Musician & producer Vincent Kenis has played a key role at Crammed Discs since the early days. The label's roots can be traced back to a musical project called Aksak Maboul, which originally consisted of Vincent and Crammed boss Marc Hollander. Back in 1977, they released an album entitled Onze Danses pour combattre la migraine in which they were playing around with primitive electronics, fake jazz, and elements of African and Balkan music... and which can retrospectively be seen as a blueprint for many directions later explored by Crammed. In the early '80s, Vincent was also a member of The Honeymoon Killers.

In 1983, Vincent coproduced another seminal album: the visionary electro/African album "Noir & Blanc" by Zazou Bikaye (which was described at the time by the UK press as "Fela Kuti meets Kraftwerk on the dancefloor"). Vincent then went on the produce the first album by Zap Mama, and several albums by Balkan Gypsy bands Taraf de Haïdouks and Koçani Orkestar, while also being involved in the sonic design of many Crammed releases, including albums by Bebel Gilberto, Tuxedomoon, Cibelle, Zuco 103, as well as the label's purely electronic output (on its SSR imprint).

Vincent Kenis' real love is for Central African music though, and he's regularly been traveling in Congo over the years, becoming very familiar with the wealth of musical styles which can be found in what he calls "the real land of 1000 dances"... he went to the rainforest to stay with the Baka Pygmies, to study and record their music. He also became an authority on urban Congolese music (known as Soukous or Rumba Rock), and even played guitar and keyboards in bands led by Congolese stars such as Franco (OK Jazz), Papa Wemba and Koffi Olomide. He's compiled three albums of early '50s Congolese pop (recently re-issued as the Roots Of Rumba Rock double CD).

In the last few years, Vincent Kenis has turned his attention to this hybrid, electro-traditional style exemplified by Konono N°1. He had heard a recording of the band in the late 70s, and has tried to locate them during the next 20 years… When he finally found them, he encouraged them to record, and produced the Congotronics album. Vincent then produced the "Buzz'n'Rumble in the Urban Jungle" album (Congotronics 2), which features audio and video recordings of five other bands who practise that amazing style. His Konono N°1 productions obtained a BBC World Music Award and a nomination for a Grammy. After producing an album by Malian Touareg band Tartit and mixing the latest Taraf de Haïdouks opus (Maskarada), Vincent has resumed work on several productions with Congolese bands, including the amazing Kasai Allstars, whose debut album "In the 7th moon, the chief turned into a swimming fish and ate the head of his enemy by magic" (2008) was acclaimed by the international press, and the none less charismatic Staff Benda Bilili who, following the release of their debut album "Très Très Fort" in 2009, have become one of the great global success stories.