There is no doubt that music production in Kenya has grown tremendously. Unlike before, when there were few production companies in the country, now there are many production studios and many talented producers that have emerged over the years.
In the early 1990s, the music business in Kenya was at a very low point. This was due to declining sales and competition from pirates. The presence of pirates meant that as a singer, you couldn’t get money back from your recorded music.
This discouraged many people from recording, and only a few songs were produced as a result.
In the mid-1990s, a number of factors emerged that changed the Kenyan music scene. One of the main factors that brought about the changes is the rise of commercial FM radio stations. As radio stations emerged, there was a huge demand for high-quality songs.
Initially, these radio stations played a lot of western music such as reggae, raga, hip-hop, dancehall, and American R&B.
As people were introduced to Western culture, music production studios had to come up with new techniques and tools that would allow them to produce songs of the same quality as those produced in Western countries.
To do this, music producers had to make use of computers, software, mixing consoles, and other tools. The introduction of these tools made music production more affordable and the music produced was of high quality.
Most of the music produced at the time was packaged on cassette, although there was some music that was packaged on CD.
As technology developed, multitrack layering became the tool of the new generation of independent producers recording directly to computer hard drives for guitars, drum machines, keyboards, and other synthesized sounds.
By the late 1990s, Kenyan music had grown tremendously and new production companies had emerged. New singing groups also emerged and began to sing in styles heavily inspired by Western culture. To give a Kenyan feel, the music producers had to add Kenyan melody and instrumentation in the music.
Some of the notable people who revolutionized Kenyan music are: Harrison Ngunjiri, Tedd Josiah and Kalamashaka.
Over the years, Kenyan music production has continued to grow and many new production companies have emerged. Many talented and highly skilled music producers have emerged and are making big changes in the Kenyan music industry.