With gospel music taking over and a new breed of Christians who shirk fundamental Christian customs, here comes the gospel disco age, writes Matilda Nzioki
On a typical Friday night some five years ago, James, a youthful Christian — whose conscience did not get all mixed up in a miasma of worldly joys — would stroll from the office to the then nearby Tropez Club to hit one for the road. Not his friend John, a staunch Christian.
Turning a blind eye to the so-called worldly deceptions; alcohol, romantic liaisons and every thing bad, John would dash to his humble abode where he would meditate over the word and marinate in a world of praise and worship.
Fast forward to 2012 and John now, still strong in his faith has joined the bandwagon of young Christians engulfed in the new gospel craze; John hits the gospel rave club on Friday evening where he enjoys Christian contemporary groove till the break of dawn.
In fact, he is spoilt for choice as to which disco rave to attend as this exhilarating phenomenal takes over the city.
Jokes aside, in a generation where the nightlife, clubbing and the church are quickly becoming intertwined into a seamless beat of melodic lifestyle, it is not uncommon to see a plastered bunch of youth hit out of the club at 6am, have fries and chicken at their favourite fast-foods café, and then hit the church.
The average club deejay nowadays plays several gospel hits in the wee hours to nudge revellers into the right mood for church.
Gospel discos were unheard of in the 1990s. An experimental gospel gig was introduced at the then popular joint ZigZag, in Nairobi. It received huge public condemnation and fizzled out with the same hype.
HOLY DAVE’S RAVE
However, the emergence of ‘rebel’ Christian youth and pastors organising gospel night gigs (forget keshas) changed all that. The most remembered of these is the Mad Love Lounge.
Founder Chiko Nkhoma together with rapper Holy Dave and other organisers launched it around October 2007 at Barizi Restaurant in Yaya Centre, to be a weekly event, before it became a monthly afternoon gig described as ‘an event where young Christians can convene to sample positive entertainment.’
“In this era, a young Christian cannot say that they can’t have fun because every Friday night, there is a gospel disco going on,” commented DJ Mo.
