even though he meant it for United…)
3. Stronger – Kanye West
4. How soon is now – The Smiths
5. Ante up – MOP
6. Keep moving – Navio & Benon
7. You only get what you give – The New Radicals
8. Sky’s the limit – Notorious B.I.G
9. All I do is win – DJ Khaled
10. Mama said knock you out – LL Cool J

My prediction: 2-1. (I won’t say to who…)

C’MON ARSENAL!!!!

Can I call this a chilled out banger? Yes, I think I can.  Smooth love talk from one of my favorite MCs.  Who said hip-hop has no heart?

Every once in a while, whenever Val Okecho (he of  Sanyu FM) and I get off our lazy bums, we like to get together and play our favorite old school jams in a party we call Back to Basics.

The second edition of this party is going down on February 3rd at iBamba next to the Uganda Museum.  Tickets are 15k before the day or 20k at the door and you’d better come because there is no telling when Val and I will get off our lazy bums again to thrown another one.

Check out the Back to Basics event page for more info.

Ciddy was one of my earliest guests on the Saturday Night Mix Show, and when he returned almost 9 months later he’d grown so much i almost didn’t recognise him.  UG hip-hop for your listening pleasure:

Check out Ciddy’s Reverbnation page  to download this and his other music.

Support & Export.

Baboon Forest - misterdeejaypresents.com

The Baboon Forest capo jumps murders a Kozneffect beat.  Any song on which an artist declares allegiance to his country as proudly as this is fine by me.

Check out the GNL’s Revernation page for the download link.

I’ve heard three tracks from Camp Mulla so far: ‘Party don’t stop’, ‘Addicted’ and now ‘Fresh all day’.  Whoever is doing their production has a very clean, radio-friendly sound.

I’m looking forward to February when they release their debut album, Funky Town (even though that’s a bit of an old school name).

Check out their reverbnation page for more info

Klear Kut’s Jamaican connection jumps on the Chipmunk and Mavado intstrumental.

Right click here and ‘save as’ to download.

Here’s the deal: I want to call this an online diary, but that would make me sound like a 12-year old girl .  So I’m calling it a journal.  That has a nice Hemingway-like sound to it, no?

I’ll be posting about what I do, what I like, what i dislike, why you should dislike the same (very important), where you can find me (or perhaps where not to go if you want to avoid me), and all kinds of nonsense.

The main aim of this site is to promote Ugandan music in particular and African music as a whole.

So, welcome to my world. And pardon the dust while I tidy the place up a bit.