In this piece, we look at the mastery of Music Producer, Songwriter and Sound Engineer Axon, or The GadFather as many refer to him as.
The Ugandan music scene and culture has evolved from being a much-touted sound to being an unequivocally personalized one made up of a potpourri of sounds and talents influenced by our decades old industry and its game players as well as elements beyond our borders.
This eclectic homegrown mix has now travelled far and wide, traversing the Ugandan borders and initial expectations to reach global heights. This narrative is one that became a reality thanks to musical artistes and music producers, song writers and sound engineers like Axon, real name Geoffrey Mukwaya, who stuck to their guns and kept their back in the game to help build a sound that was solely ours while maintaining the universal nature of sound. A music producer and talent spot lighter, Axon has powered a whole generations of a new urban Ugandan sound that fuses Afrobeats, heavy percussions and electro elements from days before he scored his big break in 2019 which he has since owned till now and masters the act of talent spotting, elevating and even more collaborations.
In this list, we follow the legend of Axon who is mates with no one, from days when his production work was immortalized by artistes of yore, energetically saying “Ax on the beat,” to his modern less-telling iteration of a synth-soused call, “Heyo Axon!” and the slightly lengthier “heyo axon you see di gyal a beauty dem” which instantly prepares any discerning listener for a fun Afrobeats-brushed sonic experience. Here are 5 best Axon-produced works with attention being paid to the impact the songs made on the Ugandan soundscape:
- TIP – Selekta Jeff, Axon, Denesi, Kohen Jaycee, Chnekobe, John Blaq (2019)
In 2019, Axon and Selekta Jeff put out a heavy yet gut-kicking record featuring Chenkobe, John Blaq, Denesi and Kohen Jaycee. It was titled TIP and was laced over tightly fed-in electro hip-hop beats produced by Axon. The song’s fall from fully attaining as much mainstream victory was due to the pandemic for it was such a bonafied party starter. From Denesi’s widely popular ‘Girl I told you when the money come through” to the claps, kicks and feel good lyrics in the track, ‘TIP’ stays one of those songs that redefined the urban Ugandan music culture, paving way for the official introduction of Axon on the mainstream arena of the Ugandan music scene. It also marked the start of many collaborative projects between Axon and Selekta Jeff as they would later reunite on another track, Sheebah’s magnou opus “Boy Fire”.
2. Feeling – Rulz, Lamu (2020)
Nothing gets me like a good saxophone layer in a track. Music maestro delivers exactly this on Feeling. The track’s that taken off Rulz’s debut EP ‘Beautiful Pieces’ features Lamu and it is one of those songs where all three participants understood the assignment and brewed an exciting listen of a song. The soft saxophone-like horns and thrumming percussions served the track a lot of justice, offering a perfect complement to Rulz’s deep vocals and Lamu’s soft sultry vocal prowess. This too was the work of Axon’s genius music production kitchen.
3. Lov Lov – Fik Fameica (2021)
“Axon, the beat Michael Jackson”, these were the words Fik Fameica, fondly known as King Kong said on one of his iconic releases ‘LovLov’. In it, the versatile rapper with cadence makes references to Sudhir Ruparelia. Using it as an opportunity to showcase his rap lingua, Fik keeps the momentum of the song by reassuring his love interest of his love for her and how his love is real. Axon blessed the record with a heavy beat, blending it with some elements of street hip-hop. It sure had hit the streets and become an instant banger. Artin Pro handled the mastering of the project since Axon was a bit down with sickness at the time so Artin finished with the remaining parts of the track. Also did you know that it was Axon’s idea that Fik adds the “I, I, I” ad-libs at the start of Lov Lov? Well, now you do.
4. BoyFire – Sheebah, Selekta Jeff (2021)
We’ll never know what would have played out if Axon and Selekta Jeff hadn’t had a musical chemistry. For luckily their linking up with Sheebah provided us one of the best post-lockdown bangers and to-date one of the most resounding Afrobeats banger. To date, the record remains one of such detailed sonic madness, that even dancers find their limbs in confusion of which moves to bust to aptly communicate the hypnotizing effect of the song. Boyfire was accompanied with an equally matching music video, as directed by Aaronaire. Related: ‘Boy Fire’ Lyrics – Sheebah Ft Selecta Jef
5. NANA – Joshua Baraka (2022)
Some records, like clean water, will never lose their relevance, or their place in the hearts of their listeners. NANA, is one of those. Laced over pristine, afrobeats and minimalist dancehall beats, it starts off with a swirling opening verse by Baraka. Axon’s famous producer tag plays after this part of the track is done, lodging itself in the minds of listeners that this was yet another masterpiece by him.The NANA spell took the whole world by storm. The much acclaim NANA has received both nationally, globally, on ground and digitally signifies an evolution in Axon’s approach to sound and is a testament to his versatility as a master of sound. Joshua Baraka has since scored more hits, with most of them being produced by Axon. Among these is “Dalillah”, “Alone”, and others. Related: 5 Stellar Records Joshua Baraka Has Set With ‘NANA’. | SEE LIST
6. Belong to You – Fave (2024)
Fave swirled with the release of what’s arguably one of her best tracks of this year with “Belong to You”. The detail many might have missed (probably cuz they were lost in Fave’s soulful singing and message in the song which speaks of a lying and deceptive partner, a message many can relate to) was that the hit track was produced by Axon. It combined irresistible sonics and vocals further delivering a track that would later go on to take over the airwaves like an uncontrollable bug. Fave herself is no stranger to serving her fans bangers, as she has done so effortlessly, on both singles and collaborations.
Undoubtedly, the legend of Axon’s greatness spans past these songs and is an exhibition of his Afrocentric approach to music. These have however been curated to showcase his impact and versatility where music production is concerned. So of these 6 outlined songs that show the best of Axon, which resonates the producer’s ‘Axon’s Gadfather status in the music industry within you? Talk to us about it in the comments section and feel free to add any of his songs not on this list too.
About Axon:
Having grown up in a household where a lot of Elly Wamala, Philly Bongoley, Maddox music was played, a young Axon picked up interest in music. From his foundational years in high school, he also got deep inspiration from producers King Jammy and Nuttnice.
He would then go on to kick start his music production journey in 2019 in Naalya where he set up his first recording studio under BramBram Records, a company he co-founded alongside Twaha and K Derrick. While here, he’s since created projects with Billy Yung, Chenkobe, Genesis, Bantu Vibes and its different artists, among whom include Akeine, Kohen Jaycee, among others. He has worked on various EPs/albums – Beautiful Pieces (Rulz), Niwe Akeine (Niwe Akeine), Body of Blacc Vibes (Lucas Blacc) and ‘Heart Strings’ (Kohen Jaycee) among others.
The gifted producer has a lively sound that is rather contagious, for it infuses African and Afrobeats and enthralls audiences. Axon creates it by sprinkling various genres together, while at it, he is sure to infuse in traditional Ugandan sounds, rhythms and melodies. His extraordinary talent has seen his compelling modern sound entertain audiences locally and worldwide, in the mainstream charts, radio airplay etc.