«In high-school reading all I could find about transistors, resistors…»
April 30, 2025
An interview with Afrorack on building modular-racks from scratch in Uganda, his recent explorations and Bryan Adams in German broadcasts.
Text: Eli Tenga
Afrorack, an Uganda-based producer, tonight at Kafé Hærverk
‘When there’s a will, theres a way’, goes the proverb. In an age where many artists have musical history at their feet (internet) and the power to harness sounds to their imagination’s content (technology); it almost seems that there is too much choice: so many possible ways to go: that somewhere the triumph of the will is forgotten, conceded to yesteryear and given little importance in the grand scheme of «making it» as an artist.
Of course, if ‘making it’ is for the advancement of your clout, the amount of zeros on your check or anything to do with gratifying the masses: then yes, this ‘will’ is not important. Rather forgoing it and replacing it with an understanding of how to manipulate the aggregated-faux-zeitgeist of these hyper-medial times is great.
Yet not all artists can wield the all-knowing power of technology in their formative world, and for some - this limiting of input has strengthened their will, their perseverance and has given them a strong imprint of uniqueness and thus made them ascend even more when technology became more and more accessible.
This is one of the frontiers in the riveting story of Brian Bamanya. Who thus far has not been contested as being one of the first, if not the first African to build a modular synth. Now, let it be said, that this is not some story akin to «The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind». For whatever his ingenuity and brilliance as a technician of sound - it is because of the astonishing music he makes as Afrorack which is the reason he is renowned world-wide - whatever the circumstances of their his making. Again, if there were any thoughts of an exotic, electronic tinkerer in your mind. Remove them. This is a world class virtuoso who bears semblance to no one and is to be listened to the same as one does any odd, skinny, long-hair Cornwall-originated producer…
Here is an interview with Afrorack:
So the story goes that you discovered the world of modular synths when you were playing guitar/building your own instruments…can you take me a little bit through that discovery? Was it strictly modular you weren’t aware of or was it the idea of purely frequence-generated sound?
- After playing guitar for a while and building a few guitar pedals and amps I was also reading about other sound generating and altering devices and that’s when I started paying attention to people like Bob Moog and. I found their wall of instruments quite fascinating and all the many patch cables and this is what shifted my attention from the guitar to synthesizers.
Let’s step back for a bit. Where did you grow up and what are your first memories with music?
- I grew up in a small town in the south-western part of Uganda.Its the farthest town in Uganda in that direction because is shares a border with Rwanda. At the time in the 90s we had only one TV station - the state owned Uganda Television - and this was our window to the outside world. They often broadcast foreign music shows especially from Germany like «Disco Rally» and this is where I saw bands playing instruments like synths and drums. I remember the particular moment I watched Brian Adam’s video of «Please forgive me» and the sound of the electric guitar captivated me.Eventually when I went to high school I went to the capital city in Kampala and here there was more access to the instruments through mostly churches.
Since it says you were already ‘building your own instruments’ when you came upon modular-synths, I would say perhaps it was modular-synths that found you! Do you have a background in engineering perhaps or was it pure ingenuity in terms of building your own instruments? Can you say a little bit about your first creations and which circumstances prompted them?
- It’s interesting that you ask that perhaps modular synths found me. I believe this to be true because the moment I discovered the world of modular synths I was shocked at how I was completely unaware of how such instruments existed. But I can also understand this because I don’t know many people that own a modular synth in my city up to this day. I actually don’t think I know anyone. I don’t have any formal training as an engineer but in high school I gained an interest in electronics and spent a lot of time in the library reading all I could find - encyclopedias and physics-books about transistors, resistors and how electronics generally work. Interestingly I developed a liking for Physics and I was always among the best students but I hated math yet the two are intertwined and I never performed well in mathematics. The first exciting device I ever made was a crude amplifier that used a single power transistor. In high school we had a chapel where we went for prayers on Sunday. We didn’t have a PA system but we had a music keyboard which was not loud for every one to hear. So I made up a simple amplifier that we could hook up to a speaker and it made the sound much louder.This really excited me about the possibilities with the knowledge I was acquiring.
Other than the obvious concoction between heritage and your work on a modular-rack - is there more behind the name ‘afrorack’?
- The most popular commercial standard which stipulates what size of modular synth modules should be is called Eurorack. So I thought since there is Eurorack there should also be Afrorack. Why not? But I have also always been asking myself why it is that most of the technology that we use in Africa is all imported from America, China and Europe yet we have so many educated people in Africa. The talent is there but I guess there’s need for some bold people to lead the way.
Although it might be true, I find the idea of «one of the first Africans to build a modular synth» slightly reductive. Do you feel that way?
- Hilariously I was the one that made that claim: I was making all these instruments at my house and one time I decided that I wanted to document that work I had done on Youtube perhaps so that I have a video I can look at in the future and see all I had been making. So I made a playful video and I claimed It was Africas first home made synthesizer. I did not assume anyone was going to take any interest in the video but I was eventually shocked when it got thousands of views.But also no one has come out to refute the claim and it also has opened up so many avenues as a musician and maker and sometimes speaker. So I don’t have any bad feelings about it.
In terms of - is there a certain very white-prominent scene or culture in the world of modular synths? Have you encountered/observed this? Any thoughts on the overall culture?
- The modular synth is predominantly white but this can be explained by the fact that the instruments are all made in Europe America and other white places. The instruments are also quite pricey so that limits the demography of who can afford them at this moment.
Myself coming from East-Africa (TZ), and on many occasion receiving near total- scorn for playing noise-adjacent music loudly in my parents living room: I imagine there were certain misgivings about the «noise» you were creating in Uganda? Or is this my ignorance speaking and noise-adjacent music was already a feature in the scene?
- I wouldn’t say noise music is on the pallet of things a typical Ugandan can listen too. Of course there are festivals like Nyege Nyege where they are some Noise artists but that’s like once a year.But I definitely relate as being seen as an outsider. I find it almost impossible to explain to people that I am not a DJ. I burst out laughing one time when I was playing at the Nyege Nyege festival and a lady came to my table and requested for a pop song. But I also can understand that to the uninitiated some of my instruments may look similar to DJ equipment.
I listened to your set from CTM festival and found it extremely invigorating, full of vitality and a virtuous amalgamation between drone, noise and rhythms through percussion and bass-notes…taking that set a fundament: did this sound emerge naturally from playing with your instruments or did you when you started building your racks seek outwards for inspiration of those who «came before you»? If so, whom? And if not, what were the inspirations for such a punishing yet playful sound?
- It’s interesting that you mention CTM. I think my exposure to big stages was quite fast as I was still figuring out what the potential of my instruments was or what styles of music I wanted to explore. So that time at CTM I explored bit of noise and effects as I was playing with a delay I had just borrowed from a friend before I got on stage after realizing I didn’t have much to play with the entire show. But it was also the beginnings of exploring rhythms.
That CTM festival set was five years ago - can you talk a bit about your work since then and in which directions you have taken your sound and why?
- Well eventually I am evolving and I would say I am exploring my African heritage a bit more.So I have a lot of rhythms from West African drumming, Maloya music etc.I am also incorporating some modified African instruments like now I have a kalimba that can trigger midi notes on the laptop.
In many ways I see your work as a kind of completion of the circle of «electronic music history» (if you allow me to run with the «first African to build synths narrative» for a minute). In terms of most rhythmic aspects and foundations of modern music stemming from the American jazz-blues dichotomy, which itself stemmed from the forced migration of African peoples; and now, the forefront of ‘electrified’ («future» - like music) musics has materialized through an African (not African-American) soul. My question being - do you feel you are reclaiming a certain tradition? Or proving a certain point?
- Its important to experience view points from around the world. For example 808 and 909 drum machines were fundamental in development of techno, house and hip hop in Detroit as well as Berlin, what kind of new genres would they give birth to if they are in the hands of Africans? Cracked copies of FL studio got into the hands of some kids in South Africa and Gqom and Amapiano were born. In another way I think it’s very important for Africans to benefit from opportunities that are happening in the rest of the world. For example in a few days I will be performing at Synthbooth in Berlin which is like a music expo for synths and music technology.I am almost certain that I am the only African performing there but also there are not many Africans known in this community so naturally we miss out because we are not involved in the first place.
Doors open: 20:00 Age: 20 Tickets: 250,-