Kampire

Uganda’s DJ Kampire sits at the helm of the Nyege Nyege collective – the acclaimed party-turned-festival-turned-record label providing a global platform for contemporary pan-African dance music.

Like Lisbon label Príncipe and the gqom crew out of Durban, the Nyege Nyege collective is the latest group to bring forward-facing African dance music loudly to bear on the wider electronic landscape. Their sound marries local styles like electro acholi and singeli with European house, techno and bass music in a fertile exchange fondly reminiscent of golden era UK Funky. It’s no surprise, then, that the artists involved have made early fans out of PAN’s Bill Kouligas and the Whities crew.

Of all the DJs involved, Kampire is perhaps the best known outside of Kampala, having toured tirelessly on the global club and festival circuit in recent years. True to the collective’s inclusive ethos, her ecstatic mix for us features a host of young African artists (Slikback from Kenya, U-ZET from Durban) alongside likeminded producers from across the globe, including Bristol’s Dismantle and Brooklyn-based Swing Ting signee Epic B.

Kampire plays at Rewire Festival, The Hague, 29-31 March