Fast, aint it? Singeli is one of the few genres that pretty consistently stays in the 180-300 bpm range. We'll begin here with bandcamp description. From the Nyege Nyege tapes bandcamp:
Jumanne Ramadhani Zegge a.k.a. Bamba Pana is one of the core producers, alongside Jay Mitta and Sisso himself, of the Sisso studio - a central hub for MCs and producers of the Singeli scene in the Mburahati ghetto on the outskirts of Dar Es Salaam. Along with his peers, Bamba Pana uses a laptop and software to update the local, usually acoustic and instrumental style of Singeli, computerizing its hyper rhythms and zinging melodies for the needs of younger, contemporary crowds in an upfront, direct way that has translated far beyond its East African roots.
But what's singeli? Find out more below the fold!
Singeli is one of the more interesting developments in electronic dance music over the last 10 to 15 years. Originating in the mid 2000s in Zaramo neighborhoods in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, it has since exploded in popularity across east africa's great lakes region. Musically its based on very fast taraab music, popular in tanzania since the 20s, with a contemporary twist. As Anke Van der Stockt writes in their anthropological analysis of Singeli music (extended quote but wow, worth reading):
Singeli is born in vigodoro, parties which are held in the informal neighbourhoods of uswahilini. The event was previously known as rusha roho. Whereas taarab was normally performed live, rusha roho refers to a later development where cassette-recorded, modern taarab is played for a female audience who dance to the beat (Khamis 2001: 150). It was replaced by vigodoro, around 2000, when MC’s or other performers were invited to those parties (Producer Sisso 2018). Vigodoro mean small mattresses in Swahili and symbolizes the act of partying all night until morning, without sleeping on their mattress at home...
Msaga Sumu, who belongs to the Makonde in the south, is recognised as the founder of Singeli (Listener Lucy 2018; Manager Kandoro 2018). He was selling second handed clothes during the day and was invited as MC to vigodoro at night, which he started around 2000. His profession provided him with talkative skills to entertain the audience. DJ’s were also invited to entertain the audience with traditional music. When the gifts were offered at those parties, the musical interlude of taarab was looped, so the MC could entertain the audience. That’s when Msaga Sumu decided to sing by narrating stories that really happened to him or his community on the looped taarab beat (DJ Tito 2018; Artist Msaga Sumu 2018; Artist Virus Mdudu 2018). However, the way he sang deviated from the usual vocal style of taarab and he didn’t follow the Swahili prosodic poetry of taarab. The vocalization of taarab normally has a pseudo-Arabian and Indian sound, which is based on the methods of reciting the Qur’an, whichthe taarab singer must retain to a minimal degree (Khamis 2001: 149). Even though modern taarab or mipasho is also recognised by laxity to Swahili poetry, the poetry structure was not completely abandoned but was still retained to a lesser degree. Msaga Sumu (2018), however, didn’t adhere to these formal characteristics of taarab. The speed of taarab was increased as well. Thereafter, he got the idea to record a song that he had improvised at one of those parties, mama wa kambo (see YouTube 2019), which was liked by the audience very much (Artist Msaga Sumu 2018; DJ Tito 2018). This music of Msaga Sumu was called muziki wa ladha, flavour music, and consists only of the fast looped taarab beat and his vocals (Artist Kapala 2018; Artist Man Fongo 2018; Artist Virus Mdudu 2018; Artist Msaga Sumu 2018). Msaga Sumu (2018) explains that muziki wa ladha, is a general term referring to any music with low tempo. This is clarified by the word ‘ladha’, flavour, which is also used to describe Bongo Flava, generally known as slow music.
After this breakthrough on the street, the genre spread throughout Dar es Salaam and eventually the wider region. Nyege Nyege tapes, out of Kampala, Uganda is one of the major releasers of this. When people think of African music the first stuff that comes to many's mind is afrobeat and afropop stuff, mostly west african, from the 70s and 80s. this stuff is incredible, but its far far far from the most recent exciting thing to come out of the continent. Incredibly fast electronic dance music is generally not what people associate with east africa, but oh is it widespread. Singeli videos on youtube will rack up 500k to 1 million plays, complete with most comments in swahili. Its also influenced electronic producers outside of africa, with even italian ambient artist caterina barbieri calling on Jay Mitta for a remix of her distinctly not singeli song Fantas
Sources:
Van der Stockt, Anke (2019). The struggle for 'real' Tanzanian music: an anthropological analysis of the construction of national identity in Singeli (Thesis). Ghent, Belgium: Ghent University.