tempo varies, no sourced figureNairobi

Nu Nairobi: the sound of Nairobi

Nu Nairobi is the name the Kenyan producer collective EA Wave gave, from about 2015, to Nairobi's alternative electronic sound, which blends trap, house, downtempo and hip-hop with African percussion.[1][2][3]

3 artists on Pulse1 cities2 sets to play

Pulse

What nu nairobi is

Its producers mix trap 808s, Afro house, trip-hop and downtempo beats with jazz, soul and R&B, African percussion, and Auto-Tuned vocals. Writers place it against the backdrop of Nairobi's older nightlife sounds (benga, rumba, soukous) and the earlier local styles kapuka and genge.[1][2][3]

Nu Nairobi, also written #NuNairobi, EA Wave (East African Wave, the collective; tagged as a style in our data), Nu Nairobi house (our Nairobi signature label).

Tempo

No sourced tempo. No sourced BPM; the sound spans trap, downtempo and house tempos No source gives a tempo. Pulse shows no BPM number for this sound; the city tempos on the map are the cities' own pulse figures.

On the Pulse map
Nairobi sits at 120 BPM (our editorial estimate). That is each city's own pulse, not a figure for this sound.

Where it comes from

Nairobi; members met online and at parties, and traded odd jobs for studio time at Creatives Garage · About 2015[1][2][3]

  • Jinku (Jacob Solomon)

    ringleader in 2016; fuses trap, Afro house and downtempo with African percussion; later Stockholm-based[2][1]

  • Ukweli (Brendern Denousse)

    youngest member; spokesman and visual artist[2][1]

  • Hiribae

    former school-orchestra trumpeter; jazz, soul and electronica[1][2]

  • Nu Fvnk

    rapper and producer[1][2]

  • Mvroe / Muroe (James Mburu)

    member in 2016 to 2017 sources[1][2]

  • Sichangi

    member by 2018; future bass and heavy 808s[3]

Where the sources disagree

Membership. 2016 and 2017 sources list Mvroe/Muroe as the fifth member; the 2018 source lists Sichangi instead. Our data says Bandcamp Daily (2019) lists Sichangi; the Bandcamp Daily piece read here is from 2017 and lists Mvroe.[1][2][3]

Who carried it

  • EA Wavecollective and Bandcamp label

    eawave.bandcamp.com; first curated event 'EA Wave and Friends'; produced most of Karun's 'Indigo' EP[1][2][3]

  • The Alchemist (Nairobi)venue

    described in 2018 as a home of Nairobi's underground scene[3]

  • Boiler Room Nairobibroadcast

    EA Wave were on the bill (date not given)[3]

Moments

  1. 2016Bråvalla Festival, Sweden[3]
  2. 2016-06-27OkayAfrica introduces EA Wave and #NuNairobi[2]
  3. 2017IOMMA, Réunion; Bandcamp Daily feature (3 April 2017)[3][1]
  4. 2018Homecoming Africa Festival, South Africa; collaborations with Willow Smith (Ukweli and Sichangi) and Jojo Abot[3]

The rooms it was made for

  • Online first

    The crew were 'strictly online artists' before their first event.[3]

  • A shared creative space

    Creatives Garage, a multidisciplinary space in a leafy Nairobi suburb, where members did odd jobs for studio time.[1]

  • Underground bars

    The Alchemist.[3]

Cities on Pulse

Cities whose signature sound or style tags include Nu Nairobi. The number is each city's own pulse tempo.

Artists on Pulse

3 artists and collectives tagged Nu Nairobi in our data, busiest cities first.

Sets to play

One tap plays here; the next Nu Nairobi set follows, then Pulse Radio carries on.

Set page
Set page

Questions about Nu Nairobi

What is Nu Nairobi?

A name for Nairobi's alternative electronic sound, coined by the EA Wave collective around 2015, mixing trap, house, downtempo and hip-hop with African percussion.[2][1]

Who are EA Wave?

A Kenyan DJ and producer collective (East African Wave): Jinku, Ukweli, Hiribae, Nu Fvnk and, by 2018, Sichangi.[2][3]

Is EA Wave a genre?

No. It is a collective; 'Nu Nairobi' is the name of the sound it championed.[2][3]

Sources

Last checked 16 October 2026 · Send a correction or a tip

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