Just A Band
Encyclopedia
Just a Band is a Kenyan house
/funk
/disco
band whose career was launched with their debut album, Scratch To Reveal
, in 2008. Their music has explored various musical directions such as, but not limited to jazz
, hip-hop, disco
and electronica
.
The band are also notable for their DIY aesthetic. In addition to writing, recording and engineering their music, the band creates their own music videos, packaging and promotional items and establishing a strong web and blog presence, referencing elements from virtual bands like Gorillaz
and incorporating anime
and animation
, illustration
and photography
in their visual campaigns.
. They went on to release the song "Iwinyo Piny" accompanied by a self-made animated music video. Initially the song received little airplay due to its unconventional musical style, but with time they started to gain popularity through underground channels. Their debut album Scratch To Reveal
was relatively successful. They released their second single 'Ha-He' on 17 March 2010, accompanied by a music video featuring a character known as Makmende
. The video has subsequently been described as Kenya's first viral internet meme by the Wall Street Journal, CNN and Fast Company.
on 17 May 2008 accompanied by self-made music videos for the singles, "Fly", "Iwinyo Piny" and "Hey!". The band explored various media to produce their music videos such as 2D animation for "Iwinyo Piny" and puppetry for "Hey!". The music video for "Iwinyo Piny" was subsequently nominated for the Best African Video Clip at the 2008 Kora Awards
. The band also received a nomination for the Best Urban Fusion Group at the 2008 Kisima Awards.
, on October 2, 2009.
Just a Band signed a US licensing deal with Akwaaba Music, who re-released 82 on February 23, 2010.
The band released the video for their second single from the album "Ha-He" on Wednesday 17 March 2010. The video is a spoof of blaxploitation films, featuring a protagonist named "Makmende
". The video subsequently became popular, and has been described as "Kenya’s first viral internet meme". The band were featured on CNN, The Wall Street Journal and Fast Company as a result.
Just A Band also took part in the BLNRB-project, an electronic music connection between Nairobi and Berlin. They designed the venue for the second BLNRB concert at Club Undecided and performed at the BLNRB concert at House of World Cultures in Berlin and at Stadtgarten in Cologne. Just A Band were featured on the first BLNRB-CD in a collaboration with the techno brothers Teichmann.
House music
House music is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in Chicago, Illinois, United States in the early 1980s. It was initially popularized in mid-1980s discothèques catering to the African-American, Latino American, and gay communities; first in Chicago circa 1984, then in other...
/funk
Funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
/disco
Disco
Disco is a genre of dance music. Disco acts charted high during the mid-1970s, and the genre's popularity peaked during the late 1970s. It had its roots in clubs that catered to African American, gay, psychedelic, and other communities in New York City and Philadelphia during the late 1960s and...
band whose career was launched with their debut album, Scratch To Reveal
Scratch to reveal
Scratch to Reveal was released by Kenyan house/funk trio Just A Band in 2008.Combining features of disco, funk and electronica, this was the first studio album by the Kenyan trio. The album includes "Oh Ndio", a remix of a song by defunct Kenyan pop group Five Alive.-Album information:Scratch to...
, in 2008. Their music has explored various musical directions such as, but not limited to jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
, hip-hop, disco
Disco
Disco is a genre of dance music. Disco acts charted high during the mid-1970s, and the genre's popularity peaked during the late 1970s. It had its roots in clubs that catered to African American, gay, psychedelic, and other communities in New York City and Philadelphia during the late 1960s and...
and electronica
Electronica
Electronica includes a wide range of contemporary electronic music designed for a wide range of uses, including foreground listening, some forms of dancing, and background music for other activities; however, unlike electronic dance music, it is not specifically made for dancing...
.
The band are also notable for their DIY aesthetic. In addition to writing, recording and engineering their music, the band creates their own music videos, packaging and promotional items and establishing a strong web and blog presence, referencing elements from virtual bands like Gorillaz
Gorillaz
Gorillaz is an English musical project created in 1998 by Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett. This project consists of Gorillaz music itself and an extensive fictional universe depicting a "virtual band" of cartoon characters...
and incorporating anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
and animation
Animation
Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. The effect is an optical illusion of motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision, and can be created and demonstrated in several ways...
, illustration
Illustration
An illustration is a displayed visualization form presented as a drawing, painting, photograph or other work of art that is created to elucidate or dictate sensual information by providing a visual representation graphically.- Early history :The earliest forms of illustration were prehistoric...
and photography
Photography
Photography is the art, science and practice of creating durable images by recording light or other electromagnetic radiation, either electronically by means of an image sensor or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film...
in their visual campaigns.
History
The group was formed when their members were studying at the Kenyatta UniversityKenyatta University
Kenyatta University, located in Nairobi, Kenya is the second largest public university in the country . The University is located in Kahawa, about from Nairobi's city centre, along the Nairobi-Thika road.- History :...
. They went on to release the song "Iwinyo Piny" accompanied by a self-made animated music video. Initially the song received little airplay due to its unconventional musical style, but with time they started to gain popularity through underground channels. Their debut album Scratch To Reveal
Scratch to reveal
Scratch to Reveal was released by Kenyan house/funk trio Just A Band in 2008.Combining features of disco, funk and electronica, this was the first studio album by the Kenyan trio. The album includes "Oh Ndio", a remix of a song by defunct Kenyan pop group Five Alive.-Album information:Scratch to...
was relatively successful. They released their second single 'Ha-He' on 17 March 2010, accompanied by a music video featuring a character known as Makmende
Makmende
Makmende is a fictional Kenyan superhero character which has enjoyed a popular resurgence after an adoptation by Kenya's musical group Just A Band in the music video for their song Ha-He on their second album, 82...
. The video has subsequently been described as Kenya's first viral internet meme by the Wall Street Journal, CNN and Fast Company.
Fictional band history
The fictional backstory of the band states that the trio was formed on February 7, 2003 and lists their disparate origins:Scratch To Reveal (2008)
Just a Band released their debut album, Scratch To RevealScratch to reveal
Scratch to Reveal was released by Kenyan house/funk trio Just A Band in 2008.Combining features of disco, funk and electronica, this was the first studio album by the Kenyan trio. The album includes "Oh Ndio", a remix of a song by defunct Kenyan pop group Five Alive.-Album information:Scratch to...
on 17 May 2008 accompanied by self-made music videos for the singles, "Fly", "Iwinyo Piny" and "Hey!". The band explored various media to produce their music videos such as 2D animation for "Iwinyo Piny" and puppetry for "Hey!". The music video for "Iwinyo Piny" was subsequently nominated for the Best African Video Clip at the 2008 Kora Awards
Kora Awards
The Kora Awards are music awards given annually for musical achievement in sub-Saharan Africa. Founded in 1994 by Ernest Adjovi, they are comparable to the American Grammy Awards in intent...
. The band also received a nomination for the Best Urban Fusion Group at the 2008 Kisima Awards.
82 (2009)
The trio released their sophomore studio effort, 8282 (album)
82 is the second studio album by the Kenyan house/funk trio Just a Band, released in 2009 following their debut release Scratch to Reveal. Just A Band signed a US licensing deal with Akwaaba Music, who re-released 82 on February 23, 2010....
, on October 2, 2009.
Just a Band signed a US licensing deal with Akwaaba Music, who re-released 82 on February 23, 2010.
The band released the video for their second single from the album "Ha-He" on Wednesday 17 March 2010. The video is a spoof of blaxploitation films, featuring a protagonist named "Makmende
Makmende
Makmende is a fictional Kenyan superhero character which has enjoyed a popular resurgence after an adoptation by Kenya's musical group Just A Band in the music video for their song Ha-He on their second album, 82...
". The video subsequently became popular, and has been described as "Kenya’s first viral internet meme". The band were featured on CNN, The Wall Street Journal and Fast Company as a result.
TRNSMSSN:
In 2008, the Goethe-Institut Nairobi, with whom they had one of their first concerts with and have been working with on a permanent basis, commissioned them with a video art exhibition. The exhibition "TRNSMSSN:" held in the Goethe gallery turned out to be very popular. A follow up is scheduled for April 2010 when they will travel to the US. They have done several DJ-sets at Goethe functions, the last one being the opening of the Mwangalio Tofauti exhibition in which Jim Chuchu was featured as a photographer.Just A Band also took part in the BLNRB-project, an electronic music connection between Nairobi and Berlin. They designed the venue for the second BLNRB concert at Club Undecided and performed at the BLNRB concert at House of World Cultures in Berlin and at Stadtgarten in Cologne. Just A Band were featured on the first BLNRB-CD in a collaboration with the techno brothers Teichmann.
Discography
- BLNRB (Album) (2011)
- BLNRB EP (2010)
- 8282 (album)82 is the second studio album by the Kenyan house/funk trio Just a Band, released in 2009 following their debut release Scratch to Reveal. Just A Band signed a US licensing deal with Akwaaba Music, who re-released 82 on February 23, 2010....
(2009) - Scratch To RevealScratch to revealScratch to Reveal was released by Kenyan house/funk trio Just A Band in 2008.Combining features of disco, funk and electronica, this was the first studio album by the Kenyan trio. The album includes "Oh Ndio", a remix of a song by defunct Kenyan pop group Five Alive.-Album information:Scratch to...
(2008) - Iwinyo Piny (single) (2006)
- The Light Fantastic EP (2006)
External links
- just-a-band.com (Official website)