Snare Nine

Much has been said on the #BanDunka campaign. I dedicated a few tweets to it a couple of weeks ago, but here in one place are my thoughts again:

The origins of the genre have been highlighted already by brother Anthony Muligisa.  Reggaeton came to us through the like of Daddy Yankee and Don Omar.  Zambian producers were quick to copy the infectious drum pattern and soon we had hits like Gong’a by Uncle Jah and Over Over by jimmy.  Soon there was a plethora of dunka songs in our ears over the successive years, the arrival of a new genre of Zambian music that went relatively unheralded.

Dunka is essentially reggaeton music, adapted for Zambian audiences.  It employs the normal reggaeton four-on-the-floor drum pattern.  Use of “snare 9” was once very prominent, snare 9 being the instrument that gives the beats their distinct “ka” sound from which the word dunka is derived. 

What I like about dunka is its authentic Zambian-ness.  Others may beg to differ, asserting that it’s a copycat of an established sound.  I disagree.  Inasmuch as dunka has its origins in reggaeton, it has evolved over the years to be a truly local sound.  Our music is different from that of the DRC or Malawi or Tanzania.  Like most other music genres, we took another idea and made it our own.  (Bear in mind that rock and roll had its origins in black Spirituals, but was adopted by British youth and turned into something altogether unique).  One only needs to listen to the work of Mampi, Dandy Crazy and Oga Family to realise the level that dunka has raised Zambian music.  Its success in international markets bears testimony to the success of the genre.

Unfortunately with the rise of dunka came a multitude of artists hoping to make a quick buck off a tried and tested musical formula.  Many were quick to replicate the rhythms and melodies, note-for-note, of established hits.  Herein lies the problem.  The past six years we have been bombarded with a whole bunch of songs that “sound the same”.  And indeed they do. Take the established drum pattern, incorporate a simple four chord progression and add juvenile lyrics.  The result?  A catchy, danceable, yet annoyingly predictable hit.  And that is the crux of Krytic’s argument. 

We do indeed have great singers and producers in our great republic.  But lately there is very little real songcraft for we the public to appreciate.  The onus now is on the so called “artists” to revisit their motives for making music, and ponder over what art and artistry is really about.  I’m confident that the industry will rise to the challenge and bring us more great music.