Bamanya Brian is a multidisciplinary artist from Uganda who performs and records under the name Afrorack. Working across a range of media including sound art, electronic music, experimental visuals, and kinetic sculpture, he takes modular synthesizers in an entirely new direction. He built a DIY synth by hand, fittingly named The Afrorack, after patiently scouring computer repair shops in his hometown of Kampala, Uganda.
Bamanya’s debut self-titled album, The Afrorack, received critical acclaim making it to several music writers’ best albums 2022. Afrorack has performed at many international festivals and has been featured on the BBC world service. His Canadian tour is organized by Vancouver New Music.
He plays Remai Modern on Friday, October 4, 2024. This event is admission by donation, with free entry for members and youth under 18. In anticipation, Bamanya created a playlist to help people get to know a few African musicians exploring new directions.
From Bamanya Brian:
“UBUNTU is an African philosophy translated to mean “I am because we are” — a concept in which your sense of self is shaped by our relationships with other people. This playlist is a selection of African artists experimenting with new directions in contemporary African music. Some of the tracks are collaborations between African artists and German, Japanese, Chinese and people from all over the world. In the last few years, African sounds like Amapiano, gqom and Afrobeats have been gaining global recognition and alongside this the African underground and alternative scene has been getting more attention. This playlist is a quick sample of the sounds that I believe will give an outsider a vibe of what is happening in the African creative scene. These artists are pushing innovative new ideas in Africa sounds featuring, electronic, avant-garde, noise and all things sound.”
Learn more:
- YouTube: Africa’s first Home made Modular Synth
- Stir: Brian Bamanya offers a uniquely Ugandan take on electronic music as Afrorack
- Pitchfork: 34 Great Records You May Have Missed: Spring/Summer 2022