Camaraderie. There was more to the shows, but nothing got the audience worked up like the dance routines which were usually interactive and had audience members joining in. PHOTO | COURTESY
Since he was announced as a Swangz Avenue artiste, Elijah has been on a trajectory. Though, even with all his bangers over the past two years, it’s hard imagining a year Elijah Kitaka has had in 2024. He had one of the biggest songs of the year and dominated the Swangz All-star album with an appearance on at least ten songs.
On Saturday, Elijah Kitaka was one of the artistes crowning the annual Vibez Nzuri rave party at Gazebo Gardens in Najeera.
Vibez Nzuri was also celebrating five years of organising some of the best experiential music gatherings and championing an urban sound.
For many of their shows over the years, they have been part of the movement of Uganda’s new sound which brings together dancehall, electronic and Afrobeat influences. It’s the kind that has given us artistes such as Zagazillion, Joshua Baraka, Kohen Jaycee, Tungi and Rulz among others.
On Saturday however, the group seemed to switch things up as they celebrated five years, joining forces with Sabula, a production house that has organised events for Ugandans in the diaspora.
Thus, unlike the past Vibez Nzuri where the sound has always been electronic and Afrofuturistic, this was a mixed bag, there was Tungi at one point and at the other you had Winnie wa Mummy delivering a shock value.
These are shows that are usually dominated by strong DJ line ups and they usually deliver as promised. From Bugy, Alza, Slaughter Elly and Heydez, most of the DJs understood the assignment, they knew the crowd and thus blended the music so well. You got a good mix of Afrobeats and amapiano, it had the audience on its toes.
Performances of Tungi and Rulz were energetic, but it’s Rulz that had many people’s attention. That’s because before he came on stage, they reminded us that he’s a Grammy Awards nominee.
