The Recording Industry of Kenya, RIKE, has embarked on a landmark initiative to develop a cultural compendium and audio-visual documentation of Kenya’s recorded music history, called Sonic Nation.
Sonic Nation is a powerful chronicle of Kenya’s sound recording industry, told through the voices of those who built it.
According to RIKE, the project features “pioneers who shaped its earliest foundations to contemporary players driving its evolution” to capture “the spirit, resilience, and creativity that have defined Kenya’s musical identity over decades.”
In a preview seen by KBC Digital, some of the biggest names in Kenyan music were involved in the making of the project.
The extraordinary lineup of voices that have shaped Kenya’s musical landscape includes:
- Fred Obachi Machoka, the legendary voice of a generation.
- Muthoni Bwika, a trailblazing radio presenter.
- DJ Pinye, the audio-visual pioneer; Suzanne Gachukia-Opembe a pioneering composer and
producer. - John Katana Harrison from Them Mushrooms, the globally defining hitmakers.
- Shaffie Weru, a defining voice of urban radio.
- OGW, Japheth Kasanga, veteran gospel producer.
- Tedd Josiah, a visionary architect of Kenyan pop.
- Francis Bikedo, executive producer of the enigmatic hit-making powerhouse Ogopa Deejays.
- Eric Wainaina, one of Kenya’s most influential singer-songwriters, known for music that blends genres with powerful social storytelling.
- Polycarp Otieno, songwriter/composer, producer, and Sauti Sol’s guitarist.
- Blinky Bill, producer, DJ and genre‑defying artist blending electronica, Afro‑fusion, hip‑hop, and jazz.
Speaking about Sonic Nation during the screening, Angela Mwandanda, Producer of Sonic Nation and National Coordinator of the RIKE, called the project “necessary”.
“This documentary was not only necessary, it was also powerfully revealing. For years, we have asked ourselves, ‘What is the Kenyan sound?’ What we discovered is that we have never had just one identity,” she said. “Our music has never followed a single path; it moves to the beat of our own creativity. To confine Kenyan music to a single definition would be to deny who we have always been: a nation that creates, innovates, and moves unapologetically to its own diverse rhythm.”
Directed by Eric Musyoka, RIKE Chairman and Executive Producer at Decimal Records, the Sonic Nation project brings both technical expertise and lived experience into its storytelling.
Having spent over two decades in the industry, Musyoka describes the documentary as both a reflection and a call to action.
“This project allowed us to connect the dots, celebrating how far we’ve come, while also confronting the challenges we must address to secure the future of our industry,” said Musyoka.
‘Sonic Nation’ is the first of many RIKE initiatives aimed at building and strengthening Kenya’s recording industry.
Beyond celebrating the country’s culture and heritage, it highlights the sector’s immense potential to shine on the global stage if provided with solid structures, effective policies, government support, and active collaboration among stakeholders.
