The basic set-up involves a couch, a discreetly placed microphone, a camera, one or more guitars and an artist capable of vocal acrobatics. Welcome to the acoustic live recordings dubbed “The Nairobi Sessions”. Created and curated on YouTube by Producer David “Blackman” Muthami, the series was inspired by a desire to showcase Nairobi's urban sound and culture through artists with unquestionable talent, unknown or otherwise. “There's a vibrant music scene here that is surprisingly missing in the African music dialogue. There isn't much talk about Kenyan and East African music.

I've wondered for a while what format to take in exposing this rich heritage,” he shares. Conversations with kindred spirits soon set the ball rolling and by late January, the first two videos featuring Kenyan songstresses Sara Mitaru and Nanjira Sambuli went up. But why live acoustic recordings? “[Because] it reveals the artist in a way that mainstream or studio recordings don't usually allow. It also gives artistes the opportunity to take us back to the original idea before the song went to studio and was surrounded by other musical elements.

It's vulnerable,” Blackman explains. With a central premise of showcasing musical talent, “The Nairobi Sessions” also features musicians and artistes who happen to be passing through Nairobi. So far Ugandan crooner, Maurice Kirya and US-based Naomi Wachira have been featured on “The Couch”. Blackman adds, “I also want to show the beauty of Nairobi [the latest video included a time lapse of the city by Mutua Matheka]. This means that starting with the next episode, we're going to move away from ‘The Couch’.”

And that’s just one of the many changes Blackman hopes to institute during the projected year-long run of the series. Already there’s talk of an international TV platform that is interested in putting some of the sessions on air. “We also wish to grow into different elements to broaden the perspective of what our city has to offer. Lots of surprises in store,” Blackman excitedly states. Enjoy “The Nairobi Sessions” at www.youtube.com/blackmankenya