One of East Africa’s top disc jockeys (DJs) and a core member of Uganda’s Nyege Nyege collective, DJ Kampire, known for her vibrant, bass-heavy sets, says she is inspired by the fun of dancing and nightlife.
‘When I first started DJing, it was because I had a wide range of music that I loved that I also wanted to hear on club speakers, not just the usual top 40 dancehall pop songs that we hear every day on Kampala dance floors. There is a wide range of African dance music, new and old, that deserves to be heard,’ she tells Monitor.
Forging her reputation through memorable sets for the Nyege Nyege Festival in Uganda over the last decade, Kampire, a key figure on the Ugandan and East African electronic music scene who now tours worldwide, is celebrated for her brilliantly curated sets spanning the full range of African music styles from the 1970s and 1980s to the present day.
Kampire’s album, A Dancefloor in Ndola, released by Strut Records in August 2024, is a testament to her music versatility.
This pioneering compilation marks an evolution in Strut’s approach to compilations, showcasing emerging DJ talent from across the world and embracing an innovative approach to musical discovery from the next wave of selectors.
The 13 popular songs on A Dancefloor in Ndola include Princess Aya Shara’s O Wina Tienge, Meta Beya’s Mivé Temoin, African House Party Project’s P-Coq, V-Mash’s Naughty Boy, Di Groovy Girls’ Ririmi Rotsombela, Tshala Muana’s Djepue, Lady Isa’s Djambo, Pembey Sheiro’s Sala Mi Toto, Princesse Mansia M’Bila’s Ngoma Mansia, Samba Mapangala’s Mashariki, Zaire All Stars’ Je T’aime Au Pluriel, Gaza Sisters’ Mabazi, and Bwaluka Founders Band’s Kimbera.
‘There are styles of music on the compilation which are often considered unsophisticated from rural areas. I and other contemporary African artists and DJs draw inspiration from them; it is part of what makes us ourselves,’ Kampire says of the compilation.
On A Dancefloor in Ndola, Kampire also shines the spotlight on many incredible women in African music from the 1980s, including Congolese legends like Pembey Sheiro, Feza Shamamba and Princesse Mansia M’bila to V-Mash and Di Groovy Girls from South Africa.
Nostalgia
Although born in Kenya to Ugandan parents, Kampire spent her formative years in Ndola, Zambia, where her parents were employed. A Dancefloor in Ndola is inspired by artistes and songs that formed part of her soundtrack during that time.
‘At 17, I didn’t pick up on my dad’s music, but now I love and collect those records. I’m constantly referencing them in my music sets today. I love that feeling of shared nostalgia where people recognise a song they haven’t heard in a long time. It is a touchstone for me when I’m playing.’
On how she came to sample each of the tracks on A Dancefloor in Ndola, Kampire said: ‘I had a number of conversations with the label about the mood for the compilation and what I was trying to achieve. I started out with a much longer list of about 200 tracks and then over the course of about two years, this list was whittled down by the reality of what we could and could not get rights to. If we couldn’t use a particular song, I would dig again and try to find other tracks that were in a similar mood or of the same era.’
As to how her fans have received this album, she says: ‘I’ve really enjoyed hearing from people who say it reminds me of their own childhoods or that they too grew up in Ndola, Zambia.’
According to Kampire, the African House Party Project’s P-Coq-with its iconic music video-and Sala Mi Toto by Pembey Sheiro are fan favourites.
Global sensation
One of Mixmag’s picks for Top Ten Breakthrough DJs of 2018, Kampire’s set on Boiler Room broadcast from the 2018 Nyege Nyege Festival was a legitimate ‘Internet moment,’ with thousands of shares on Facebook by electronic music fans watching online.
Kampire’s DJ mixes have been featured on Resident Advisor, Dekmantel and Fact magazines, which saw her chosen among the best mixes of 2019 on Pitchfork and Fact magazines’ end-of-year lists. Her Rinse FM radio residency has seen her shine a light on other East African DJs and artists, including Hibotep, Faizal Mostrixx and Catu Diosis.
Kampire toured four continents in 2019, playing every tastemaster festival across Europe and making her US debut by headlining a Nyege Nyege showcase at Red Bull Music Festival, New York.
Best friend and Nyege Nyege day one Decay joined her in the summer of 2020, where they brought the best of Ugandan party culture to European festival stages with their show ‘Bunu Bop.’
The Resident Advisor magazine describes Kampire as ‘a scene-leading DJ who can connect the dots between music, the past, present and future of African club music.’
‘When people ask me what music I play, I usually say African electronic dance music, but I play a wide variety of genres including gqom, baile funk, singeli, global bass, bubbling, St Lucian soca, and a lot more that is not so easily defined,’ she says.
Asked how she ended up in music as a DJ, Kampire responds: ‘I was working in the arts in Kampala, and for fun traveling to music festivals on the continent as much as I could. I remember going to Sauti za Busara in 2014 and having such a great time both at the main festival and the afterparties that followed, and thinking ‘wow, I think I may have found my people.’
She adds: ‘Around the same time friends were setting up the first edition of Nyege Nyege festival. I saw artists like DJ Marfox, and Gafacci who were not mainstream artists but were making a living from their art. When, a few months later Derek Debru (Nyege founder) encouraged me to start DJing, I just thought it would be a way to subsidize going to African music festivals. I didn’t think it would turn into a career, but here I am 10 years later.’
Not an old boys’ club
One whether she’s encountered resistance from men who still dominate the DJ trade, Kampire, says: ‘I’ve been lucky enough to start DJing at a time when people have created space for women in nightlife. Of course, there are still challenges related to being in a minority in the scene but thankfully I have mostly had good experiences.’
Kampire says she is interested in the African music styles from the 1970s and 1980s because those sounds ‘permeated my childhood.’
There also seems to be a consensus among music lovers that the best African music was produced in the 1970s and 1980s. Kampire is not convinced, though, arguing that the music on the continent is diverse.
‘I don’t really feel the need to pick an era of African music and say it’s the best. The continent is so diverse and dynamic that I am sure there is incredible music being made and performed every minute of every day. I do really love Congolese music though and my personal favourite eras are the golden age of Franco and TP OK Jazz, and also soukous of the late 1980s and early 1990s when acts like Diblo Dibala were ascendant. That music still hits the dance floor today.’
Nyege Nyege influence
As to how her association with the Nyege Nyege collective has propelled her DJ career, Kampire, says: ‘I really wouldn’t have a DJ career if it wasn’t for Nyege Nyege, and it was my association with the festival and its platforming of underground East African music that enabled me to tour as a DJ and travel.’
Kampire continues to bring African dance music to clubs and festivals around the world. This year alone she has performed in Kenya, Ghana, Mexico, Panama, Canada, Australia, the Netherlands, Italy, Portugal, Norway, France, Switzerland and Belgium.
‘I’ve had many wonderful opportunities to perform around the world so it’s hard to pick favourites,’ she tells Monitor, adding, ‘I still say that one of my favourite gigs ever was Nyege Nyege 2017 at the Tropical Disco stage. We were all just so in it together, the crowd was incredible and really came to dance, we ended the set all singing Zangalewa, it was magical.’
Kampire was joined by, among others, DJ Travella, DJ Diaki, and Arsenal Mikebe at this year’s edition of the Nyege Nyege Festival at the Kalagala Falls, a sacred and stunning location on the Nile River. She did not disappoint.
The future
As to where she is headed after this year’s Nyege Nyege Festival, she says: ‘I’ve been travelling like crazy this year, so I think the Nyege Nyege might be my last big gig of the year.’ Asked to describe the current state of the music industry in Uganda, Kampire says: ‘We have such a rich musical heritage in this country. I think that our music industry is at its best when it embraces the diversity of sounds being made here from kadodi to acholitronix and beyond, and not just the pop and dancehall that makes it onto mainstream radio.’
Her advice to a young person who would wish to take up DJing as a livelihood is simple: ‘Do it because you love music and want to create community, not because you want to be rich or famous.’
As to what she would have been if she were not a DJ, she says, ‘I think I would still be working in the arts in the background, fundraising, producing events, curating and the like.’ She adds: ‘I like to be at home with my plants and my dog, in my garden or in the kitchen cooking.’