In South Africa's burgeoning ballroom scene, pioneering figures and DJs are finding their own ‘Ha’ in the country's past, and in the contemporary sounds of gqom, amapiano, and Afrobeats. Tazmé Pillay learns more “DJ, cut the beat.” The room falls silent — an unforgivable sin anywhere else, but this is no nightclub. This is a [...]
The musical artist Musa Keys performing at the Afro Nation festival in Miami, in May.Photograph by Chris Allmeid / Courtesy Afro Nation A new form of South African dance music is thriving. A pair of twin brothers, known as Major League Djz, want the rest of the world to pay attention. It was [...]
It will be a hot summer for the Neapolitan DJ. And infinitely interesting when it flows into a hot autumn Mimmo Falcone is MoBlack , someone who immediately believed in afro house so much that he became its disciple. He left from Sant'Antonio Abate, a town half an hour's journey from the city of Naples, with the intention [...]
Apple Music today announced the latest featured artist in its Africa Rising artist development program is Nkosazana Daughter, an Amapiano singer-songwriter hailing from KwaZulu-Natal. “I am over the moon to be the cover star of Africa Rising for my debut album that’s just dropped! Thank you to Apple Music and to all of you [...]
This frenetic, TikTok-ready sound is taking over the streets of Lagos—and beyond. But is it ready to go mainstream? The Nigerian genre cruise (AKA freebeat or cruise beat) seems designed to cause the body to move before the mind understands what's happening. It's a delirious blur of vocals and drums, influenced by other African [...]
There are a number of parallel Afro house scenes developing within London’s underground, as a variety of influences propel the movement in new directions. NKC reports WORDS: NKC | PHOTOGRAPHY: JEROME KIDMAN 28 FEBRUARY 2023 AN AFRO HOUSE MOVEMENT As Scratcha DVA puts it, “the bounce” is back in UK club music, and we owe it [...]
For those who don't know you, tell us a little about yourself, where you are from, and how you first got into dance music. I was born and raised in South Africa, but grew up in the US. I got into dance music via the Winter Music Conference. Some NYC friends suggested [...]
Uncle Waffles and DBN Gogo to headline Audiomack House debut in Johannesburg, South Africa Africa’s leading music streaming platform, Audiomack has announced the launch of its latest initiative “Audiomack House”, a platform created to connect its best performing artists and partners with audiences through a series of live shows across Africa. The event will make [...]
The identical twin brothers and DJ partners Banele and Bandile Mbere speak on the origins of their sound, ‘New Beginnings’ EP and recent set at Tulum’s Day Zero festival. Low-tempo bass, scattered piano melodies, pounding percussion dotted with synth – there’s a chance, if you’re into house music, that you’ve heard of an emerging [...]
Madzadza Miya speaks to triple threat amapiano star Musa Keys about inspiring new evolutions in amapiano, fashion and the importance of being independent WORDS: MADZADZA MIYA | PHOTOS: MISHAAL GANGARAM 3 JANUARY 2023 In the highly competitive amapiano scene, the multi-faceted, trailblazing, and fashionable Johannesburg-based Musa Keys possesses talent and star quality that makes him stand out. The [...]
