The African Electro of the Nyege Nyege Nebula Invades the Quai Branly Museum

Ten years ago, the Ugandan collective started exporting their music worldwide. Two iconic groups of the movement are performing in Paris.

Published on: April 11, 2026, 06:10 Reading time: 5 min

“HHY & Kampala Unit” and “Arsenal Mikebe” are pillars of the “Nyege Nyege” family. (FRANÇOIS MAXIM / MANTAS KVEDARAVICIUS)

It’s the musical side of Africa Fashion. The Quai Branly exhibition celebrates the intense creativity of African fashion and also acknowledges the boldness of a buzzing music scene. This will be evident with two concerts this weekend: “HHY & The Kampala Unit” on Saturday, April 11, and “Arsenal Mikebe” on Sunday, April 12. These groups, with enigmatic names, are at the forefront of experimental and futuristic African electro, distancing themselves from traditional music stereotypes without rejecting them.

Featuring black jackets and white shirts, the three percussionists of “Arsenal Mikebe” will animate a unique blend of drums, bells, and electronic drum pads sculpted by a craftsman. The sounds of this strange machine, coupled with captivating vocals, will harmonize with the instruments played by Shabaka Hutchkins, a leader of current British jazz. “We share with Shabaka a taste for improvisation and trance,” explains Arsenal Mikebe to franceinfo Culture. “But we still rehearse once or twice to create connections; it’s more than just music, it’s also a spiritual alignment.”

The collective HHY & The Kampala Unit seeks a total spectacle akin to contemporary art performance. Around its founders, Ugandan trumpeter Florence Nanduwala and versatile Portuguese Jonathan Saldanha, dancers, rappers, designers, and fashion creators revolve. An hallucinatory orchestra blending electronic avant-garde, Ugandan music, and horror film atmospheres! “When I was working on our first album, I played a movie on TV with the sound turned off. Then I added my own music live,” explains the trumpeter. “We work based on our immediate feelings while playing,” specifies Jonathan Saldana. “We don’t seek to follow a logic or a specific musical style.”

Two groups, no defined style, various disciplines… What unites these artists? Two words: Nyege Nyege. Translation: an “irresistible and sudden urge to dance.” The name originates from an improbable festival born in 2015 on the banks of the Nile in Uganda. Initially, a kind of rave party attracting a few hundred attendees. Behind it, two Europeans, Derek Debru and Arlen Dilsizian, determined to showcase local music instead of international dancehall or hip-hop hits played in Kampala’s clubs.

The collective behind Nyege Nyege now includes a recording studio and two labels, Hakuna Kulala and Nyege Nyege Tapes. The movement offers as many styles as artists, from Nigerian cruise beats to Tanzanian singeli and Malian balani, alongside local dance or avant-garde projects. Derek Debru’s primary goal is to promote contemporary African music, moving beyond the confines of “world music.” “The term doesn’t mean much anymore. It was mainly associated with folkloric, traditional music that appealed outside Africa. Today, thanks to the internet and networks, we have a much sharper view of the musical landscape; we can discover micro-genres. Some of our artists are now invited to major European electro festivals.”

The Ugandan festival has expanded to Aubervilliers, Bordeaux, or Lagos. In 2025, over 400 Nyege Nyege branded events or festivals made dance floors around the world shake. The underground nebula is redefining the contours of electro music far beyond Africa, while maintaining its essence, assures Florence Nanduwala, the Kampala Unit trumpeter: “Nyege Nyege is like a big family. We share everything. We share music, constantly watch what others are doing, listen, and exchange ideas. We’ve known each other for years and we’re growing together.”

HHY & The Kampala Unit and MC YALLAH Saturday, April 11 – 8:00 PM

Arsenal Mikebe and Shabaka Hutchings Sunday, April 12 – 5:00 PM Museum of Quai Branly – Jacques Chirac Prices: 25, 20, 15 and 8 euros Theatre Claude Levi-Strauss 37 quai Branly Paris 7th Paris