WESTERN FRONT – Nyege Nyege Tapes

Description:

Western Front presented a showcase of music from the internationally celebrated Nyege Nyege Tapes label, as part of a cross-Canada tour. The evening featured live performances by Tanzanian singeli pioneers Sisso & Maiko alongside the genre-defying Violence Gratuite.

Founded as a club night in Kampala, Uganda, Nyege Nyege began with a mission to create a safe, supportive space where East African DJs, musicians, and artists could take creative risks, share ideas, and build community. This foundation grew into a dynamic cultural platform that includes a festival, professional recording studio, residency program, and two record labels—Nyege Nyege Tapes and Hakuna Kulala—dedicated to nurturing the underground music scene. With its own booking agency and relentless innovation, Nyege Nyege continues to champion a new generation of boundary-pushing creatives.

Violence Gratuite opened with selections from her debut album Baleine à Boss (2024), a suite of pulsing techno and fractured trap infused with echoes of French pop. Rooted in imagery from the western forests of Cameroon and shaped by a restless, exploratory spirit, her set blended raw vocals and textured beats into a hypnotic, genre-defying whole.

Sisso & Maiko followed with a frenetic showcase of singeli, Tanzania’s breakneck dance music. Propelled by razor-sharp MCing that reflects the joys and struggles of urban life in Dar es Salaam, singeli blends frantic loops, taarab, and afro-house with MCs’ satirical lyrics that address the realities facing Tanzanian youth.

Nyege Nyege Tapes's Canadian tour also included the following dates and venues:

Oct 9, 2025, Debaser, Ottawa

Oct 10 & 11, 2025, Arts in the Margins, Montréal

Oct 16, 2025, The Music Gallery, Toronto

Oct 17, 2025, Send + Receive Festival, Winnipeg

Presented in partnership with Nyege Nyege Tapes, Arts in the Margins, Debaser, The Music Gallery, Strangewaves, and Send + Receive Festival, with support from the Canada Council for the Arts, the Government of Canada, and SOCAN Foundation.

Curated by Aki Onda.

Violence Gratitude is performing in front of an audience. The room is dimly lit, a red spotlight shines on her tinting the room red. The audience watches captivated engulfed by darkness.

Violence Gratitude performs, lit by a red light, darkness surrounding her. Behind her a large screen displays green futuristic visuals. Green lasers flash on her and around the room, as if inside a night club.

At the far right of the frame Violence Gratitude sings into a cordless mic. She is engulfed by a blue light that reflects on her holographic garments. In the background we see the silhouettes of audience members.

Violence Gratitude sings to the audience. She looks elegant and captivating. An orange light shines on her face and garments, highlighting her figure against the darkness of the room.

Violence Gratitude performs with a big smile across her face, she gestures with her right hand as she sings. The light has turned the room pink and her holographic dress reflects green, blue and pink lights.

In the foreground Violence Gratitude sings with emotion. Green beams of light shine on top of her body. In the background and out of focus, multiple audience members enjoy her performance.

Sisso and Maiko perform a music set from behind a standing desk. The desk has DJ equipment and laptops. They are wearing traditional garments from Tanzania and have an air of focus to them. An orange light shines on the scene.

Sisso plays a keyboard with his right hand in the air, feeling the music. Maiko is at the DJ desk behind him. Blue light beams from the floor while green light reflects on their faces.

Maiko is seen from the side playing a small keyboard and a sound board. The room lit by a blue light contrasts with the purple spotlight that shines directly on his body.

Sisso and Maiko dance on a stage. They hold each other while dancing, an expression of joy across their faces. The audience dances along with them, enjoying the music. Blue and green laser beams shine across the room. The Grand Luxe Hall has become a night club.

Maiko speaks into a mic with one arm in the air. The audience imitates his gestures, raising their hands. Sisso is onstage behind the DJ desk. The room is cast in red light.

Maiko is standing sideways to the camera directly in front of Sisso. Maiko holds a keyboard while Sisso holds a small tablet. They have both tied their scarves above their eyes. A purple spot light shines on top of them while a green light engulfs the audience behind them.

Maiko and Sisso perform with blindfolds over their eyes. Maiko to the left plays two flutes behind a standing microphone. Sisso to the right dances while playing notes on the tablet. Coloured lasers light the stage creating a colourful mosaic.

Maiko and Sisso dance in front of the DJ table. They are surrounded by a joyful audience that dances along with them. Green, blue and red beams of lights paint the scene, illuminating the floor and faces with spots of color.

Maiko, Aki Onda, and Sisso are standing in the library. Maiko points at the camera with both hands while Sisso signals with his left hand. The three of them look happy.

Related People

Nyege Nyege Tapes (Partner)
Aki Onda (Curator)

Captions:

Violence Gratuite and Sisso & Maiko, Nyege Nyege Tapes, video documentation, Oct 19, 2025. Camera by Qiuli Wu.
Violence Gratuite at Western Front, photo documentation, Oct 19, 2025. Photo by Dennis Ha.
Violence Gratuite at Western Front, photo documentation, Oct 19, 2025. Photo by Dennis Ha.
Violence Gratuite at Western Front, photo documentation, Oct 19, 2025. Photo by Dennis Ha.
Violence Gratuite at Western Front, photo documentation, Oct 19, 2025. Photo by Dennis Ha.
Violence Gratuite at Western Front, photo documentation, Oct 19, 2025. Photo by Dennis Ha.
Violence Gratuite at Western Front, photo documentation, Oct 19, 2025. Photo by Dennis Ha.
Sisso & Maiko at Western Front, photo documentation, Oct 19, 2025. Photo by Dennis Ha.
Sisso & Maiko at Western Front, photo documentation, Oct 19, 2025. Photo by Dennis Ha.
Sisso & Maiko at Western Front, photo documentation, Oct 19, 2025. Photo by Dennis Ha.
Sisso & Maiko at Western Front, photo documentation, Oct 19, 2025. Photo by Dennis Ha.
Sisso & Maiko at Western Front, photo documentation, Oct 19, 2025. Photo by Dennis Ha.
Sisso & Maiko at Western Front, photo documentation, Oct 19, 2025. Photo by Dennis Ha.
Sisso & Maiko at Western Front, photo documentation, Oct 19, 2025. Photo by Dennis Ha.
Maiko, Aki Onda, and Sisso at Western Front, photo documentation, Oct 19, 2025. Photo by Dennis Ha.

Western Front is a non-profit artist-run centre in Vancouver.

We acknowledge the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and səl̓ílwətaʔɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations as traditional owners of the land upon which Western Front stands.