To many outside of East Africa, the Kenya Special compilation released in 2013 on Soundway Records was an introduction to the full spectrum of the musical landscape of 1970s and ‘80s Kenya.
Three years on and Soundway Records have announced a second compilation, Kenya Special 2, a compilation of rare tracks that rewrite the rule book, experimenting with a variety of genre trends. You can listen to one of the compilation’s tracks, ‘I Can Feel It’ by The Lulus Band, above now.
Despite the renewed interest in music from Kenya’s past, finding the music and their rights holders is no easy task. With most of it originally released only on 45 rpm, 7" singles, with a limited number produced, the compilers of Kenya Special 2 have gone to great lengths to disclose a small but intriguing part of what is slowly being accepted as an essential element of East Africa’s cultural heritage: the history of recorded popular music. Kenya Special 2 is out October 7, via Soundway Records.
