Buwooma- A Pass passes the experiment test

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I mentioned last year that A Pass was going into an experimental stage, and felt he had earned the right to do so.

Back when he broke out as an artiste, A Pass hits were mostly built around the dancehall and reggae genres. But what was unknown to the public was that he had a huge catalogue of material covering multiple genres, including hip hop, R & B, world music, afro pop, that sort of thing.

Because of that, it was obvious that A Pass would be interested in experimenting once it became safe to do so. The desire to express his music in different genres was always there. This capacity to feel comfortable within multiple genres is also the reason A Pass is technically one of the easiest artistes to collaborate with.

When you do something well, society asks questions, and the one question that was often asked about A Pass was if he could carry a live event. He answered that question rather eloquently with that sumptuous solo concert at Kampala Serena Hotel.

It was time to start experimenting. And that is what he has been doing lately.

Buwooma fits this direction that he has been leaning towards. It is a song that captures the existentialism with which Ugandans live, the pure glee with which they accept life, even when it is mostly hard. It is joyfully melodic, one of those pieces of music that sounds immediately familiar, even when you are hearing it for the first time. That is because it is describing something that is familiar to you – a Ugandan’s perspective on life.



The production process for this single is standout stuff, especially with the way it marries traditional and modern instrumentation seamlessly. The person behind the production boards is Jakob ‘Kaboo’ Liechti, a Switzerland-born producer and sound engineer who has been behind the boards working with Joshua Baraka and Beenie Gunter.

He knows the territory. He gives A Pass room to breathe, which is vital - the vocals and lyricism are important on this track. A Pass loves to vocalize and express himself, and he is trying to share a message on this song, an observation.

Buwooma is not just another afro-fusion song – it is a philosophical treatise, and the sort of thing that has earned A Pass the moniker of ‘The Teacher’.