Bin Khalid Sonic Pollution

17/04/2024

17 years in captivity

17/04/2024

🚨New album from and friends of out now on Bandcamp!

This album is made up of previously unreleased material - a collection of tracks that were not included on the “Jaba City” album, including extended versions; alternate versions; the vocal tracks by Maddox Mkuruweng and Farmer Clan - and songs unrelated to the initial release but of a similar vibe.
“I have decided to include a number of songs I was working on around, and before, the time of my debut release (though no necessarily associated). “
This album includes a number of notable collaborations:
and Ritongo Afrika
Missing Rotich

Inspekta Rootsman Jemo

01/11/2022

Mahia from contacted me requesting early recordings of the band. We made a demo recording together at the National Theatre in January 2008 which I believe was the band’s very first venture into a studio. I was super keen to record Last Year’s Tragedy since I had seen them perform at the “Last Ditch Effort” show at Tracker’s Pub in 2006. I caught up with Chizi (lead vocals) in December 2007 and he said that the band had a handful of songs they wanted to record.

We managed to organise a session in the middle of the post-election crises at a make-shift studio I was recording in at the Kenya National Theatre. Logistics and equipment were limited however we were determined not to let the opportunity pass. The situation was tense in Nairobi at the time. Most of the musicians I was working with were retreating into music in order to create something positive and shift their focus away from the anxiety of the political situation.

LYT came in with a very serious attitude - we all knew we had one night to make a record. Their fans had followed them with much merriment and libations but that did not deter them from their mission.

I only had access to a small space and I had no capability of multi-tracking a record. Obviously this was less than ideal however, having seen the band perform I knew that they could pull off the energy and synchronicity of the stage if we could just get a good sound. We had to record everything live in one take including vocals! There was only one mixer which was used to run the band’s instruments into a PA and one mic for the drums. A total of four tracks were laid down. Later in the year I mastered the tracks as best as I could. I have passed the tracks on to Mahia and I hope the band do something cool with them.

03/10/2022

https://inspektaroots.bandcamp.com/album/halala
👽 Recorded in a handful of informal live sessions between July 18th and August 4th 2004. The album was produced by Harvey Herr a.k.a Gearz and released by B.K.S.P. on CD in a custom A4 foldout cover in 2005 in a single run, but never online. It contained the soundtrack for the Nation Media's 2004 "save a life" famine relief campaign that ran on national television. The music fuses traditional percussion and instruments from Western Kenya with guitar, bass, and synth. Each song was tracked live without any overdubbing except on the songs “My Blackness” and “Too Much Respect I Give.” Certain tracks were completely improvised on the spot whilst others were rehearsed just a few times before being recorded. The entire exercise was simply an attempt to create a musical work on the basis of the energy and intuition of those present without much forethought of composition or post-production.
The focus of the musicians was to simply play together as best as possible whilst Gearz recorded the whole thing through a Mackie 808s mixer directly into his computer.
This technique imbued each song with an immediate charge and character, but of course also preserves the idiosyncracies of each musician.

24/08/2022

Now available for pre-order through Bandcamp, the first ever limited edition collectors cassette tape of “La Vie Ne Pas” by the eclectic Kenyan Reggae group the Breadsteppas.

https://breadsteppas.bandcamp.com/album/la-vie-ne-pas

All the material has been redesigned and remastered for this limited edition release.

The insert features original artwork by the master stepper Alvarez Anwar himself.

The tape duplication is done at a plant in Germany using high quality tape and duplication. The tape comes in a collectors edition color scheme.

Only 50 will be made available!

20/08/2022

Storm the gates

“Storm the Gates” (2005)the influential album released by Kenyan Crust-Core band, Class Su***de is now available for preorder on Bandcamp (https://classsuicide.bandcamp.com/album/storm-the-gates ). All the material has been redesigned and remastered for this limited edition release. High-Bias Cassette with Print. The cassette comes in a red collectors edition with black print. Only 50 will be made available! The insert contains the original insert for the 1st DIY CD release designed by Croe the guitarist and vocalist. This includes the lyrics printed to all the songs. Once, a vinyl edition was planned but never printed. The back sleeve for the vinyl edition is also included in the insert featuring photos of the band members.

06/08/2022

“Adzeni” featuring the Mtaani Survivors band, is a compendium of his works over the last 15 years. These undiscovered gems of Afropop hybridise East African style like Sengenya, Nduruma and Chakacha with Bossanova and Afro-Cuban styles. 

He has recorded and performed with STL (Stella Mwangi Kenya’s biggest female artist export ); the Epuka Band; the Lords of the Jungle Band; Baby Shock Band; and his longest running project Alvarez & the Mtaani Survivors.

Alvarez Anwar has been making music in Nairobi since the ’80’s. He was a B-boy/dancer, MC, multi-instrumentalist and performer. BKSP has been working with Alvarez since 2004 when Talal and Adam (Class Su***de) were trying to produce Hip-Hop - the infamous “Radical X” project. A recognised virtuoso of latin and East African styles of guitar Alvarez is a sought after session artist. He has probably played in more bands than anyone else in the city and certainly at one time or another he was a featured artist with most bands based in the national theatre.

04/08/2022

The Breadsteppas are an experimental dub and dancehall collective from Kenya. The mysterious and legendary act have released their full length debut album: “La Vie Ne Pas” (Bin Khalid Sonic Pollution). The album is magnificent in it’s breadth of encapsulating the inflections of a ‘Kenyan’ sound, and with the composition of these melodies into new and unique Reggae, Dancehall and Hip-Hop formats. In other words the Breadsteppas have shaped these formats to their own liking, as opposed to trying to create material to fit inside an identifiable genre. For instance, on songs like “Mapenzi ya Muziki” they have used Hip-Hop as the basis to have a musical conversation between Swahili-Taarab and urban Benga. These songs are conscious to include or create new versions of tradition elements of East African music. At the same time the songs contain a lot of symphonic orchestral movements in particular string sections which are somewhat of an anomaly in East African music. Sir Mumo the Sub-Saharan, an aspiring composer, is the main impetus behind this classical inflection with his desire to create “African Classical Music” along the lines of Fela Sowande. So overall it is hard to pin-down “La Vie Ne Pas” into any particular category because as much as it is one thing it contains so much that makes it contrary to that definition. Only one thing is sure - “It is not!”

The album features the likes of King Cush (Last Year’s Tragedy, A Truth Once Known), Lord Spikeheart (Duma, The Seeds of Datura), Mister Chiso (The Paramedikz) and Alvarez Anwar who features heavily in the instrumental production with Sir Mumo the Sub-Saharan. The whole band trade off vocal duties, variating the motifs and inflections but somehow carrying the theme from once singer to the next. The Breadsteppas created all their own instrumentation for the album creating their own sounds and recorded all the instruments. Alvarez Anwar created the album art.

https://breadsteppas.bandcamp.com/album/la-vie-ne-pas

01/08/2022

The Breadsteppas are are future orientated Hip-Hop, Reggae Dancehall collective from Kenya. They have just released their debut album “La Vie Ne Pas” on Bin Khalid Sonic Pollution - now available on Bandcamp (https://breadsteppas.bandcamp.com/album/la-vie-ne-pas). The Breadsteppas are , , , Mudogo a.k.a DJ Saboat, and Natty Sultan - recorded 🇰🇪 La Vie Ne Pas is the Opus Magnus of the Breadsteppas collective. The material was conceived and produced over a period of roughly 3 years from 2015 to 2017 at the Realm of Mist studio in Tigoni and involved a dozen different artists. The bulk of the production of the music was made during the 2016 residency of Sir Mumo the Sub-Saharan as he was contracted to score a soundtrack. Sir Mumo involved the Breadsteppas heavily in the production of the music for the film and they generated many songs together aside from the scores, of which a bulk of songs form this album.

In 2016 the Realm of Mist studio in Tigoni was running almost 24/7. The Seeds of Datura has just taken up residence in the rehearsal studios. Sir-Mumo kept studio A running all night and in the day he would record his session artists including members of the Seeds of Datura. JJSNWLPRD worked on the post-production in studio B, mixing Sir Mumo’s work and sending it back to him for further development. In this way Mumo and JJ acted as the overall producers however they left it to their friends to fill in the parts or come up with musical ideas in a manner that was completely free. Therefore this album is truly a collaborative production between the Breadsteppas and the likes of Lord Spikeheart (The Seeds of Datura, Duma); The Addvoket (The Paramedikz); King Cush (Last Year’s Tragedy) and Alvarez Anwar (Mtaani Survivors).

https://breadsteppas.bandcamp.com/album/la-vie-ne-pas

23/07/2022

and release “H2O Supply Peripherals” available on Bandcamp https://jjsnowleopard.bandcamp.com/track/h20-supply-peripherals-featuring-farmer-clan

17/07/2022

and in 2015. This was the first session which led to many more collaborations under the collective.

16/07/2022

original artwork check out our SoundCloud link in our Bio for the Alvarez playlist

14/07/2022

Artwork by

14/07/2022

days at the Realm of Mist. Alvarez with

04/07/2022

new track from and dropping everywhere 07/22

12/06/2022

You can contribute to Masese’s Final Journey here using most accepted online means https://www.changa.co.ke/fundraiser/55974

06/06/2022

We have lost a warrior.

02/02/2022

IMPISH

http://impishke.bandcamp.com/album/broken



On 27th of June '01, impish played a most notorious show at the Pavement club in Nairobi. Only a few were witness to the pandemonium unleashed by this crack crew of punx that night. The impish sound had been beefed to the next level with the addition of Marian (percussion and guitars) and Brian (guitars). This allowed the band to incorporate an ambitious cover set and pump more style into their regular punk-rock-trio sound. The addition of soundman Pato (k**b twista) and the large soundsystem/venue invoked our underground musings into a sudden manifest glory. This was the last time impish performed with such a mashing crew. The show remains an inspiration to the identity and ambitions of those involved in the scene.

15/12/2021

All are welcome to join us for the second edition of to be held at Bambupelo Art Shrine on Naivasha Rd. Nairobi on 12/17/21 from 8pm through the night. Tickets available at the door. This week we have special guests including a live show from local punk rock heroes Powerslide and a Dj set from DJ Paps. The rest of the evening is taken up by attempting to interface the spiritual realms through our machines.

Shrine is an event that attempts to return definitions of the sacred and the spiritual to the dancefloor - drawn from the collective experience of the participants and performers in a singular experience as they co-create an improvised organism shaped by music and dance.

Shrine is a synthesis of organic sounds and movement together with electronic sequencers and instruments. Music producers are invited each month to jam out uncharted and uncrafted works with musicians accompanying them on traditional percussion and instruments.

Shrine is something uniquely created but never repeated.

Kindly observe all M.O.H. guidelines for Corona Virus prevention.
The venue is mostly outdoor and well ventilated.
No mask no service.

14/12/2021

Alvarez Anwar and the Mtaani Survivors are releasing their song “Nalala Nikiloa” on all music and streaming platforms worldwide on 12/17/12.
https://ditto.fm/nalalanikiloa

As a recognised master of East African guitar, what sets Alvarez apart from his contemporaries young and old is his mastery of stage craft that he has inherited from his earlier career in Hip-Hop. In one legendary performance at the Rift Valley festival he is said to have packed the audience at his stage for a 5 hour performance - leaving all the other stages virtually empty. 

His long career in music started in the urban arts of hip-hop - dancing & toasting MC. He was one of the original B-boys/Grafitti artists of Nairobi in the '80's. He would breakdance in discos in Nairobi like Club Boomerang and he would often perform with the legendary DJ Paco Perez. 
 
For most of his adult life Alvarez has earned his bread from performing with live bands in hotels, clubs and churches. Anywhere a paying gig was available. Because of this extended experience he has been able to transform the soft-jazzy afro-samba perforating from the lounges of many a top hotel in Nairobi into highly creative “afro-fusion” compositions that are at capture the intricacy of Rumba with the immediacy of HipHop. 

His latest release - “Adzeni” featuring the Mtaani Survivors band, is a compendium of his works over the last 15 years. The songs hybridise East African style like Sengenya, Nduruma and Chakacha with Bossanova and Afro-Cuban styles. 

01/12/2021

and release “Coco Sunshine” on 12/17/21 but you can listen to it now on our SoundCloud channel https://soundcloud.app.goo.gl/L1BGsMZRZuJvqypk8

01/11/2021

are dropping 2 singles worldwide this week follow them on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/artist/6VUL4iZZ4fOOXmJAP0gD2U?si=5441KDKmRJe2mHZGuiPafg

28/05/2021

Kenyan Punk Rock band Powerslide release their 3rd single "Vacant Home" off their sophomore album. Listen on all platforms.

“My home is broken But I am not It’ll take more than words To bring me down This vacant home That I call my own When I'm here I feel lost When I'm here I feel alone This house Doesn't feel like home

16/05/2021

shoot for Vans

22/04/2021

Breadsteppas have dropped a riddim with vocalists currently constructing their chants. Contact them if you want to chant on the riddim

Bin Khalid Sonic Pollution is the synthesis of the rock/punk scene with the traditionalist neo-folk African scene. a story of 2 musical paths - one through the rocky, indie underground of the Nairobi

18/04/2021

Listen to the post-rock and post-hardcore artists of Kenya on our SoundCloud channel

A collection of millenial indie, post-rock and post-hardcore bands from Kenya.

12/04/2021

is a podcast showcasing live sets by underground artists from Kenya produced by Bin Khalid Sonic Pollution

Episode 1 King Cush with Sir Mumo the Sub-Saharan Extended DJ set for Nairobi Comicon April 2015 Obsydian Media presents Sleeper Cells, a music podcast featuring extended live and DJ sets from the un

12/04/2021

https://soundcloud.com/binkhalidsonicpollution/sets/breadsteppas follow the Breadsteppas on SoundCloud

The BREADSTEPPAS is a collective of artists formed in 2015 in Tigoni, Kenya. Primarily they were represented as a reggae band composed of JJSNWPRD and Ra Ny’Kang. In 2016 they joined forces with lege

22/03/2021

Jaba Jesus has dropped his debut album a combination of Berlin techno and Nairobi gengetone

10 track album