Biography
Tanzanian producer Jumanne Ramadhani Zegge works under the name Bamba Pana and maintains close ties to the Sisso collective while specializing in the hyperkinetic singeli style. His first solo album, Poaa, arrived in 2018 and consists of pieces constructed from brief, stuttering rhythmic loops pushed to extreme velocities, prompting comparisons with footwork as well as gabber.
Alongside the rest of Sisso, Bamba Pana lives in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania’s former capital. Although singeli had been developing quietly for several years, it rose to become one of the country’s leading popular styles by the late 2010s. In contrast to the glossy mainstream version of the genre, which leans on slick Auto-Tune-heavy vocals, Sisso favors a raw punk energy and frequently incorporates aggressive rapping. The collective’s exhilarating and singular take on singeli reached global listeners when the Kampala, Uganda-based label Nyege Nyege Tapes issued the 2017 compilation Sounds of Sisso. Bamba Pana contributed several tracks to the album, including one by Makaveli, his regular live collaborator. Nyege Nyege released Pana’s largely instrumental solo debut, Poaa, the following year.
Alongside the rest of Sisso, Bamba Pana lives in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania’s former capital. Although singeli had been developing quietly for several years, it rose to become one of the country’s leading popular styles by the late 2010s. In contrast to the glossy mainstream version of the genre, which leans on slick Auto-Tune-heavy vocals, Sisso favors a raw punk energy and frequently incorporates aggressive rapping. The collective’s exhilarating and singular take on singeli reached global listeners when the Kampala, Uganda-based label Nyege Nyege Tapes issued the 2017 compilation Sounds of Sisso. Bamba Pana contributed several tracks to the album, including one by Makaveli, his regular live collaborator. Nyege Nyege released Pana’s largely instrumental solo debut, Poaa, the following year.
Albums