The Death of a Kenyan Audiophile

Growing up in the late eighties and the early 90s, I remember seeing how treasured sound systems were in my extended family. After transitioning from home, bachelor pads owned by older cousins were never complete without a Hi-Fi system. I have heard stories of young men who spent their first salaries on a stereo system, probably suffering from an undiagnosed strain of audiophilia nervosa. They say; “you are a product of your environment” and so, growing up surrounded by survivours of this condition, I had no choice but to turn out as an audiophile too.. I might say that I am the last of a dying breed.

According to the urban dictionary; Audiophilia Nervosa is described as the anxiety resulting from the never-ending quest to obtain the ultimate performance from one's stereo system by means of employing state-of-the-art components, cables, and the use of certain "tweaks." Although the goal is supposed to achieve maximum appreciation of the music, those afflicted with this condition are merely obsessed with their electronics.

Being an audiophile is almost a futile attempt but a man without a vice is a dangerous man. Some people like their Mercedes Benz, BMWs, Watches, Whisky, Biking, Chess, Golf and other men just like their audio equipment. With all the money in the world, you can never satisfy one’s obsession but in order to get there, you have got to have money on you. So, I ask myself; what became of a Kenyan audiophile?

Looking at the Kenyan audiophile culture, I remember the kinanda which was in mono. Back then Long Play aka LP or also known as Vynil were the most preferred record storage mediums. The forefather of the vinyl record is the 78 rpm record. They first appeared in the early 1900's. It was a microgroove disc with a diameter between 10 and 12 inches (25 and 30 cm), with usually one track on each side. Depending on size, they could hold between 3 and 5 minutes of sound. In fact, they were only rarely recorded at 78 rpm, instead at speeds of up to 66 and 103 rpm, to extend recording time, sometimes to the detriment of the frequency response. They were initially made of SHELLAC (an animal-based resin secreted by an insect), wax, cotton and slate. But the shortage of resin during WWII prompted manufacturers to use vinyl (polyvinyl chloride, or PVC) instead. 78 rpm records began to disappear with the advent of the microgroove in the 50's.

After the Vinyl came the magnetic tape and the compact tape and hence the birth of music piracy. Compact disc (CD) is a digital optical disc data storage format that was co-developed by Philips and Sony and released in 1982. The compact disc did not take off around the world around the world up until in the late 90s. Sony created the Walkman. The original Walkman, released in 1979, was a portable cassette player that changed listening habits by allowing people to listen to music on the move. For the first time, listeners could bring music with them. You should have seen the adverts. I must say that Sony Walkman was what we nowadays call a “cool kid gadget” and could only be seen with city dwellers same as the Sony Disc Man which played CDs on the move. Growing up, I used to dance for money and I also paid for the music by being a manual cassette rewind servant. Granted, there is a whole generation or two who will never make sense of this last sentence.

My last physical music album purchase was not long ago as I have been growing my Vinyl record collection. The last time I was crazy about an album release was in the early 2000s when I bought E-Sirs’ “Nimefika Album”, The Blue Print by Jay-Z, and finally Stillmatic by Nas.

Being an audiophile is a total package though, you have got to have the best of content, amplifier, receiver, loudspeaker, the subwoofer, clean power and last but not least a conducive environment. Thanks to the advancement in technology, manufacturers have been able to achieve miniaturization and integration hence the consumer does not have to have a massive set up to enjoy his or her music.

The sad thing is that, due to the shortage of options and diminishing disposable income, many Kenyans have resorted to functionality rather than quality. We no longer get quality European or Japanese hardware but cheap and awfully sounding Chinese electronics. I remember when Philips, Marantz, Bang Olufsen were to be found in Nairobi. Lack of exposure has meant that even the few Kenyans who refer to themselves as audiophiles, do not what it means. I cannot remember a well-recorded song from Kenya except for the likes Eric Wainaina, Nyashinski and Sauti Sol.

Is the Kenyan audiophile dead? Maybe or maybe not but time shall tell. Nairobi still has a few electronic stores that deal in loudspeakers, amplifiers and the last Vinyl shop is located at Kenyatta market. Go on…get out of the house and indulge. Get those choice speakers or that amplifier set. After all, a good song should be listened to with good sound.