Thursday, May 21, 2015

SONG REVIEW: Nimekupata by Yunasi


Kenyan band Yunasi. If 'Nimekupata' is anything to go by, then this veteran afro-pop group might just be witnessing a planned resurgence after a two-year hiatus, during which they said they were simply “taking time to compose quality music”. PHOTO | FILE
Kenyan band Yunasi. If 'Nimekupata' is anything to go by, then this veteran afro-pop group might just be witnessing a planned resurgence after a two-year hiatus, during which they said they were simply “taking time to compose quality music”. PHOTO | FILE 
By Boni Nyaga
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Artistes: Yunasi
Song: Nimekupata
Rating: 6/10

If 'Nimekupata' is anything to go by, then this veteran afro-pop group might just be witnessing a planned resurgence after a two-year hiatus, during which they said they were simply “taking time to compose quality music”.
 
Off the album Sesube Sound System, Nimekupata is a track that’s heavy on rhythm and light on instrumentation.
In fact, apart from the basic drum beat, I could count only four other instruments, chief of which is the crisp, acoustic solo guitar that’s a standard feature of many afro beat records.
You will encounter it time and time again on Jimmy Gait’s 'Mzuka', Sauti Sol’s 'Sura Yako', Starboy’s 'Caro' and a host of other afro-pop dance tracks.
Little-known Box House Media came up with a clean, final audio mix that  was joyously light and bouncy in keeping with the mushy lyrics that are all about a man expressing the joy of finding the love of his life.
The black and yellow traditional outfits the lady dancers wore could, on their own, justify each of the 6,000 YouTube hits the video has amassed in just three short days since its official release.
The artistes themselves are also resplendent in their colourful African prints – all providing an arresting contrast to the white background against which Ogopa Deejays shot the video.
However, like I have always maintained, Ogopa Videos are now no longer the masterpieces we case-studied for film school in the late 2000s, and you see it right from the amateurish titling at this video’s intro.
It’s a rather simple final cut, perhaps, too simplistic for veterans like Yunasi who I’m sure would be keen on a re-invention of sorts, after a decade and a half of playing music for a living

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