As you may know, especially those who attended my presentation at the Digita Ngeche launch event back in August.

For most of my life, I've lived between worlds. My Mum is from Kenya, and my Dad is from England. I grew up in the working-class outskirts of Salford but spent most of my adolescence in middle-class suburbia. This created much confusion as I grappled with contradiction, misunderstanding, and prejudice.

My heritage brought societal, financial, and emotional trials and tribulations. I had to cultivate strength, persistence, and a thirst for learning to overcome these hurdles.
Music and art were key driving factors in building this strength. They allowed me to perceive the world, its realities, and the intertwining connections that unite us as a species, regardless of the borders and barriers manufactured between us.

Even with these tools, these issues can be extremely problematic. They can cause a break within the self, leaving you feeling estranged and downtrodden. However, through learning and exposure to the universal language we call expression, these fault lines can be healed.

The last time I left the UK, I was 11 years old. I visited the coastal area of Kenya. This was one of the only times I met that side of my family, and it gave me a glimpse into what makes me, me.

Now, I have the chance to return. In 13 days, I am traveling to Kampala, Uganda, to live and create at the Nyege Nyege Studios, participating in their artist residency. This will lead to a performance at the festival at the mouth of the River Nile. 

Following this, I will journey to Kisumu in Western Kenya to live with my uncle. This is where my mother is from, the place of my Luo ancestry, a place that makes me who I am, but a place I have only been able to visit in stories and dreams.

I plan to document this entire trip to learn about my family and ancestors, Luo artistic and spiritual traditions, and the history of the land and its people. This is the start of a lifelong journey for me. To build a transcontinental bridge, linking sounds and styles, starting in my twin homelands.

Over the past 8 months, I have been working hard to make this trip a reality, funding much of it through hard work, dedication, and the support of those close to me. Now, in these final stages before I set off, I have compiled an album with works spanning the vast majority of my musical expeditions and explorations, ranging from lost projects and modern loops to live improv excerpts and stuff that would probably never have been finished.

This is now available on my Bandcamp alongside a donation link for anyone who is up for backing the cause, also available in my instagram bio. 

Nice one, Dan 

https://kop-z.bandcamp.com/album/compositions-and-live-recordings-from-2019-2024

https://pay.sumup.com/b2c/QYO6V784



fiver with sage edition [2023]

Librarian @digita-ngeche

contact -

kop.zinformation@gmail.com
            
https://kop-z.bandcamp.com

fiver with sage edition [2023]

Kop-Z