Duma (band)

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Duma
OriginKampala, Uganda
Genresindustrial, grindcore, noise
Years active2019–2023
LabelsNyege Nyege Tapes
Sub Pop
Past members
  • Sam Karugu
  • Martin Kanja

Duma was a Kenyan-Ugandan industrial grindcore and noise[1][2] duo composed of vocalist, songwriter and producer Martin Kanja (also known as Lord Spikehart[3]) as well as guitarist and producer Sam Karugu.[4]

History[edit]

Duma was formed in 2018 by vocalist Martin Kanja and guitarist-producer Sam Karugu. Both of them were playing in various bands in Nairobi,[5] but the duo came together in Kampala, Uganda. The duo's musical style was influenced by the electronic music they had been listening to and playing on synthesizers and computers before as well as heavy metal that they had been playing in their former bands Lust of a Dying Breed and Seeds of Datura,[6] as well as their desire to experiment with a more electronic version of the metal music that they had been making up until that point.[3] The band's name, Duma, meant darkness in the Kikuyu language.[7]

Sam Karugu live with duma in Zagreb , Croatia

The duo's self-titled debut album, Duma, was released on 7 August 2020 to positive reviews. The Guardian's Ammar Kalia awarded the album 4 out of 5 stars, stating "What results is an intriguing picture, one that is challenging yet full of a depth that promises an exciting future for this nascent Kenyan scene."[8] Pitchfork's Mehan Jayasuriya gave the album a 7.5 out of 10, stating that "The Kenyan noise band’s debut is inventive and abrasive, a timely distillation of global chaos and techno-dystopian dread".[1]

The duo ended their project in 2023.

Discography[edit]

  • Duma (2020)
  • “Canis” b/w “Mbukinya” (2022)

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b Jayasuriya, Mehan (7 August 2020). "Duma: Duma". Pitchfork. Retrieved 29 October 2020.
  2. ^ O'Boyle, Tom (23 October 2020). "Kenyan noise kings Duma make industrial grindcore like you've never heard it before". Metal Hammer. Retrieved 29 October 2020.
  3. ^ a b Bürgel, Octavia (10 August 2020). "Legion of DUMA: Nairobi's hardcore duo premieres a new video". 032c. Retrieved 29 October 2020.
  4. ^ Gardner, Noel (7 September 2020). "Duma: Duma". The Quietus. Retrieved 29 October 2020.
  5. ^ "025: Duma". Tone Glow. 3 August 2020. Retrieved 29 October 2020.
  6. ^ Battolla, Melanie (27 August 2020). ""Unleash the Chaos!" Duma's Caustic Noise Breaks Past Boundaries". Clash. Retrieved 29 October 2020.
  7. ^ Kincoco, Gloria (5 March 2020). "Enter the darkness: Duma's reflections on a metal sub-culture". People's Stories Project. Retrieved 29 October 2020.
  8. ^ Kalia, Ammar (31 July 2020). "Duma: Duma review – extreme Kenyan metalheads bring doom to the dancefloor". The Guardian. Retrieved 29 October 2020.