Otim Alpha

Otim Alpha hail from Gulu in northern Uganda. The musician/singer is one of the pioneers of the Acholitronix movement, a digital interpretation of the Acholi folk music, preserving and reimagining this tradition.

Acholi is now computer-aided - hence the name Acholitronix. Its fast beats, looped rhythms and choral songs are usually in an up-tempo waltz pace, but its strong accents give it a straight-up punk, polka and techno feel.

His very first release, Gulu City Anthems is a must-listen for anyone wishing to dig into the music of Gulu. In that album, Otim Alpha alongside producer Leo Palayeng (also an Acholitronix pioneer) take traditional Acholi wedding songs and reinterpret them with music software on computers, having achieved great success in the local scene.

Otim Alpha -an ex bare-knuckle boxer and master harp player- is considered to be a legend, because Acholi traditions were for many years pushed aside, due to the influence of missionaries who thought of them as non-Christian.