“The function of music is to release us from the tyranny of conscious thought.”

Yellow Light Machine is a mad collection of funky music lovers connecting to the world and each other through music among other things. They are an eclectic bunch of youthful individuals who resonate within a chilled experimental musical flow. They are a group of music lovers from different backgrounds, with different voices and different ideologies uniting to create something that is felt more than heard.

They each have a yearning to be infinite; while knowing that there is no end to learning or music. Their music is mostly kind of maybe alternative with selections of jazz, funk, blues, indie, lingala, afro-fusion, reggae, pop, rock, hip hop and RnB. They make their music by chilling and jamming, jamming and chilling, laughing a lot, listening more and playing from the bottom of our hearts.

The band is open to anyone on a musical journey willing to experiment with sound and themselves. The main philosophy of the band incorporates finding unity through chaos; building something using every members’ unique skillset and ear for sound; trying out new things; developing the melodies that hum daily in everyone’s heart into a musical experience.
YLM is made up of the following cogs in the machine for UP Live III:

Ngare Mukiria – guitar and vocals (afri-shaggy hair)
Sam Nguchu Ngugi – guitar, bass and vocals (nods his head a lot and short-cropped hair)
Ricky Matthews Githinji – guitar, drums and vocals (plays with his hips and purses his lips)
Ondi Madete- guitar and vocals (has crazy jokes and shaggy afro locks)
Wairimu Nyoike- piano and vocals (dreadlocks and quick smile)
Samantha Corrie Mugatsia – drums (short hair loud bang)
Peter Nyabuto – Vocals and Saxophone (rocks a hat and a grin)
Wangui Githu- Vocals (beautiful fro and piercing smile)

Check their performance at Thursday Night Live:

Main photo courtesy of: Rohini Das