KG Omulo

Posted by CAPITAL LIFESTYLE on January 23, 2012

He calls himself a pioneer of Afro Urban music, but is also known as US based Kenyan musician KG Omulo. The reggae tunes on his debut album Ayah Ye! Moving Train resonate with the determination of a political revolution.
It’s the kind of music you would expect to play in the 1960s as protestors take to the streets to demand their rights.
With 11 moderate-paced tracks, the album also sounds like it jumped out of the Shaft soundtrack.
His profile describing the album reads: “KG takes on the dark ironies of politics, with anger in the groove, reveling in the potential to shake things up while shaking your thing.”
KG is said to have teamed up with a group of “brass and string” artists from Central Florida, and recorded at studios in the US states of Florida and Pennsylvania
Strong guitar fused with speech like singing lends itself to his campaign for a more just world, with tracks like Intervention, Moving Train, Walkway and No Means No.
The title track “Ayah Ye!” is the only track mainly sung in Swahili.
http://www.kgomulo.com/music/ (Rate this album).
KG begins touring this year to promote his new album. - Capital FM kenya

January 22, 2012
When K.G. Omulo left Kenya for the U.S. at age 20, he had already begun to make a name for himself as a singer. But once he arrived here, he was forced to reconsider the music of his homeland and come up with a fresh new hybrid. Fortunately, he'd been raised to think globally when listening to music.

"Growing up in Nairobi, which is very metropolitan, and having parents who let me listen to a little bit of everything — I'm talking eastern, western, all the legends that came out of Africa back in the day, mixed in with some Motown records — kind of blended it all in together," Omulo tells weekends on All Things Considered host Guy Raz. "There was Bob Marley, too, and a little bit of the Beatles. It was a wide range of sound."

The influence of Marley is easy to hear on Omulo's debut album, Ayah Ye! Moving Train. He says that like the reggae icon, he feels compelled to make music that is progressive and conscientious of the state of the world.

"My goal was to make it positive, but also pinpoint what people need to think about now that we're getting toward the election year, both in the U.S. and in Kenya," Omulo says. "I was picturing a world where we can love one another, but also be able to tell each other the truth, and not fear, and understand where we are, where we need to go, and where we're coming from." - NPR

January 22, 2012
When K.G. Omulo left Kenya for the U.S. at age 20, he had already begun to make a name for himself as a singer. But once he arrived here, he was forced to reconsider the music of his homeland and come up with a fresh new hybrid. Fortunately, he'd been raised to think globally when listening to music.

"Growing up in Nairobi, which is very metropolitan, and having parents who let me listen to a little bit of everything — I'm talking eastern, western, all the legends that came out of Africa back in the day, mixed in with some Motown records — kind of blended it all in together," Omulo tells weekends on All Things Considered host Guy Raz. "There was Bob Marley, too, and a little bit of the Beatles. It was a wide range of sound."

The influence of Marley is easy to hear on Omulo's debut album, Ayah Ye! Moving Train. He says that like the reggae icon, he feels compelled to make music that is progressive and conscientious of the state of the world.

"My goal was to make it positive, but also pinpoint what people need to think about now that we're getting toward the election year, both in the U.S. and in Kenya," Omulo says. "I was picturing a world where we can love one another, but also be able to tell each other the truth, and not fear, and understand where we are, where we need to go, and where we're coming from." - NPR

January 22, 2012
When K.G. Omulo left Kenya for the U.S. at age 20, he had already begun to make a name for himself as a singer. But once he arrived here, he was forced to reconsider the music of his homeland and come up with a fresh new hybrid. Fortunately, he'd been raised to think globally when listening to music.

"Growing up in Nairobi, which is very metropolitan, and having parents who let me listen to a little bit of everything — I'm talking eastern, western, all the legends that came out of Africa back in the day, mixed in with some Motown records — kind of blended it all in together," Omulo tells weekends on All Things Considered host Guy Raz. "There was Bob Marley, too, and a little bit of the Beatles. It was a wide range of sound."

The influence of Marley is easy to hear on Omulo's debut album, Ayah Ye! Moving Train. He says that like the reggae icon, he feels compelled to make music that is progressive and conscientious of the state of the world.

"My goal was to make it positive, but also pinpoint what people need to think about now that we're getting toward the election year, both in the U.S. and in Kenya," Omulo says. "I was picturing a world where we can love one another, but also be able to tell each other the truth, and not fear, and understand where we are, where we need to go, and where we're coming from." - NPR

One of Orlando's most credible world-music ambassadors, East African singer-songwriter and bandleader KG Omulo, celebrates the release of his debut album, "Ayah Ye! Moving Train," on Jan. 14 at the Social (thesocial.org).

Although this is the formal release, the album already has found its way onto several 2011 "best of" lists and it deserves the recognition. Powered by energetic splashes of horns and percussion that form the foundation for spiritually uplifting lyrics, this "Train" is bound for glory.

Making the music? An A-list of Orlando stars, including Anthony Cole on drums and keyboards, trombonist Clay Watson and sax man Brian Mackie. - Orlando Sentinel

By Bao Le-Huu

Published: January 19, 2012

For a while, local combo K.G. and the Band was ubiquitous on the scene. Although they’ve been laying low recently, taking the form of, according to frontman K.G. Omulo, an “indefinite side project,” the singer has apparently been busy making a record. And good for him for focusing enough to make a proper album instead of just cruise-control gigging into meaninglessness. For his CD release party (Jan. 14, the Social), Omulo rolled it out with a huge 10-player ensemble. Spanning Afrobeat, funk, soul, Caribbean and Latin, his flashy global bouillabaisse is something like a merge of Eugene Snowden’s work in the Legendary JC’s and Snowden’s more Afro-centric group Liberation 44. And amid all the flavor, flair and dazzle, what unifies everything is a vibrant sense of melody and hook. Despite all the instruments, Omulo’s voice is the heart and soul here, and it’s what carried the day. His ease, generosity and polish as a performer is as good an anchor as you can hope for. - Orlando Weekly

Every so often we encounter sounds that can only be described and not defined. In the midst of what sometimes feels like a sea of musical monotony, the musicians that make these sounds are welcomed as ones who give us a relief from the stale air. This time that relief has come from Kenya bred KG Omulo, whose first studio album Ayah Ye, has reminded us just how refreshing a versatile musical experience can be.

Ayah Ye projects a synergy of funk, rock, reggae and traditional African sounds, compiled in a way that, simply put, just works. He weaves through both English and Swahili as he delivers powerfully charged lyrics that make you stop and think, adding to the album’s overall intrigue. Described in the past as Afro-Urban, World Contemporary and Afro-Funk, there is more to Ayah Ye than a definition can give us, and is worth exploring further.

The album begins with a song of the same title, displaying noticeable African melodic undertones and a strong funk feel. The rhythm and instruments that give the album it’s funk are consistent throughout, and also give the album it’s cohesiveness; even in songs like “Do You Feel,” a far more rock heavy track, we know that funk’s the word. There are a few tracks that considerably alter the mood of the album as they turn down the intensity, for instance, “It’s a relief,” “Ready To Love,” and “Walkway” are all presented with a reggae beat, and shift the album’s gears into a cool and relaxed state.

Ayah Ye not only seems to cover all the musical bases, but the lyrical ones too, as it not only lends itself to lightness and positivity, but to more heavy subject matter as well. “No Means No,” is an especially political song, presenting the lyrics “From Washington to Kenya, from Pakistan to Sudan we hear the same rants. Ain’t no true government in office, just lobbyists with big egos and big political portfolios. Swimming sharks in the water thirsty for blood and power.” Lyrics like these leave little room for doubt regarding Omulo’s opinions towards political figures, and perhaps also make you reconsider yours. “Quality Woman,” is equally as lyrically important; lighter, this song serves as an ode to all women’s worth.

Like so many of us, Omulo and his music seem to be products of circumstance; in his native Kenya, he was in a successful group (what he describes as a mix between Doo Wop and Lady Smith Black Mombazo,) with which he entertained the likes of 35,000 people. Perhaps it is here that he learned to entertain large crowds with uplifting music, someday leading to what many call a very uplifting and danceable album.

Overall, Ayah Ye emits a powerful, down to earth positivity lyrically, rhythmically and melodically. As Omulo explains on his website, “I can be conscious and get people stirred up instead of bringing them down. I make positive music that educates without judging. I want to create awareness and still make people dance.” Ayah Ye’s success in entertaining, inspiring movement and encouraging meaningful thought shows the truth in Omulo’s words, and makes one expect quality in the future work of this versatile musician.

Contributed by Ashley Cooke for www.afropop.org - Afropop Worldwide

Look who’s emerged from hiding as a big deal! Omulo, the multi-culti singer of local Caribbean-funk act KG & the Band, was a pleasantly surprising arrival to the Orlando scene years ago, back when the idea of African-rooted samba in Central Florida was still met with more head scratching than head nodding. When Omulo’s band went on hiatus, he dropped off the map for a bit. Now a solo star-in-the-making, tonight he celebrates the release of his wonderful solo debut album, Ayah Ye! Moving Train, a musically accomplished collection of catchy, island-ready tracks that’s already been praised by National Geographic Music and earned a best debut CD accolade from the Jazz Journalists Association. Welcome back, K.G. They’re ready for you, now. – Justin Strout - Orlando Weekly

KG brings to the forefront nothing less than authenticity. - National Geographic

Best debut CD

KG Omulo, Ayah Ye! Moving Train - Jazz Journalist Association

KG Omulo plays hard-hitting Afrofunk tunes influenced by a rural Kenyan childhood spent listening to Motown grooves and East & Western African classics. While still a teenager in Kenya, KG and his friends sang in a barber-shop style trio playing songs somewhere in between doo wop and Ladysmith Black Mambazo. A subsequent move to the States found him tackling new arrangements alongside some of Central Florida’s chief brass and string players. Hear his guitar-laden, horn infused Ayah Ye! Moving Train debut LP, out today, in its entirety and catch a clip for album cut “Quality Women” below! - Okay Africa

KG Omulo

Ayah Ye! Moving Train

“This is more than just about me / This is bigger than life,” asserts KG Omulo, riding an urgent high-hat and snare figure on the title track of his solo debut. It’s no idle boast. The 11 pithy tracks on the Kenyan immigrant’s auspicious new album tackle a range of topics with global-political import — everything from corrupt governments to corporate welfare and safer air emissions. “Same old, same old from Washington to Nairobi / From Pakistan to Sudan we hear the same rants,” Omulo chants on “No Means No,” a funky appeal for solidarity and resistance addressed to oppressed people everywhere.

The record’s messages are heady enough, but they wouldn’t pack half the wallop they do were it not for the sonics that drive them, a bracing mix of reggae, funk, afrobeat and jazz that just doesn’t let up. “Intervention,” the set’s molten opener, features crisscrossing rhythms, free jazz-style horns and funkadelic guitars to almost Beefheartian effect. “Stop Me Now” opens with astringent orchestration that recalls “Revolver”-era Beatles, while “Ready to Love” employs skanking horns and trippy dub effects to convey defiance and hope. The love referred to in its title is no mere emotion, but a healing force.

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(Courtesy of the Artist) - KG Omulo's album “Ayah Ye! Moving Train.”

Several tracks include lyrics sung in Swahili, not all of them strident or overtly political. “Cleary Boulevard” incorporates Swahili and Spanish, its undulating funk and soul grooves serving as the soundtrack for a summery reminiscence about blasting Afro-Cuban tunes under the Caribbean moon.

—Bill Friskics-Warren

Recommended tracks:

“Intervention,” “Cleary Boulevard,” “No Means No”
- Washington Post