LETTER FROM NAIROBI

It's 1:00 pm on this Wednesday in January, and the atmosphere of Kenyatta Market, on the southern outskirts of Nairobi, is saturated with the smells of smoke and grilled meat. At tables in the tiny alleyways that criss-cross this gigantic open-air market, men are lunching on ugali, Kenya's traditional dish made from water and maize flour.

Incongruously, amidst the stalls of red meat, stands the store of 65-year-old James Rugami, aka Jimmy. Also known as Mister Record. Also known as the Vinyl Guru – the latter is also the name of his shop. Founded in 1989, The Real Vinyl Guru is brimming with old 33s and 45s gleaned from his travels across the continent.

The shop is one of the last record stores in the region, and as much an anomaly in the fragrant lanes of Kenyatta Market as a piece of East African music history. "The most exciting time in the region's music was the period between the 1960s and the 1980s. There was no piracy then, and artists were well paid," said Rugami, sitting on a small chair in his store. The man is elegant: arrowhead goatee, satin shirt and floppy cap on his head. "Music clubs were plentiful in Nairobi and attracted artists from the region. The clubs were full, with artists playing four days a week. Bands, like the Mangelepa, would come from the Congo to play and surround themselves with Kenyan musicians to accompany them. Some never left."

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