Extra Golden formed out of Ian Eagelson's doctoral thesis project to document benga and its Kenyan musicians. With an eight track and laptop setup, he recorded many in the Naroibi benga circuit, forming a friendship and musical alliance with Otieno Jagwasi. Eventually, the pair, along with local percussionist Onyango Wuod Omari and Eagelson's band member Alex Minoff, came out with Ok-Oyot System, Ok-Oyot meaning “it's not easy” in the local Luo dialect. This was in 2004. A year later, Otieno Jagwasi succumbed to liver failure after complications with H.I.V.
Opiyo Bilongo, another well respected Nairobi-based benga musician filled in after the loss and Otieno Jagwasi's brother, Onyango Jagwasi, contributed lyrics in honor of the deceased. Again, Onyango Wuod Omari contributed benga percussion and Ian Eagelson of the on-hiatus band Golden and Alex Minoff of Golden and Weird War contributed rock-styled guitars to this new outing, Hera Ma Nono, Luo for “love in vain.”
Radio clips here.
