A chat with self-taught producer behind ‘Anguka Nayo’ hit

Any song sinks or swims upon release, and sinking is the rule, while swimming is the exception. Anguka Nayo was released with this in the mind of the producer and the two artistes who form the group Wadagliz that made it.

Miraculously, it swam. Or, rather practically, it flew.

The viral song became the anthem of the anti-government protests, and videos of people dancing to the song while protesting are commonplace. Also, the cover concept of the song, which depicts a man busting a move, became a meme. Anguka nayo became an expression on everyone’s lips.

Isim, 25, produced the song from his studio in Nairobi’s Umoja I estate. The lanky fourth-year student at the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology still doesn’t believe how successful the song became.

“I was shocked. It is not something we expected,” Isim told Nation.Africa.

His production house, From the Hood Music, has its signature on the hit song through the barks that can be heard in it.

If one word were to describe Isim’s studio, it would be “optimistic”. Located on the first floor of an incomplete building that hosts the Youpreneurs Foundation, the bare stairs, unfinished walls, and rough floors tell you that this is a place best suited for those dreaming of brighter days.

Young people throng here to have that stab at fame, and Isim will be listening coyly as artistes express themselves in the booth. They call it spitting lines. As the artise spits, Isim will be nodding, pressing some keys on his computer keyboard, or executing some magic through a computer mouse. Here, songs are made entirely on a computer.

If you aren’t an optimist, you can dismiss his studio as a backwater effort. After all, from the balcony, you see a perilous pit full of dirty water underneath you. You might even scoff at this backstreet studio in a building adjacent to a field where goats slumber lazily as they chew cud.

An optimist will, however, be inspired by the old tape cassettes and compact discs that have been artistically glued to the black walls of the studio. They will look at the solitary microphone in the recording booth as their launching pad to stardom. The minimalist components in the studio will be read as room to think and to express oneself.

And now, the Anguka Nayo hit has shone the spotlight on this unassuming locality, breathing a new air of optimism. The two artistes behind the song (Tony Otieno alias Kantel and Allan Emojo alias Manna Zoggo) who form the Wadagliz duo, were full of praises for Isim.

“He is a great producer. He knows his job,” Manna Zoggo tells Nation.Africa.

Zoggo confirms that they did not pay for the production of the song, and that they agreed to share whatever earnings come.

“Tutasikizana tu. Ni morio wetu,” he says, rather shyly.

Kantel explains how they met.

“Before we started recording here, we were in another studio. We met Isim at an event they had organised, called ‘From the Hood’. He heard our song and he started recording us.”

Kantel is also proud to have lifted the profile of Umoja, a low-middle-income neighborhood in Nairobi.

“I just feel good because I’m representing my neighbourhood. The song is being heard even internationally,” he buzzes.

The Wadagliz duo was born and raised in Umoja, while Isim was raised in various parts of the country, thanks to his father being in the Air Force, though his parents stayed in Umoja at some point.

Below are excerpts from our conversations with Isim.

Who came up with the “Anguka Nayo” song concept?

It’s Kantel, the Wadagliz guy in dreadlocks. He came up with the song and the Akufa Juu beat (Akufa Juu is a song released in 2018, produced by DJ Crème de la Crème).

How did you go about making the beat?

We took stems from the original but changed some things. If you hear the drums and some elements, they are for the original. But we changed a few things to make it modern.

Has the song lifted your profile? Are you getting more clients?

Yes, it has helped. A lot of people are now looking for us, especially our studio.

Do you get any revenues from Wadagliz?

We have a sharing agreement with them. They take 70 per cent from the song; we take 30 per cent. We have not taken the one they are earning from shows, but from royalties and sales of the song (we receive our cut).

Are they working on something else?

Already, we have projects that are coming up. There are some that we have recorded and others that are pending.

For how long have you been a producer?

I began production around 2018. I’ve got a chance to work with various artistes. I have worked with Hood Boyz, also with Wakadinali at some point. Now, at the studio, I have artistes who are still unknown and I want them to break into fame.

What’s the type of people you work with at the moment?

I work with Gen Zs, aged 20 to 25. It’s around that age group. Currently, this studio has pushed two groups of artistes to fame, who are being played in the national and international levels. As for the others, we are still pushing them.

Is music production bringing you money?

Well, according to the structure we have in the studio, I won’t say it brings money that much. I usually have a deal with artistes to push them. Then when they start hitting, we split the earnings. So, currently, I won’t say there is much money, unless it’s the artistes who pay for their music to be produced.

How much did Wadagliz pay you to produce the song?

They did not pay me anything.

How come?

I have known Wadagliz. I had listened to the songs that had been recorded before. I heard that they were good, and I told them to come to the studio. I had told them I’d heard their projects and they were good; so they should come to the studio one day and I will make them a song. So, they came. The song Anguka Nayo was produced around April. Then we released it around May and it met the maandamano. It was just a coincidence. So, they did not pay me anything. I’d just told them to come and record with me.

Is this the first project you did with them?

No, it wasn’t the first.

During production, is there something you told them to add to the song?

Actually not to add but to remove. There were lines I thought were not working for the song. I didn’t want it to have so many lyrics. So, we removed a few things. Towards the end, it’s like it repeats itself on “anguka nayo”. We agreed that we don’t need something too lyrical; just have something simple but catchy.

That illustration of a dancing man that went with the song, where did it come from?

I am the one who made it.

How?

I downloaded a photo of that man. That day, after recording and it was now time to post, I was looking for something funny enough to excite the masses. I looked for a photo online, then made the cover art, wrote ‘Anguka Nayo’ and inserted our name. I am the one who made it, using Canva.

How do people release songs nowadays?

When we release a song, we upload it on a distribution channel called DistroKid. We put it there, then we distribute to all platforms like Spotify, Boomplay — all major streaming platforms. But we also go for promotions in radio stations. We have had a lot of media tours. But majorly, we distribute to the streaming platforms, and to YouTube.

Were you also shocked by the popularity of Anguka Nayo?

I was shocked. It is not something we expected. Suddenly, the song started trending, and I was hearing it everywhere. I didn’t expect it. I guess the protests helped us because it came out at the perfect time. I should say it was God’s time.

Before the song began trending, some young people were making a TikTok challenge out of it. Then it started trending, and then this young man went to dance to the song before the police, and everyone took it up. We didn’t expect it.

So, this popularity stemmed from a TikTok challenge?

Actually, I’d say TikTok is the one that helped push the song. The song has inspired hundreds of challenges.

Do you sometimes have to explain yourself that you are the father of the song?

I have not gone to explain myself anywhere, but there is a place you can go and people will ask, ‘Are you sure you are the one who made this song?’ So, I have to give proof to show it’s me. Not many people in my area know I’m the one who made it.

How did your interest in music start?

My interest started while in high school. I grew up with friends who were into music and are artistes. So, we would go to a friend of mine called Zikki, a deejay. His elder brother was also a deejay. We would go to his place and see how he was mixing, and that is how my interest grew. And we used to go to a lot of shows, which had many artistes. That made me fall in love with what they were doing.

Was your initial interest in deejaying or producing?

There was a show that used to happen here (in Umoja), called the Rhyme Gym. We would come and see artistes rapping. I developed an interest, but I didn’t know how to rap. So, I saw my entry point to music being in music production. I started teaching myself how to produce. My friend had the software. I would go to his home to train myself. When I got my own laptop, I downloaded the software and started teaching myself.

So, you’re majorly self-taught?

Most of the things are self-taught. I have not gone to any school to study music. Actually, I don’t have any music theory, or even (expertise in) playing any instrument. I’ve just gone to YouTube University (laughs).

Were your parents into music?

My dad was. My mum was the Rose Muhando type (chuckles). You’d listen to Muhando songs from morning till evening. But my dad was into rhumba and all that. His was the era of radio cassettes and CDs. Whenever an album was out, he would buy it. So, my dad was so into music, and my sister was an actress. So, I grew up around people who love music.

What is your parents’ take on what you are doing?

Initially, they would wonder what I was up to. But after they saw my works, especially Anguka Nayo, I remember getting calls from dad. Both my parents live in Meru. Dad would call and say, “We are hearing that song even here.” So, at least now they see it’s a good thing, and they have been supportive.

How did you raise money to start a studio?

I’d saved some amount off my pocket money, then I asked my dad to chip in. He gave me most of the capital with which I bought the studio items and built all this.

What is the farthest you’ve gone education-wise?

I’m currently pursuing a degree in business information technology at Jkuat. I’m currently in fourth year, heading to my final semester.

So, music production is part-time work? Are you based in Umoja?

Yes, I live in Umoja. I won’t say producing is part-time work. I do it full-time.

So, classes are part-time?

Yes, classes for me are the part-time engagement (chuckles).

You attend classes at the main campus?

No, I’m at the CBD [Central Business District] campus.

What do you think about the arbantone genre?

I would say it is a good style. I would classify it as genge still. I can say it’s a style that the artistes came up with. It’s a good style, and at the end of the day, arbantone is mostly about sampling. However, I classify it as genge. Though I’ve still worked with many arbantone artistes and we’ve made many songs, I’d say arbantone is like a branch of genge. Gengetone was also a branch of genge. It’s good to have such branches.

Arbantone has been criticised for sampling beats of known big songs.

Well, even the old songs usually had sampling. There is no need to criticise these ones for sampling already known songs. What people don’t know is that most of these songs – hip hop, RnB, name it – are usually sampled from old songs from the 1950s and such.

What is the one song you feel was produced in the best way possible?

There is a Michael Jackson song Smooth Criminal. I listened to it and I was like “this producer did their homework”. However, there are many songs I have studied. There are many producers like Dr Dre. I love how he took the music business to grow other people. Then there is a Jamaican producer called Anju Blaxx. I guess I have listened to a lot of his works. But many Michael Jackson productions were so musical.

And locally, who is the greatest of all producers?

It has to be Clemo of Calif. I don’t think anyone comes close. He used to be deadly. Same as Musyoka, but I rate Clemo a lot.

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