What’s in a music group? Is it their sense of style, their music or maybe their notoriety? For KODONGKLAN, it seems they have it all but especially, the notoriety. KODONGKLAN is a Kenyan group made of artists Bensoul, Okello Max, Charisma, Mordecai Dex, Coster Ojwang, Ywaya Tajiri, and Israel Onyach. These seven artists all have their budding solo careers while three of them are in successful groups. Owich and Ywaya form the duo Watendawili who had a rather successful 2024 with the release of their debut album ‘En Route’. Mordecai is one third of the legendary group H_art The Band who had an extraordinary run in the mid 2010s. The rest of the Klan are all highly influential solo artists who were still very active in 2024. Charisma, Ojwang, Bensoul and even Mordecai released solo albums in 2024. Okello Max would go on to release his sophomore album ‘Healing’ in June 2025 while still being part of KODONG. So what happens when all these very busy musicians team up to not only form a collective but also release an album? ‘Disko’ is the answer.

Ever since their debut single ‘Okra Water’ in July 2024, KODONGKLAN were setting an expectation. Their music was high energy, blending the unique talents of its members to make for a unique listening experience that was not bloated with the starpower of the individual members. For what seems like a subtle foreshadowing of what was to come, the song was built around a sample of ‘Deadly’ by Nameless. The song’s title is a play on a popular social media trend around that time that seemed to discuss and encourage the use of okra water for many health benefits. This intermarriage between nostalgia & samples and leaning onto popular trends of the day describes ‘Disko’ perfectly. The group would follow up with another single, ‘Kodong’ with an ode to T.O.K’s ‘Galang Gal’ in the chorus. The cadence of the track along with the previous ‘Okra Water’ set the perfect tone for the collective to release their debut in December of the same year.

With a one hour runtime, ‘Disko’ tells a tale of a city ruled by love, adversity and a hunger for a good time. Across 14 tracks, the Klan goes through the highs and lows typical of any Kenyan living life chasing their dream especially in an urban setting. The title track ‘Disko’ which is the most successful single from the album this far, is a club song fueled by Ohangla and Benga. Relying on the talents of producer SoFresh, the group showcases the intention of the album. In between an accordion melody to a heavy 808 baseline, the song brings traditional Luo music to the masses with a modern interpretation of the genre. Okello Max opens the song with a verse about an estranged love asking his relatives what he has to do to avoid heartbreak. The answer would be to go to the disko. This opening track serves as a perfect backdrop for what is to come throughout the album. With the whole group being utilized for the chorus, it feels like a choir, or even more like a group of warriors going out to war. They follow this up with ‘Mafans’ a drill infused Rhumba track telling the story of an afflicted musician chasing their dream while facing societal pressures. Leaning onto a popular Christian hymn ‘Moto Umewaka’, Kodong utilizes the familiarity and nostalgia to write a song that can easily be read as a song of gratitude for the life they are living.

The theme of gratitude and reverence to a higher power is carried throughout the album in songs such as ‘Kumbaya’ and ‘Better Days’. This particular theme offers a contrast to what seems to be the main purpose of the album but it makes sense given the Kenyan context. In a country where 80% of the population professes Christianity, the highlighting of these Christian elements seems perfect not only as an illustration of Kenya’s religiosity but also as a demonstration of the culture of christianity and religion we share. Even in such a party centred album, Kodong are still able to find pockets to get in touch with their faith. This could even be a drawback for an album named Disko. With the contrasting themes, it stops being clear what the main agenda of the album is. Not to curtail the expression of the artists, it would have taken a lot more work to make the album more cohesive while still leaning on to the talents of the individual members of the group.

The vocal prowess of the members is on full display throughout the album with shared verses and choir harmonies shining through on all songs. Once again relying on a sample, the song ‘Tonight’ borrows its drums from Sade’s ‘The Sweetest Taboo’ to tell a typical love story to be expected from male crooners. ‘Nyaduse’ feels like a leftover from Watendawili’s album while still maintaining an interesting tempo and blending Ohangla once again to marry the old with the new. This theme of love and lovers presents itself again in ‘Morning’, ‘Against The World’, ‘Finally’ and ‘If I Really Love You’. The album borrows the talents of SoFresh, Wuod Omollo, Hendrick sam and Joseph Njenga who put together an amazing technical display to craft a Kenyan AfroPop album. The album was mixed and mastered by Trevor Magak whom Charisma has attributed as being the mastermind behind the formation of the group. 

One of the biggest drawbacks from this album which is also a strength is the lack of a definite “leader” in the group. While this plays well for such a large ensemble, it makes it harder to relate to the group as a whole as the audience is pulled in seven different directions lacking the clarity of who we should care about in the group, so we care about them all. Kodong have however not stopped at just releasing the album, they have been busy touring it in 2025. With stops in Eldoret, Kisumu, Meru and an upcoming Nairobi show, the boys of Kodong Klan have been busy promoting and bringing the album to life. 

Simply put, ‘Disko’ is an album for now, for the young, for the dreamers, for the lovers and most importantly, for the party people. For what seems like a moment in time, Disko takes you out of the ruckus that is the current economic and political state of Kenya. While art has been effective in addressing these pressing issues, there is still room for us to celebrate and have fun at the Disko.