“Nsasi’s complex polyrhythms on ‘Coinage’ are bound to untangle limbs the world over.” Boomkat

Nsasi is a fearless sound sculptor, core member of the Nyege Nyege collective, and a founding member of the radical ANTI-MASS collective alongside Authentically Plastic and Turkana. Known for their high-intensity DJ sets that blend hard drum, Singeli, gqom, electro, and experimental club textures, Nsasi creates relentless, addictive dancefloor pressure that often pushes 160 BPM and beyond. With fearless mixing and an unpredictable approach to rhythm, they turn every set into a live journey, navigating through radically different tempos and genres, from skittered acid to pulsating percussion.

An Enfant Terrible of Uganda’s deeply conservative heartland, Nsasi’s path to rebellion was clear from the start. Growing up in the picturesque town of Jinja, they earned an early reputation for blunt refusal of authority—once excommunicated from a seminary in their youth, Nsasi looked to their icon, the scandalous 1980s pop sensation Tshala Mwana, for guidance on how to live and perform dangerously. It’s this same audacity and conviction that fuels their sound.

Nsasi’s debut album Coinage (Hakuna Kulala, 2024) is a dynamic, industrial rasp that expertly meshes rhythms from across the musical spectrum into a coarse, dancefloor-ready frame. A rallying cry for outsiders and the queer community, the album mischievously perverts East African traditional sounds, considering their revolutionary potential within a new context. “Coinage” is a fluid, breathtaking record that peers into an uncertain future, balancing the chaotic energy of noise and industrial music with the precision of club forms. The percussive mastery on Coinage is on full display—whether it’s the polyrhythmic anarchy of “Gabvla,” with hand drums and psychedelic electroid wheezes, or the mind-bending tribal-industrial clash of “Endoongo”—Nsasi pushes the limits of what dance music can express.

The record is coherent in its complexity, brilliantly pulling together seemingly disparate influences into a unified, arresting sound. With Coinage, Nsasi operates outside borders and restrictions, creating a sound that reflects both the turbulent present and a fearless future.

But it’s on the decks where Nsasi’s true force emerges, crafting sets that aren’t just about music—they’re a declaration of freedom, resistance, and power. From Kampala’s underground to global dancefloors, Nsasi doesn’t just DJ—they detonate