Book your Nightscape ticket now!
The Design Indaba Festival of Creativity has evolved into not only a space to hear from some of the best designers in the world, but a space that serves up inspiration beyond the Conference stage.
Kenyan DJ and producer, Blinky Bill Sellanga is one of the best exemplars of this mission having both been on stage as a speaker and returning this year to drop some beats as part of our urban night event, Nightscape.
He burst onto the music scene as part of the electronic music collective, Just A Band. Blinky Bill has always strived to not restrict himself musically. “I want to make genreless sound – but if you absolutely have to place it, it is a mix of hip-hop, afrobeat and jazz,” he said during talk at last year’s Design Indaba.
It is his quest to make more genreless music that will culminate on the Nightscape stage this year. He will share a stage with the likes of Alec Lomami, Shabaka and the Ancestors, Zaki Ibrahim, Kwaitour, DJ Steloo, Petite Noir and more.
“I'm bringing my young Kenyan homie Sichangi, who is one of the brightest up and coming producers out of Nairobi right now,” he adds.
Sichangi released an EP called Hold On and a recent album called Project Greatness. The young producer has also collaborated with Wilough, a group made up of Willow Smith, Jabs and Tyler Cole.
Another friend joining him on stage is Cape Town’s own Sibot, who will also be performing with him at the Cape Town Jazz Fest next month.
He says: “Both are producers that I work/ will work with a lot in future. Me and Sichangi have a production outfit that is tentatively called the Nairobi Laptop Orchestra.”
As part of Just a Band, the collective released three albums including classics like the animated video, Iwinyo Piny (which they animated themselves) and Kenya’s first viral video for the song Ha-He, loosely based on Makmende a fictional Kenyan superhero.
As a solo artist, Blinky Bill has released an EP titled We Cut Keys While You Wait and he’s putting the finishing touches on his album, Everyone’s Just Winging It and Other Fly Tales.
I ask him to think back to last year’s Design Indaba and what stood out the most for him about his experience.
“I loooooved Design Indaba last year. It was really cool connecting with Kate Moross who is mad dope, watching Black Coffee play at home was a treat, hanging out with homies Selly Raby Kane and Yinka Ilori, plus making all the new friends I made, it was an amazing way to start the year.”
The recent loss of Bra Hugh has also impacted him.
“Hugh Masekela is my favorite African musician. I've had a framed picture of him in my living room for years, and watched him perform live 3 times and I wished we could be homies, such a charming man who loved music.”
He adds: “I was hoping to get him on a song, but it looks like the spirit of the song will be a tribute to him. I realised watching his pics on social media that he almost always had his trumpet with him, from when he was young till he hit old age, and that to me is the sign of someone who is passionate about his craft, and that's something I will always remember and carry with me in my journey. Thank You Bra Hugh.”
Book your Nightscape ticket now!
