Episode 4: Blinky Bill | The African Imaginary Podcast
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If you’re in need of good company and a far-reaching conversation, host Khangi Khoza and guest Blinky Bill have got you covered. In our fourth episode of The African Imaginary Podcast, they talk about what it means to build something original from African soil, what the continent's artists owe each other, and what soulfulness in music means in this new crazy world.
Blinky Bill is a Kenyan musician, producer and DJ, and one of the founding members of Just A Band - the art and music collective widely regarded as the forefathers of Kenya's alternative music scene. His songs have found their audiences on Netflix, on Nike campaigns, on stages around the world, and here on The African Imaginary Podcast where we licensed ‘Jam Now, Simmer Down’ as our theme tune.
Born in Eastleigh, Nairobi, to a mother who did missionary work and played the guitar, and a father who sang in the church choir, Blinky grew up absorbing gospel, lingala, jazz and hip-hop from home and the matatus that he rode in. His super-power is the massive music library in his mind that he effortlessly draws upon. It is why no two of his tracks sound the same, and it’s why his list of collaborators on and off the continent is so impressive, from Childish Gambino and Chance the Rapper to Idd Aziz, D’Afro and Sampa the Great. “I think that my biggest gift above and beyond the music is that I know how to bring people together and see their role in the vision,” he tells The African Imaginary Podcast. “I'm always connecting the dots.”
Blinky Bill is a Kenyan musician, producer and DJ, and one of the founding members of Just A Band - the art and music collective widely regarded as the forefathers of Kenya's alternative music scene. His songs have found their audiences on Netflix, on Nike campaigns, on stages around the world, and here on The African Imaginary Podcast where we licensed ‘Jam Now, Simmer Down’ as our theme tune.
Born in Eastleigh, Nairobi, to a mother who did missionary work and played the guitar, and a father who sang in the church choir, Blinky grew up absorbing gospel, lingala, jazz and hip-hop from home and the matatus that he rode in. His super-power is the massive music library in his mind that he effortlessly draws upon. It is why no two of his tracks sound the same, and it’s why his list of collaborators on and off the continent is so impressive, from Childish Gambino and Chance the Rapper to Idd Aziz, D’Afro and Sampa the Great. “I think that my biggest gift above and beyond the music is that I know how to bring people together and see their role in the vision,” he tells The African Imaginary Podcast. “I'm always connecting the dots.”
Chapters
- 00:00 Intro
- 01:05:13 Keep or Toss
- 05:52:09 Origin of the name Blinky Bill
- 08:47:11 Growing up around a lot of music
- 12:43:24 What was celebrated and punished at home?
- 22:17:04 High school, beginnings of Just A Band
- 30:02:04 Soulfulness
- 32:08:06 AI, shortcuts & the value of learning an instrument
- 37:25:17 Algorithms reward conformity
- 46:05:22 Blinky's collaboration with Childish Gambino and Chance the Rapper
- 53:40:24 Fashion as an extension of artistry
- 61:49:17 Release what moves you
- 71:34:06 Being a Pan-African artist
- 79:28:00 Home, belonging, and Kenya's frequency
- 88:06:06 Blinky's final piece of advice
- 90:37:14 Outro
