Equator Records or Equator Sound Studios was originally known as East African Records, owned by Afcot Ltd, situated in Nairobi

Nairobi

Nairobi is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The city and its surrounding area also forms the Nairobi County. The name "Nairobi" comes from the Maasai phrase Enkare Nyirobi, which translates to "the place of cool waters". However, it is popularly known as the "Green City in the Sun" and is...

, Kenya

Kenya

Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...

. In 1960, Charles Worrod

Charles Worrod

Charles Worrod was the proprietor of the Equator Sound Studios record label in Nairobi, Kenya, during the 1950s and 1960s, having left post-war England to relocate to South Africa, and later, Nairobi with his wife Wynne.Worrod keenly provided a fruitful atmosphere where his salaried staff could...

 launched Equator Sound Studios Ltd. along with the Equator Sound Band. Legendary Kenyan musician Fadhili William

Fadhili William

Fadhili William Mdawida , was a Kenyan musician/composer who is most famous for his song "Malaika" which he recorded with his band 'The Jambo Boys' around 1963 ....

 became a member of the band alongside Adolf Banyoro, Peter Tsotsi

Peter Tsotsi

Peter Tsotsi is a Kenyan musician. He was one of the founders of the Equator Sound Band, along with Adolf Banyoro, Nashil Pichen, Charles Ssongo, Gabriel Omolo, Daudi Kabaka, and Fadhili Williams Mdawida...

, Nashil Pichen

Nashil Pichen

Nashil Pichen Kazembe was a Zambian singer from Luapula province who became an African music star in the 1970s. He spent a long time in Nairobi, Kenya, where he collaborated with fellow Zambia emigre Peter 'Tsotsi' Juma who was from Mbala in Northern Province on the Zambia-Tanzania border and...

, Charles Ssongo, Gabriel Omolo, and Daudi Kabaka

Daudi Kabaka

Daudi Kabaka was a Kenyan-born singer.The type of music he is known for is called 'Benga' a popular style in East Africa. His best-known songs include "African Twist", "Harambee Harambee" and "Western Shilo"....

.

Fadhili and the Jambo Boys Band recorded a number of songs with East African Records between 1959 and 1962. The other band members were Harrison William, Joseph Nazareth, Mumba Charo (Fadhili's brother), Nahshon Gandani, Samuel Lefondo and Sheila Monroe.

Equator Sound Studios, under direction from Worrod at that point, marketed and produced Fadhili's world-famous Swahili

Swahili language

Swahili or Kiswahili is a Bantu language spoken by various ethnic groups that inhabit several large stretches of the Mozambique Channel coastline from northern Kenya to northern Mozambique, including the Comoro Islands. It is also spoken by ethnic minority groups in Somalia...

 love-ballad, Malaika

Malaika

Malaika, which means "angel" in Swahili , is the most famous love song in Kenyan pop music, as well as one of the most widely known Swahili songs...

, after Worrod realised that the original poorly-recorded Malaika could have international appeal.

Malaika had initially been recorded by Jambo Boys, with Konde serving as the studio engineer.

Worrod, the man who created the "African Twist" and would have guided many more of the country’s musician

Musician

A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....

s and songwriter

Songwriter

A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...

s to international fame, left Kenya in 1974 because the law barred him from engaging in the recording business

Business

A business is an organization engaged in the trade of goods, services, or both to consumers. Businesses are predominant in capitalist economies, where most of them are privately owned and administered to earn profit to increase the wealth of their owners. Businesses may also be not-for-profit...

 unless he was a citizen. When he left, the recording and promotion of music in Kenya was thrown into disarray. After a while, Fadhili too left, for the USA

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

, where he lived for 15 years.

New Equator Records

In 2006 a new record label was founded by members of the band Islands

Islands (band)

Islands is a Canadian indie rock band formed in 2005 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and currently based in Brooklyn, New York.-Return to the Sea:In mid-2005 Islands recorded a debut album titled Return to the Sea, which was released in April 2006...

, which is also called Equator Records

Equator Records (Canada)

Equator Records is an independent record label established in 2006 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The music label was founded by Matt Drouin and Fuzz de Grandpre. Equator has released 3 albums, Islands' Return to the Sea, The Lovely Feathers's Hind Hind Legs, and Teitur's second release Stay Under...

. There is no connection between the two labels.