2025

HHY & The Kampala Unit explore the mutations of rhythmic intensity and sonic depth, where funk, techno, dub, martial horns, and ecstatic percussion are all set against a backdrop of haunting cinematic sequences. Founded by Jonathan Uliel Saldanha (from HHY & The Macumbas) and fierce trumpet player Florence Nandawula, this shapeshifting group includes an extended family of collaborators like percussionist Sekelembele (Fulu Muziki) and dancer/performer Exoce, emerging from the Nyege Nyege melting pot. Mesmerizing, infectious, and raw.

Emerging from Saldanha’s residency at the Nyege Nyege compound in Kampala, the project explores the raw, visceral energy of traditional drumming fused with futuristic electronic experimentation. Their music, as showcased on their acclaimed debut album Lithium Blast and their followup Turbo Meltdown (which came out earlier in 2025), navigates between martial beats, shifting polyrhythms, and ghostly textures that defy categorization.

For Insomnia Festival 2025, we’ve asked HHY & The Kampala Unit to fill out the main stage at Bryggeriet, for which they bring 3 musicians and a dancer.

HHY & The Kampala Unit is presented through the TIMES project, and is a co-curation between Berlin Atonal and Insomnia Festival in Tromsø. TIMES is supported financially by Creative Europe and Troms Fylkeskommune.