Blankets & Wine has over the years managed to stay at the top as one of Kenya’s most legendary experiences. With a diverse array of eclectic music, scrumptious food and drinks and a collection of Africa’s most exquisite pieces of art all under one roof.
This July, Blankets & Wine is bringing Grammy-winning British singer, songwriter, producer and actress Estelle to perform in Nairobi as the headlining act at the festival’s July 10th edition. She has dabbled in various genres including R&B, soul, reggae, grime and hip hop to produce global hits including “American Boy”, “Come on Over” and “Conqueror”. The event’s musical line up shall also include the electrifying performances of Blankets & Wine founder and fierce femcee, Muthoni the Drummer Queen, the sultry Sage and soulful Jarel
Born Estelle Fanta Swaray in London, UK, the artist took on the stage name Estelle and got her start in the music industry through in London’s renowned hip-hop record store Deal Real. A chance meeting with Kanye West intended to link up Estelle to John Legend led Estelle to work with John Legend who ended up producing two songs on her debut album, The 18th Day in 2006. By the year 2008, US R&B singer John Legend announced that Estelle would be the first signee to his Homeschool label, distributed by Atlantic in the US. Four years after The 18th Day‘s release, Estelle returned with her second album, Shine. She has since released four studio albums: The 18th Day (2004), Shine (2008), All of Me (2012) and True Romance (2015) and has also managed to bag a Grammy Award for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for American Boy with Kanye West, which reached Platinum status in several countries.
Muthoni the Drummer Queen (MDQ) aka Bausslady is one of the Kenyan music legends that were have in the industry thus far. She is a singer, rapper and drummer from Nairobi; whose unique talent and sound that fuses Kenyan drum rhythms, pop, soul and hip hop, has seen her top the charts as one of Kenya’s biggest artists. She has released projects like ‘Mambo Bado’, ‘The Human Condition’ and ‘Welcome to the Disco EP’.
She also dabbled in hip hop and released two singles “Vile Inafaa” featuring fellow Kenyan rapper Octopizzo, and “Feelin It” which were received with critical acclaim and opened the door for MDQ to explore and her deep love for hip hop. When she is not making music, Muthoni heads and runs East Africa’s largest Music and lifestyle platform Blankets and Wine.
Sage is mostly known for her break out collaboration ‘So-Alive’ which was released early 2013 featuring well known Kenyan rapper, Octopizzo. The Kenyan singer/songwriter/ instrumentalist got her big break when she became the backing vocalist and keyboardist to Muthoni the Drummer Queen.
This gave her the experience she needed to start her solo career in late 2011. She later went on to release her follow up single ‘Maskini’ and has managed to do collaborations with other Kenyan acts including rap group One-two-five and Jay A. Her music can be described as a soulful fusion of all things musical. She writes from the heart and is not afraid of expressing raw emotion. The singer has managed to perform at festivals such as Kinanda Festival and the Go Down gig among others. She released debut album, “Expose Yourself” in 2015.
Jarel “The Urban Artist” delivers a brew of sound that offers a spectrum of emotion and lyricism reminiscent of the golden era of song. He fronts The Black Progression, a band that’s presently crafting a genre called world fusion, a blend of universal World Music and contemporary genres around us such as Seben, Jazz, Blues, Indie, Rumba, Mugithi, Psychedelic, Funk among others. Jarel was also part of The Nest’s Legacy project that saw young artists pay homage to Kenya’s pioneering pop artists.
The July edition makes good on the promise of high-quality quarterly showcases by B&W—via new operating entity, GoodTimes Africa—following the successful Aloe Blacc Show in April with American soul sensation, Aloe Blacc.
Also happening at the festival are fashion pop-up stores by Embody Fashion, Bongosawa, Republi.ke, Adele Dejak and Sandstorm. They’ll be live sketches by Naddya, flower crowns by Maua Jua as well as the highly popular funky tunes of Silent Disco. Uber will offer 20% off on trips to and from the festival.
They’ll be great food—including brunch—by The Good Food Company, Kathy’s Kitchen, Harry’s Crepe’s, Uptown Grill and The Curragh.
The festival shall also be unveiling the B&W wine.
Some of the super deals available
Golden ticket at Kes. 5,000: Entry + B&W Brunch + Bottle of B&W Wine + Makeup by Lintons or Shopping voucher at Kes. 1000.
Brunch heaven by The Deck Bar & Restaurant at Kes. 1000. Each brunch option comes with a chilled glass of Mimosa.
Full make-over by Lintons for Ksh 1000
Take a Swedken to the event and your ride back is free
Every B&W ticket comes with a 500 voucher from Jumiafoods
Gates open at 11:00 a.m at the Ngong Racecourse and Golf Park, Ngong Road. Early bird tickets go for Kshs 2,000; Advance tickets at Kshs 3,000 and tickets at the gate for Kshs 3,500. For more information about this event, visit this link.
