From Sauti Sol To Kansoul, Here Are Five Most Expendable Music Group Members

Music bands and music groups are quite a common feature in the local music industry.

Worldwide over they have been platforms to the launch of solo careers or bring together basically artists with different aspects to form a complete whole. At other times and mostly, it has been friends with a loving for music joining up and doing their thing regardless of talent level.

However much all music bands will like to show each member is key in the group, time and experience has always proved that there is always that one artist whom the group really doesn’t need for survival. Put it simply the group can do without him or her. In Kenya we have had several successful groups some have faded with time others are still going strong.  Here are 5 of them and their five ‘useless’ members.

Sauti Sol- Polycarp Otieno

They are arguably Kenya’s greatest ever musical act reaching heights few individuals or music groups can ever come close to match. They are made up of four members, Bien Aime, the lead singer, the main man and an accomplished song writer, Willis Chimano, a vocalist multiple instrument player and the group’s rock star, Savara Mudigi, the brains behind their label Sauti Sol entertainment, producer , vocalist and percussionist extraordinaire and the Polycarp Otieno, the group’s quiet guy, a good producer and guitarist. When he is not used as an actor you will be hard pressed to find any significant contribution to the groups music he makes. Savara is obviously the bigger influence on the music production while a guitarist can always be found at a moment’s asking. So Polycarp Otieno is just a guy who was at the right place at the right time.

Kansoul – Kid Kora

Of the three artists in the group, only Kid Kora has gained prominence after their coming together. His role is somewhere between the rapper-hook singer and part time producer. Mejja is obviously the star in terms of rapping and song writing, Madtraxx the main producer and the second better rapper. Kid Kora could leave Kansoul and you would never notice he has ever been there.

Elani- Bryan Chweya

Elani’s third group member Bryan Chweya is the only male among two females and his luck doesn’t end there. He is also able to be considered key despite just contributing back-up vocals and as a friend in the office has said, creating symmetry in the group.  You would count and only stop at one song that e really came to providing an equal contribution to the group. He has demonstrated no other musical skill key to the group survival making him the most expendable member of the group.

H­_Art The Band

The exciting trip has almost the same skills according to their Facebook bio. All are actors, fashionistas and poets. Wachira Gatama and Mordecai Mwini are also spoken word artists while Mordecai and Kenneth Muya are singers too. However, from all their work public performances, videos to audios, it is clear that Kenneth Muya is the expendable member. You can easily describe how a H­_Art The Band song will be, great vocals from Mordecai and an occasional spoken word performance from him and finally the main deep vocals from Wachira and his signature spoken word performance. In between or towards the end, you will hear the soft croons of Kenneth lasting just about 30 seconds. He is basically the backup singer with great skill on the guitar.

PUNIT

Until Boneye’s performance in Gentleman, many had been wondering just what his role in the group is. Sadly that was his last serious performance and even as the group later split to pursue solo careers, his is the bleakest one going by the weak lines and delivery. He rode the others work and if the group had decided to lose a member he would be the one to leave and the group would lack for nothing.