 in the studio how people are much my energy and you know other men's brah like I'm super excited now we're gonna be talking to them in a minute but first things first let me just shout out to people all right just two two two two two people all right just um okay I think we're gonna do that in a few we're gonna do that in a few all right we'll do that in a few so I'll just go right ahead talk to them and then check out the comments in a few but for those at home I have guests in the studio and I told you they are gonna be here they are not only the coolest most amazing Nairobi's anti-colonial punk bank they go by the name Crystal Axel very good very good I know I don't know who I was like feeling why are you always loud you think I'm loud how about that super awesome all right crystal axis man this is the first I can't believe this is the first time you guys have come into like you know exactly yeah this is awesome we've waited too long well here we are but we're here we are finally you made it all right so we're just gonna go ahead and um introduce you uh Ahmed I think you are who is it Ahmed or Jaya who's gonna speak for the band because you want to know about the name one for uh uh or for one one for all that one that's one that's one that's one that's one that's one that's one that's one you know I let's touch here to Kian Daivo so I'm gonna start with you introduce yourself and we're a big fan of you oh and now we're in your house it's beautiful you know thank you all right my name is this amazing band right here crystal axis take it ahead boys my name is Jai play guitars for crystal axis uh my name is Doug clay base for crystal axis I am done man that is really cool uh so I'm just gonna go ahead and ask for the guys who've never seen done before he's new to the band so he's he came in after Ron J right yes all right welcome to the band welcome to crystal let me just welcome you officially I mean we already welcomed him Billy G welcome you that that's a stamp right there since it's the first time having you we're gonna start from where it all started like how did you guys meet how did you come up with the name crystal axis obviously we have to know that I think the band started way back in 2009 literally so unfortunately our guitarist Fox is not here because he's unknown so I basically went to a battle of the bands in Razora's with my older sister as soon as I walk in she's like so these guys are the best band in Kenya but they were made of high school kids so I was like wait I'm in high school I can play guitar maybe even me I can perhaps you know so literally the next day I went got my younger brother and a friend to be like listen man we're starting a band so that's how it happened like all the way you went to the battle of the bands got inspired started a band the very next day the very next day and then like 10 years later the guy who inspired yeah anything is possible then literally 10 years later the guy who inspired me to start the band ended up joining our band which was like full circle yeah it was awesome yeah I can't even imagine that like you are like the prodigy exactly yeah you know I see watch me okay I see you I see you that's why you're singing right after that you guys went on a long hiatus what was happening during that time before you came back and like oh yeah those papers important when you go and tell your parents so you know yeah we just had to take a bit of time off you know everybody went and did their studies and everything um and I remember Jay just hitting me up I think it was around 2017 and telling me like hey uh we've been booked for this gig and I'm like I'm like who's we are you speaking French did you go study in France you know I'm like who's we I'm like who's we you know but yeah so you know we just got the band together uh we got Doug uh Fox joined in and from then on it's uh we've just been rollercoastering upwards let me get this straight you got booked for a band but yeah for a gig but you had not been practicing we haven't even had a gig in five years yeah basically yeah thank you I work great on the pressure until that day comes to be fair we do work well on the pressure I would like we actually do yeah we should be diamond axis you know what I'm saying I'm just one of the guys that inspired your your style of music that's punk we don't have a lot of diet in Africa not Africa Kenya especially most bands are like metal uh metal like really soft not many are punk so what's some of the influence that got you doing that I think aside from music for us punk is more of like an attitude and a mindset yeah like a way like an outlook and how you look at things so the music itself aside we're inspired by a lot of African musicians whether it's exactly uh Bobby Wine so all these guys so everything we've picked up from their music we incorporate into like what we do and like with the message we put out as far as punk goes itself as a genre I mean growing up the bands like they're awakening there was impish a few like they were literally like a handful of like punk bands in Kenya but I think for us mainly it was the the message and the ethos and like behind the punk and what it stands for and what it means I think yeah it's genuinely uh the energy because all of us listen to very different things to be honest like personally on our ones we listen to very different things the one thing that connects us is yeah we all love listening to punk rock music and everything but when we meet up it's the energy you know what I mean and we're in this new age of punk and afro punk and what we like to describe ourselves which is not like you know there's this traditional like oh but you know punk people should look like this and do like that yeah but we just do whatever we want but we still bring that same energy. You also have tats everywhere. Exactly yeah yeah. I have no tattoos. Do you skate? I used to do it. I used to do it. I used to do it. I used to do it. My knees, my knees were kneeing. The knees were not kneeing you know. So you call it a day. Very amazing. But then also Chris, what you guys are known for is speaking up especially um against the social injustices and uh you know like especially our political setting the way it is you speak against like corruption and stuff like that so what do you think as a nation we stand right now how are you feeling now that you just voted you think like um the new government coming in are going to be better than the one the left are we where we are like I just want to get your views on that. Honestly as a punk band like politics was always the one thing because you know we're talking about the leaderships we're talking about uh what's on the ground what's happening how people being tutors yeah institutions so uh shout out to everyone who voted but we do feel like you know there's a lot of just dumb stuff going on but at the end of the day I guess uh for us it's more you know everyone everyone has the right to vote everyone has the right to pick their leader and uh we feel that you know at the end of the day that democratically elected leader needs to be in place uh so it's more about that but even more than that is what happens to the after things gonna get better we just voting for someone and then they're in there for five years and then they do nothing and yeah it comes to institutions you're talking about police judiciary exactly and you you speak a lot about police brutality and so you guys mentioned somewhere like police broke into your studio is that true like I want to know everything how do were they on patrol how do they go in the studio like you guys are rebels what are you what kind of music are you playing they were patrolling for money we'll tell you that's what it but like I mean to put it to put it bluntly what happened is that there was a young group of black men who were in a neighborhood where maybe we do not seem like we fitted in therefore the community within the neighborhood took it upon themselves to ensure that we exited the community and yeah there was a one hundred percent yeah this is an affluent neighborhood neighborhood you know there's a whatsapp group uh you know because affluent neighborhoods have whatsapp groups community watch community you know the place where we're staying of of strange men coming in at strange hours and playing loud music and we're like okay uh we're not disturbing anybody also there's a club and another house over there playing way louder music you know so yeah it's true I remember there's a there's a time um one of the biggest um biggest advocate to frock let me just say that in Kenya uh they got a venue that was in Karen and they had confirmed the gig is going to be there everything and then when the debt was almost like uh approaching and then they're like okay wait so who are the guys that are going to be playing then they're like oh so we have these people what do they play then they're like rocks and I know yeah we're all gonna be like you know like salty salt yeah yeah you said rock I'm so sorry we can't have it pretty much and you've already like the flyers are out but it's not like any other genre it's playing music like we are playing that's not everything loud everything loud salty or not it would still be as loud at a concert yeah it's just that the genre we're doing is looked into a particular stereotype something yeah it's really castigated it is evil I'm like a lot of people have stereotypes that are like the devil music exactly yeah yeah I did a lot even on the show like I have people who like DM me and they're like Jesus loves you I'm like who told you I don't believe like come on like stop like you know like just because people love the music it doesn't mean that I'll take Christ or something like you need to you know demystify that we do yeah but you guys you've been doing a lot you guys were featured in a movie yes you guys look so good though like the artwork like I saw the first it's just make-up it's hair and make-up how did you even learn that and how was the whole experience where did you film the movie so it was actually a tv show called the watch by the BBC so that was filmed in Cape Town in SA so it was like this punk rock thriller sci-fi kind of show that they were doing so they were looking for punk bands of color you know around the continent and around the world I mean obviously it's South Africa so there's a plethora of bands that fit that bill essentially but so they came across our content what we do what we're about we did like a little online edition they were like okay so this is the band these are the guys we want oh look at that yeah so it was amazing it was truly a sensational experience in terms of being on set being in the studio the people we got to work with experiences we had like an original song for the soundtrack of the series yeah which was we were in studio recording the song and then the next few days we were on set like in full makeup like playing the band in in a scene yeah I don't know that so it was a fantastic experience I people don't even know how much work goes into the making of that it is that's it yeah that's about three to four hours you know it's crazy like I remember that day dude okay cool so we're gonna pick you up like cool so 8 a.m as usual they're like no 4 a.m be ready pick us up at 4 a.m we go on set here and make up for like an hour or two hours we're just chilling and you have to wait with time in between and then it's your time for your scene you said 4 a.m I'm like hey that's not that time you know yeah all right this is what I usually say more than that's what we're going to spend like that's what I know man what are you saying ungodly it's a good experience all in all and of course you jammed in and say as well how can you even compare their scene and Kenya while you were playing there is there a way we relate to each other the fan base they are here I think a hundred percent like the thing about especially rock and metal is that the scenes are very tight next very close you know so performing at a show in SA the one thing we realize is the energy is still the same you know there are people who show up for every single gig it's the same here yeah I think that's common is it's you know everyone in the scene and not because uh not because it's a small scene but because everyone shows up everybody just shows up and everybody knows everyone that's what that's what you're saying you've never been to a gig please attend one because the energy is unreal it's nothing nothing much you've ever attended and people always assume because people are rock that they're like crazy and like uh the stealing things from other people they're not really as people like they are for the nicest people I'm not crazy yeah no like like 100 percent of my friend list is you know just dead people from the boxing yeah nicest people yeah I can tell you guys right here on tv now Bianca if you've never been to a rock gig you've never been to a gig at all you have never you need to pull up like seriously you need to pull up to one of their well and once you start going you'll never mean slime you never will miss it for real you're always going to try nothing else yeah and now you guys have a new song black um african black african that's the one exactly what I said yeah yeah well it's black af but we're just gonna say african you know because it's uh five p.m so black af man this song this song like we've waited for it for a long time now that it's here it's you know breaking boundaries first you got featured on metal how much hello to you show me the biggest magazine you know you're featured on top 10 uh metal songs of the week and that's the thing you're not in the metal band right how do you guys feel people are actually watching what you're doing I mean pretty excited I mean it's it's I think it's a testimony to like well the effort we've been putting in the groundwork we've been doing like over the last couple of years last couple of months as well I mean going in with this particular single we knew it was a bit different maybe contentious for some people in some audiences which is you know some of the feedback we get here now and then but it's we have to speak our truth say what we had to say and yeah that's it at the end of the day we will always speak our truth regardless of what comes in after that or what the consequences quote unquote our we will always just say what we stand for where we are at and we'll always bring that energy right and now that you've been featured as a metal band is that the direction you're looking into getting into maybe it's another single or something is like this yeah I mean I'm predictable I'd say the thing with us and for the reason we call our music afro punk is because I mean it's like creating a space for ourselves and what we do because I mean punk metal these are largely like white male dominated genres so if we are not going to be seen and recognized within these spaces the only thing that makes sense is to make a safe space for ourselves and other musicians who are like us who share the same values ethos kind of music and want to do the same thing we're doing so that's the direction we're going in and with our music it's always all these different influences and all these different games it's I think that's also what a lot black is black af is a lot about is that you know people of color are not just a monolith they're not just what in one box you know what I mean you can you can be a person of color and do whatever you want in life you know and express yourself in whatever way so we we uh put in so many elements of many different genres and everything and create whatever crystal axis is I think this is the first time like I mean we had shang in the song we had yeah we had and you are also featured in tunes of protest yeah so tunes of protest yeah so this is this is an amazing platform where they share like every month and every year like different songs talking about you know societal issues or issues affecting people in different countries so it was amazing to be featured on a publication like that especially once you like following that for years like oh you guys have been following that for years I didn't know that for years so that that like seeing them I have a black african on there amazing I like how he's running with it all right so um you spoke about the cocoa butter being black african and then you know five chicken of course there's watermelon but again what I love about that song is because yeah once you said we covered a lot of elements and there's a bit of comedy and there's a bit of really serious stuff because after we say cocoa butter and you know fried chicken we talk about police brutality and corrupt leaders black african black african yes yeah but there's something you mentioned like after cocoa butter watermelon and all that you're like washed history white african so it tells about that like maybe you can expound on that like for the people who didn't get it like uh you think some of our african history has been edited um I think um somebody personally like me who's a bit of a history buff you know what I mean um growing up a lot of the stories and a lot of the history you read um there's a very common saying history is written by the victors you know what I mean and there's a lot that growing up I used to be insecure about myself because I was like okay why do I feel the way that I feel but I look the way that I look you know but if you look back into your history there's a lot of things that are you know unfortunately people of color in history have been degraded a lot yeah you know they've never been seen as rulers as as as you know conquerors as conquest people you know but if you really read into other history you know not just what's in the textbooks you know because like okay we we're a very we're a british colonized nation so our history is very british-centric anglo-centric you know what I mean but if you read other sources you realize you can take so much pride in your own history because you were you did have amazing inventions you did have amazing clans and conquests and everything you know so that's when we said washed history it's it's it's white washed face exactly I mean all the all the contribution of people of color is taken up yeah you know and it's only the life that are the good stuff exactly I think yeah so with the song with the approach for us it was always been telling african stories from an african perspective because I mean growing up I mean you knew about Hitler Stalin all these guys but yeah I didn't know about what was going on in Congo you didn't know that the british ad concentration comes in yeah can you really not know that exactly now that you watch documentaries and stuff like that that's when you learn it comes out yeah absolutely yeah yeah all right so Dan you haven't spoken twice a lot so you in a song as we're waiting on because of time you speak about racism as well as a band is that something you have you have actually dealt with have you experienced it first hand or you just wrote it based on other people's experiences um personally I have experienced it being um as a gem I have traveled a lot in different countries I've played in different you know music scenes so moving from one city to another city from Kenya to another different country you kind of get a lot of that not when you get there not only when you get there but you're late there yeah you know so it's kind of it's it's it's a major thing yeah I mean which kind of ties into you know we were and it's so unfortunate like uh that happening and especially when you experience racism in your own country in your own country exactly it yeah yeah like uh like one of the clubs like you got there like you have to take your sorry to say but your white friend if you go your white friend yeah you get it yeah it's good that someone's actually talking about this thanks and you were jamming uh with pete he sent me a picture you guys were practicing is there something shallow to peach the legend the man the myth you know it's not a myth he's right there but there's stuff in the works we are we're going to come up with some stuff for sure for sure this is the beginning of something cook it up cook it up all right i'm excited about that but for now i think we play blog af black african as we have been calling it and then we are coming back with you drop 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