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…
“I think the world is a dead carcass and I think the purpose of human beings is as maggots”. Alison Moyet Existence deals us many varying and varied cards, for some: people, creatures and organisms—their Life scripts are ushered in by a clarion call birth song of states of ugly or deficit feeling. Rats know…
For the past five years, Masego has been travelling the world, headlining major world festivals and spreading his neo-soul, R&B, and jazz-infused sounds across the globe. The pandemic has put a crushing holt to all of that, however, it has also given him a lot of time to think and create music. Study Abroad is…
Idols is one of the longest-running reality TV shows in the country and it still holds cultural currency with South African audiences. Therefore, winning the competition is not just a major accomplishment, it can be a life-changing experience. And that’s what it was for Zama Khumalo. The 19-year-old was crowned the winner of the 16th…
There is no need to beat around the bush, 2020 was one hell of a year. Somehow simultaneously the most and least eventful year I can recall. It didn’t even take all that long for all the drama to start. Cast your mind back to January where there was genuine concern that a US-airstrike on…
This time last year, DJ Big Sky commanded South African dance floors with his hit single, “Fire”. The world was so different then and so was he. “I’ve been in the industry for such a long time and ‘Fire’ put me in the spotlight. It changed me. It changed how I work. Everything is different…
In the age of Tik Tok, the formula for making a hit viral record includes: having a catchy and simple hook, a standout melody or beat — preferably one easy to-do dance. “John Vuligate” has all three elements and is one of the biggest records to come out this year. So far, it has amassed…
