Kampire
photo credit: Astrid Miskovic
Among East Africa's most exciting DJs and a core member of Kampala's Nyege Nyege collective, Kampire’s vibrant bass-heavy sets have transported her to bring the best of Ugandan party culture to clubs & festivals across the world. Her Boiler Room set from Nyege Nyege festival 2018 was a legitimate ‘internet moment’, with thousands of shares leading to serious FOMO from electronic music fans watching online. Then in the midst of a global pandemic, Kampire’s Nyege Nyege 2020 opening ceremony DJ set stood out from the deluge of home DJ broadcasts, filmed on an island in the Nile for the digital edition of the festival, broadcast by Resident Advisor.
In October 2021 Kampire joined BBC Radio 1’s as one of their esteemed ‘Residency’ host DJs, giving her an even bigger platform for showcasing the best new music from across the diaspora.
Her monthly NTS Radio Residency has continued to see Kampire shine a light on other DJs & artists from Africa and the diaspora, including Authentically Plastic, Chrisman & DJ IV. Kampire was also one of the first African DJs chosen to launch a with a sought after Spotify ‘Track ID’s playlist. Kampire’s latest raucous Boiler Room broadcast, recorded at DGTL Festival Mumbai, was a highlight of 2023.
The recent ‘A Dancefloor in Ndola’ compilation curated for Strut Records, saw Kampire return to her roots and bring together a range of different East and Southern African genres from Congolese rumba and soukous to 1980s township bubblegum and the rich guitar-led sounds of Zambian kalindula. “There are styles of music on the compilation which are often considered unsophisticated from rural areas. I and other contemporary African artists and DJs draw inspiration from them; it is part of what makes us ourselves.” Kampire also shines the spotlight on many incredible women in African music from the 80s, including Congolese legends like Pembey Sheiro, Feza Shamamba and Princesse Mansia M’bila to V-Mash and Di Groovy Girls from South Africa.
As a curator, Kampire’s week-long ‘Club & Care’ Residency at Gessnerallee in Zurich celebrated inclusive nightlife; with workshops, a sober day rave and a club night featuring internationally recognized DJs and local collectives.
“an excellent musicologist and historian, not just an exceptional DJ”
“a scene-leading DJ who can connect the dots between the past, present and future of African club music”
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“Kampire, like any DJ worth their salt, is skilled at teasing out connections between disparate sounds. A Dancefloor in Ndola shows the art of the DJ as selector, joining the dots between musical trends in a way that flows effortlessly onto the dancefloorThis is dance music at its transportive, revelatory best, a real reminder of what an astute, inventive DJ can do”