Titled Africans from Outta Space and produced by Barry Berk at The Bass Station in Johannesburg; the debut 6 track EP by Soweto three piece Afronaut is a full frontal dynamic sonic experience. Made up of Fumane “Fumez on the Mic” Mahane (vocals), Thulasizwe “Thulas” Nkosi (guitar) and Zakhele “Zakes” Mangwanyane (violin), Afronaut is one…
Jungian archetypes are defined as images and themes derived from the collective unconsciousness. The theory was conceptualised by Carl Jung and it has been used in mainstream media. Popular examples of archetypes include the characterisation of the mother, the father, the child, the trickster, the hero, the mentor and so forth. Estère has taken the…
Northampton MC Slowthai’s [Tyron Frampton] sophomore album carried a world of expectations, and it’s pretty easy to see why. Having grown his fanbase far beyond his initial cult following with the release of his critically acclaimed debut album Nothing Great About Britain in 2019. In truth, Thai was everyone, collaborating with industry heavy hitters like…
Why did you separate me from the earth? Oh my God, my father You drew lines miles high In steel or nuclear The forests of borneo White water in your mouth I don’t want your future I’ll never return I’ll be born into the past I’m never coming home Why did you separate me from…
Black Coffee released his new album this morning 5 February. The album titled Subconsciously has brought Black Coffee back into the stream of our consciousness and has allowed us to once again think about his politics and stance as a public figure. Black Coffee previously came under fire in 2018 for performing in Israel sharing…
“Self-described “Diaspora children” connecting with historic land and seeing firsthand what happens when a simple idea connects music fans who are 6,000 miles apart”. #UBUONTOUR The Ubunifu Space is a YouTube channel and online platform launched in 2017 to celebrate sounds coming from African artists in the continent and diaspora. From day one, the concept…
Hyper pop track “Front Right” is an Instagram DM that grew into a certified bop. The song is a collaboration between creative director, and now pop star, Martin Magner and Cape Town based music producer MISSU. This collaboration began a year ago with an Instagram DM when MISSU approached Magner with a link to a…
Those who no know go know after listening to “Umthandazo Wamagenge”, that there is an enticing playfulness that skips in the tune of Siyabonga Mthembu’s whistle. One mixed in with two parts the type of ancient knowing nestled between the wrinkle of Nkgono’s brow as she tells ditshomo on a cold night. “Umthandazo Wamagenge” is…
South Africa’s music landscape has historically been controlled by four major labels these being SONY, Universal, Gallo and Warner Music. It is only from the late 2000s and onwards where small independent labels have emerged. The Recording Industry of South Africa (RiSA) estimates that there are approximately 1 400 independent labels that currently exist (although…
Multi-instrumentalist producer and performance artist Nkosenathi Koela, or Mntana.WeXhele as he is known, has established himself in the arts and culture realm for using sounds and movement to heal. He has travelled the country and parts of Africa with the ‘UMSAMO’ production. Towards the end of 2020, he released his first LP, Embo Ethongweni. The…
2020 was a good year for music as a lot of artists released projects, especially within the last quarter. However, the saturation of music meant that a lot of good albums slipped through the cracks. That is the case with Th&o’s debut album, Ebusuku. The producer/sound engineer created one of the strongest bodies of work…
“Water is the element that sustains life, like nature sustains love.” “Phuzamanzi” music video Soon after this year’s inception, South African musician Mx Blouse’s released their latest single “Phuzamanzi” and its accompanying music video off of their debut album Elementality, released in July of 2020. The single itself was produced by Micr. Pluto of Subterranean Wavelength, along…
