Tag: gqom

  • Bubblegum Club Mix Vol 17 by DJ Bigger

    Bubblegum Club Mix Vol 17 by DJ Bigger

    Can you tell us a bit about DJ Bigger?

    I, Makabongwe Nzuza, popularly known as “Dj Bigger” was born on the 6th of April in the Southern township of Durban – KwaMashu, M Section. I attended Sondelani Primary School in eNtuzuma, where I was a leader of an ‘’Isicathamiya” group, part of a gospel group as well as part of the school’s choir group. I then completed my junior studies at Eastberry Seconday School in Phoenix.

    My teenage years were filled with music in a very unbelievable way, so much that even the taxis I commuted in would blast music to school and back! Some of the joys of being born in the rhythmic land of KwaZulu Natal.

    Share more about your musical background – who or what sparked your interest in gqom?

    Growing up in the groovy, talent-filled, iconic township influenced my love for music as every second house in my neighbourhood played LOUD music, simultaneously and religiously each and every Friday; marking the beginning of the weekend and an end to a gruesome week for the working class.

    Not only that; but growing up, music was almost the only thing that brought “free” joy to people, its effectiveness in provoking happy feelings, thus creating memorable moments was fascinating.

    I started DJing in 2006 at private functions and then moved to club spaces where I realized that this is something I’m passionate about and was good at. In the year 2010 I then started to focus on building myself as a brand.

    How do you like to describe your sound?

    I would describe my sound as the township version of Electro Music. Gqom music is a very distinct sound that originates from the Township (Ekasi).

    Who are your musical influences?

    My late friend, DJ Deep, who was also my mentor, played a very big role in influencing and shaping my musical journey. I used to tag along whenever he went to deejay at events/private functions. Basically he is the one that taught me how to deejay. Currently, there are a lot of people that I look up to in the music industry, namely DJ Sox, DJ Tira, DJ Bongs, etc.

    What do you want to express with your music? What emotions should it evoke within the listener?

    I believe that music is universal. Though this is an African sound, I wish for people all over the world to be able to feel and express their feelings through the music that I share with them. I want people to dance and feel liberated.

    You are part of Miaso Studios. Please share more about it and your involvement?

    I grew my brand locally overtime and quickly became one of the most respected disc jocks amongst my peers. The group was started by DJ Deep. Along the way I started working with Dj Kaybee, Ayo and Tropika. Together we formed a music production conglomerate and called it “MIASCO FAM”.

    Why do you think gqom has become such a huge sound in SA, and subsequently, abroad?

    Gqom Music is a unique sound and I think its uniqueness is recognized by everyone across the globe.

    When did your partnership with FAKA begin and how is it going?

    I started working with the group FAKA last year (2017) in August. They got my details from Jamal. They contacted me and the rest was history. Currently it is going very well. We have great chemistry and share a similar love and passion for music. They are my chosen family.

    What are you working on at the moment?

    I have been touring with FAKA and currently working on new music that I’ll be releasing soon.

  • AFROPUNK returns to Constitution Hill

    AFROPUNK returns to Constitution Hill

    It is fitting that the first AFROPUNK Festival to be held in South Africa took place on the historically significant Constitution Hill in Johannesburg. The festival, inspired by the documentary ‘Afro-Punk’, which spotlighted black punks in America, was first held in 2005 in New York City’s Brooklyn. Originally aiming to help black people build a community among the white dominated punk subcultures, it has grown to include a wider audience and a broader range of music, yet still highlights alternative black artists.

    With this shift away from pure punk culture towards celebrating blackness in its many forms, the festival has grown. Events are being held in Atlanta, Paris, London, and Johannesburg, with a total of more than 90 000 attendees. Utilising their platform for entertainment as well as change, the mantra of AFROPUNK is: “No Sexism, No Racism, No Ableism, No Ageism, No Homophobia, No Fatphobia, No Transphobia and No Hatefulness”. A free space for black and other bodies that do not fit into the moulds presented by mainstream media.

    Judging by the expressions and attitudes of those who attended South Africa’s first instalment of the festival, it is clear that this approach is highly welcomed in the country. For many this is a cathartic experience, beyond just the amazing music that is on offer from local and international musicians.

    And it is this fact, that the festival both provides a high standard of music along with a safe environment to enjoy it in, that has led to its success. Returning to Constitution Hill, this year’s AFROPUNK line-up is no different, with a strong balance between forward-thinking local and international artists. From the likes of Los Angeles’ future R&B superstars, The Internet and Thundercat. To experimental electronic music from Flying Lotus, who is debuting his 3D show on the African continent for the first time, to the superb dance grooves from producer Kaytranada. The legendary hip hop group Public Enemy and the queen of New Orleans bounce, Big Freedia. The international acts are a highly diverse showcase of black creativity.

    Similarly, the local acts on the line-up have all carved out niches for themselves in South Africa’s competitive music industry. They have stood out as artist that not only make a difference, but sound different. Local hip hop in its many guises is represented by Mozambique’s Azagaia and Cape Town’s YoungstaCPT, and Dope Saint Jude. Each of which are incomparable with their unique take on the art of emceeing.

    Other acts on the line-up include Joburg’s performance duo FAKA with their sound that is familiarly South African, yet utterly futuristic. As well as the sex-positive performer Moonchild Sanelly with her leanings towards Gqom and alternative pop. Joburg’s Thandiswa brings her revolutionary fusion of modern and traditional African sounds, while Nomisupasta brings a unique take on locally inspired music. Rounding off the local acts is Soweto’s BCUC, AKA Bantu Continua Uhuru Consciousness, with their highly energetic and emotionally charged rhythms.

    Themed THE PEOPLE RESIST, this year’s AFROPUNK is a call to action against racism, patriarchy and any form of hate. With 20 000 people descending on Constitution Hill for the first instalment of AFROPUNK Johannesburg, this year’s event promises to be even better and bring people closer together. Aside from music, the festival also encompasses Bites & Beats, Activism Row and the SPINTHRIFT Market as well as the chance to earn tickets via the Earn a Ticket programme. In the build-up to the event, the Battle of the Bands Joburg competition is held that seeks to unearth new musical talent.

    To buy your ticket click here, and keep your eyes on AFROPUNK’s social pages to find out which other acts are announced and for more details about the event.

  • Lelo What’s Good blends ballroom and gqom

    Lelo What’s Good blends ballroom and gqom

    Lelo What’s Good is a Johannesburg-based multidisciplinary creative that got into DJing unexpectedly. He met FAKA‘s Desire Marea while living in Durban. Upon returning to Johannesburg to study, he got to know Fela Gucci who invited him to play at Cunty Power.

    “I decided to come through and play. That’s when it started. After that I started getting booked, which was a bit hectic. I didn’t plan for it to be quite honest,” recalls Lelo. The gig led to him being invited by Pussy Party‘s Rosie Parade to attend DJ workshops in order to hone his skills. “I went to her and we just hit it off and she really helped me a lot in starting this new adventure that I was going on. Before I knew it, I was on lineups, people asking me to play places. It’s been interesting.”

    Fascinated by music videos from a young age, Lelo was exposed to artists such as Missy Elliot, Aaliyah, Destiny’s Child, Beyonce, D’Angelo, Lauryn Hill the Fugees as well as local artists such as Lebo M, Zola, Boom Shaka & Brenda Fassie. As a DJ, he likes to push an alternative, grungy sound that draws a lot from ballroom and underground UK warehouse music as well as the raw sounds of Durban’s gqom.

    Thanks in part to his affinity for ballroom music and a desire to create safe spaces for the queer community, Lelo What’s Good founded Vogue Nights. This saw him bringing New York’s ballroom subculture to life in South Africa. “The ballroom scene in New York shifted culture, it uplifted the LGBTQI community into what we know it [to be] today. If you look at it now there’s ballroom all over the world, Berlin, Paris, London, and we don’t really have one here. So I thought since I play ballroom type music and there aren’t a lot of safe spaces for us to actually venture our bodies in, so why not create a space that speaks for us and is by us in the city and also take it around the country. Because we never really had that. So it’s a response to that. An urge to create more safer spaces.” explains Lelo.

    Beyond the parties he throws and the music he plays, Lelo What’s Good aims to be a representative of South African queer culture. “I think I do represent the people in my community to mainstream media. Everything that I’ve written is about queer artists or safe spaces and things like that. I do my best to accurately represent the times that we are in now as queer people, in queer bodies, whether it be as artists or the person down the road and how they might be feeling. I think that’s the type of content I’m trying to create, to write about and speak about. Even the places that I DJ at, they have to be 100% safe for femme bodies and queer people. It’s really important.”

  • Ses’fikile – siwu mndeni // celebrating queer spaces and queer artists

    Ses’fikile – siwu mndeni // celebrating queer spaces and queer artists

    Zer021 is an inclusive queer club in Cape Town, and will be the host of Ses’fikile – siwu mndeni on the 20th of July. Translating to ‘we’re here; we’re family’ in English, the name of the event speaks to the importance of queer people celebrating the presence of spaces such as Zer021 as well as the queer artists who continue to push their creative practices.

    Siwu Mndeni is the name of the ongoing collaboration between filmmakers and art practitioners Jabu Nadia Newman and Luvuyo Equiano Nyawose. Ses’fikile is the first project in their collaboration. “The whole inspiration for this project was to acknowledge or pay homage to poc queer club spaces that inspire creatives, drive culture and act as a sanctity for individuals who are discovering themselves,” Jabu and Luvuyo explain.explains.

    Zer021 will be transformed into a gallery space, disrupting ideas around where art can be viewed and who can have access to these spaces. Ses’fikile includes the premiere of the short film/music video produced and directed by Jabu and Luvuyo for FAKA’s latest single ‘Queenie’, produced by Angel-Ho. It will also include powerful photographs taken on set by Daniel Walton. To bring the event full circle, live performances by well-established and relatively new artists and djs will transform the dance floor into an exchange of energetic vibrations through gqom, hip hop, kwaito, house, and experimental sounds.  “The lineup consists of artists, acts and DJs who unapologetically carve out their own path and continue to inspire and give back to the community. The lineup consists solely of poc queer artists and incredible performers who are touring Europe and playing in different countries all over the world, yet are hardly get booked in their own country,” Jabu and Luvuyo explain. The performance lineup includes FAKA, Angel-Ho, Queezy, and a DJ lineup with K$, Nodiggity, Parasite Hilton and Sensitive Black Dyke.

    “Our event will not tolerate any racism, homophobia, transphobia, bullying, queerphobia, sexism, fatphobia, taking up space and in general no discrimination. It aims to be an inclusive space primarily for members of the LGBTQI+ and non binary individuals.”

    Find out more here.

  • M(x) Blouse doesn’t have time for idiots

    M(x) Blouse doesn’t have time for idiots

    Joburg-based M(x) Blouse might rap, but they don’t consider themselves a hip-hop artist. Born at the end of 2016 as a creative outlet for KZN-born Sandiso Ngubane, M(x) Blouse’s first release was “WTF(SQUARED)” in collaboration with Joni Blud. The release made an impact and led to a performance at Braam’s Pussy Party and which was followed in May 2017 by the release of their debut EP ‘Believe the Bloom’. Produced with a heavy boom-bap influence and a lot of mistakes along the way thanks to naiveté, the EP nevertheless was a valuable learning for M(x) Blouse. “I think it’s true what they say, if you wanna do something, just jump in and hope to swim. Because after that I started seeing more interest from other people saying let’s work.”

    Fast-forward a year and the latest single from M(x) Blouse has sonically moved away from boom-bap, exploring areas such as kwaito and gqom. Produced by Thor Rixon, Stiff Pap’s Jakinda and Albany Lore, the track has helped M(x) Blouse push themselves as an artist. “It’s been amazing for me to just take a cue from them and how they do things and incorporating my rap into that. It’s opened up a huge scope for what I can do as an artist rather than trying to stick strictly to rapping in a hip-hop sense. So the growth has been crazy.” Another major growth-point for M(x) Blouse has been the switch to vernacular. “It just feels so comfortable, feels authentic, but I must add that I don’t necessarily feel like people rapping in English are not authentic. It would be a ridiculous notion to say that considering how much English is a part of our lives in South Africa. But for me specifically, writing in vernacular and mixing it with English just feels natural to me because that’s just how I speak.”

    The single, “Is’phukphuku”, Zulu for idiot, speaks of freedom and those that encroach on it, the idiot being those who restrict the freedoms of others trying to have a good time. “The beat to me just communicated a sense of freedom and I wasn’t necessarily thinking this is a song about freedom but that’s eventually what it came to be. In the second verse I talk about this dude who approaches a woman. She’s trying to have fun, he offers her a drink and she’s like ‘nah, I’m cool bra, but thanks’, but he takes that the wrong way and starts calling her a bitch. That to me is someone who is making a space unsafe for someone. That sort of became what the track is about, but it really didn’t start off that way, it just clicked in the end.”

    The video that accompanies the single is a visual feast featuring M(x) Blouse in South African fashion from the likes of ALC Man, Nicholas Coutts, with jewellery by Stefany Roup and Lorne, while dancers and supporting cast can be seen rocking Nicola W35T, and Art Club & Friends, with headgear by Crystal Birch. “I identify as non-binary. So it was important for me to express that stylistically, so the styling very much communicates that I’m not bound by gender in terms of what I wear. When you dress how you feel it doesn’t matter how you express yourself in terms of fashion. People always raise an eyebrow. So I really wanted a video that expressed that kind of quirk, if I can call it that, and being in a space as someone who is different you always seem like a fish out of water. I wanted to find a space where me and the people that I’m with would just look like a bunch of weirdos in the space, so we ended up going to a fish and chip shop!”

    An EP or album isn’t on the cards for the next year at least, but M(x) Bloue will be releasing music this year. “I do have one or two more singles that I want to put out before the end of the year, but there’s also the Thor Rixon collaboration which is a house track, I’m very excited about it.” They are also looking to perform more in 2018. “What I’ve been trying to do is, at least here in Joburg, gather like-minded artists and do our own shows. So I’m hoping that’s going to pan out real soon.”

    Having found a way to touch on social issues much like their hip-hop idols such as Nas and Lauryn Hill, without boxing themselves within hip-hop, M(x) Blouse is able to push themselves creatively. “I don’t even know what genre to say I am doing at the moment, but I’m happy to be exploring the limits of what I have to offer.”

    Credits:

    Photography – Aart Verrips

    Styling – Bee Diamondhead

  • Nodiggity are Audio Visual Curators for the Lovers

    Nodiggity are Audio Visual Curators for the Lovers

    If you are a hater, Nodiggity are not for you. For real, if you have hate in your heart, don’t even bother reading further and most certainly don’t click their mixcloud link because, in their own words, “Nodiggity is for the lovers, by the lovers”.

    This dope duo of audio and visual curators from Cape Town consists of two talented womxn who are making their mark through djing, design and whatever mediums and platforms that are available to them (I mean, they have T-shirts called NodiggiTees available on Insta). They’re pro-femme, pro-queer, pro-POC and very pro creating and curating spaces for femme, queer, people of colour to get the fuck down in comfort and style as a way to subvert the traditional Cape Town nightlife experience.

    Listening to them talk on ‘The Cooking Question’ podcast, I actually feel pangs of jealousy because I realise that I’ll never be as effortlessly cool or comfortable with myself as these 2 femxles. While they’ve only really known each other for just over a year or so (after Jordan slid in Nickita’s DMs after her performance at Mother City Live Festival in 2016), they have the rapport of life long besties. I actually highly recommend listening to the podcast to really get a feel for who is behind the audio and visual delights.

    In terms of the audio delights, Nodiggity have put out a few sick mixes on their mixcloud and soundcloud pages which show off their immaculate taste in music. They describe their djing style as a “House, gqom, jazz and jazz hop – same Whatsapp group”, which is pretty accurate although I’d add soul and R&B in there too. House tends to be the base they work off of but they don’t shy away from the snares of hip-hop and gqom, and the jazz influence often shines through with a love of keys. They mix the classics over new school beats. They mix new school vocals over old school beats which makes their mixes sound timeless but, at the same time, incredibly current. Give their latest mix a listen below then go catch them live at a venue near you.

  • Bubblegum Club mix Vol 16 by Nakedboys

    Bubblegum Club mix Vol 16 by Nakedboys

    Last weekend the newly founded Cape Town based A11 agency hosted the Durban-based Nakedboys for a short stay in the mother city. The weekend saw the Nakedboys playing sets at popular Cape Town spots like Pretoria bar and Fiction in Long Street and Rands Sunday in Khayelitsha. While in town, A11 recorded an interview with the duo and also had the Nakedboys create an exclusive mix for Bubblegum Club. Listen to the mix and read the interview below.

    A11: Can you tell us a little a bit about this mix that you have made for Bubblegum Club?

    King Ice: It is a Gqom mix with different artists. About four of the tracks are ours. Its just one of those Naked Boys type-of-kind-of mixtapes, that gets you going.

    Madlisa: I think the mix is a true banger, it’s very hot. Especially since it was recorded live.

    King Ice: Yes it’s a Naked Banger as always!

    Madlisa: And we featured a lot of new tracks that we will be releasing soon, and a brand new single called ‘Hide and Seek’ featuring Top Kid and DJ Scratch.

    A11: When is that single going to drop?

    The single will drop soon, in a week or two, hopefully before the 9th of March. On the 9th we have an MTV Base documentary that will play Friday at 6pm.

    A11: Which other Gqom producers in Durban, Cape Town, Eastern Cape, Joburg would you like to give a shout out to?

    To everyone that was supported us. Especially these young cats who look up to us, and who have been with us since day one, pushing our music in clubs and in mixtapes.

    A11: How do you guys feel about the way that this “Gqom wave“ has been flowing and gathering momentum – where do you see this sound going?

    The sound is going to last. It’s here to stay. Gqom is a new and fresh sound, bringing it to the people of not just Durban or Cape Town but globally. It’s turned into a culture. People are hungry for it, they just want more, to get more of this new sound. Certain areas are not aware of the sound at all, and we want to take it to those places. Like here in central Cape Town, its not heard that much. It’s mostly played in outside townships here. Gqom is the future….they were right…. and it’s the present.

    A11: Do you feel the sound is developing sub genres now?

    Some new cats are trying to make their own way by creating their own Gqom and create other genres on top of Gqom. Everyone is trying to claim sounds, instead of just working together. Knowing who started Gqom doesn’t make much of a difference, as long as we are making the sound and pushing it forward. Saying that, we aren’t really on the dark side of Gqom. We are more chilled. It is jumping, but it is not the darkest most hardcore stuff out there.

    A11: As more Gqom is produced, do you think different strains of Gqom will emerge?

    It looks like it is going there, but at the same time – Gqom is Gqom. You can’t say right now you have a different sound.  ‘Sghubu’ is like Gqom, but more chilled. It uses those deep drums, but it is more melodic. More progressive – the sound is warmer and fuller.

    A11: Being there from the beginning, would you say you helped to found and create a framework for other producers to build and push this sound forward?

    When we introduced this new sound, the producers…who were at that time producing mostly deep house and tribal…were very interested and they wanted to copy it. But it can never be the exact same, it will always be different, but in the same genre.

    A11: When did the Nakedboys become the Nakedboys?

    In 2010.

    A11: How has your sound developed since then?

     King Ice: Its changed. In the beginning we were more into the tribal type of stuff. While messing around in fruity loops, we developed new sounds, we got more and more creative with it.

    Madlisa: It’s like learning a new language man, when you hear and read more, you get used to speaking it. You grow! You become more creative, cause you know you’ve done things a certain way, now let’s try do it differently. It’s something like that. You become more fluent, more creative.

    Tracklist:

    Nakedboys – Ride Along

    Nakedboys – Hide & Seek

    Durban Sounds – ###

    Naked boys ft Campmasters – Holy bible

    Campmasters – Angazi nami

    Nakedboys ft Funky Qla – Night Banger

    Dlala Lazz -iqegu

    Black Dust – welcome

    Diskwa & afro sounds – ###

    Campmasters – Afro 1

    Ceeyah – gear 17

    Vanger boyz- straw 80

    ###

    dj ministo – 2018

    dbn sounds – ###

  • Gqom Oh! strikes again with The Originators EP

    Gqom Oh! strikes again with The Originators EP

    It’s been two years since the Gqom Oh! label released the compilation The Sound of Durban, a superb survey of the ferocious electronic music pumping out of KZN. Created by young bedroom producers in the townships and suburbs which ring the coastal city, and played on raucous dance floors and powerful taxi sound systems, gqom centres ominous drums and menacing loops. The aesthetic intensity responds to harsh social conditions, with journalist Kwanele Sosibo calling it “the CNN of The RDP townships”. But outside of its Durban strongholds, gqom was viewed with scepticism or even hostility, derided as the unruly proletarian step-child of upwardly mobile house and kwaito. Abroad however, it was recognised as an important new strain of dance music, with Rome-based Nan Kolè establishing Gqom Oh! as an international platform for Durban artists.

    Locally, the musical landscape has shifted dramatically since 2016. Gqom inspired music is all over the mainstream, with self-styled ‘Gqom Queen’ Babes Wodumo even appearing on Kendrick Lamar’s massive Black Panther soundtrack. Such a cultural moment makes it important to recognise the potentially overlooked creators and places who originated the style. This latest five track vinyl (with four extras included on the digital release) surveys the past, present and future of gqom. The opulent cover art announces the project’s intent. The featured artist are placed among palm trees, taxis, Diwali fireworks and the Moses Mabhida stadium, highlighting the geography gqom has blossomed in, with roaring flames and a lion to representing its musical power.

    Side A begins with DJ Lag’s ‘Daisies’. Despite his young age, Lag is one of the most prominent producers working, with his stunning music video for ‘Ice Drop’ being possibly the best visual document of the gqom scene to date. He is joined by the legendary Griffit Vigo, who escalates ‘Ree’s Vibe’ from a few simple beats to a sprawling sonic adventure.

    The second side explores different shades of Gqom. Naked Boys hypnotic ‘Story Teller’, with its earworm hook of “what’s the story” represents sgubhu, the hybrid gqom-house style which is all over the radio. Rude Boyz end the vinyl on a stirring note with the imaginative ‘Umshudo’. But the real stand out is Sbucardo da DJ‘s ‘Iphoyisa’, with guest vocalist Abnormal laconically reciting the Zulu lyrics “We at the club, Mr. Policeman don’t disturb us”. Built on top of a sinister synthesiser loop, it reflects the key influence of rap on the evolution of gqom.

    With worthwhile bonus tracks by the same artists on the digital release, The Originators is another excellent work by Gqom Oh!, showing both the roads the genre has taken and what future horizons it may looking toward.

    As an exclusive, Bubblegum Club readers can stream the compilation for a limited time below, with both formats available for purchase at Bandcamp. Keep the gqom fire burning!

  • Distruction Boyz are the Future of Gqom

    Emerging out of the townships of Durban, the reach of gqom has spread over the last five years touching the rest of South Africa and making an impression on the global underground. With pioneers such as DJ Lag and the Rude Boyz having laid the foundation for the next generation of artists, now more than ever there is an appetite for the stripped down, minimal sounds of Durban.

    Having produced Babes Wodumo’s breakout hit “Wololo”, Kwa-Mashu based producers Distruction Boyz’ 13 track debut album “Gqom is the Future” showcases the duo’s intention of leaving a lasting impression on the music industry with one of the most exciting sounds to emerge out of South Africa in the last decade. Dubbed sghubu, a subgenre of gqom, Distruction Boyz’ sound is softer, more melodic, with more commercial leanings than it’s underground cousin.

    The album features collaborations with rising stars and heavyweights of the scene including Prince Bulo, Benny Maverick, Dlala Mshunqisi, Rude Boyz, Tipcee, Cruel Boyz and even DJ Tira. Favourite tracks from the last year including “2 O’Clock”, “Madness”, “Midnight” and 2016’s nationwide hit “Shut Up and Groove” all make an appearance. With relentless grooves and syncopated rhythms, the 13 tracks on “Gqom is the Future” hit you like a freight train and make sitting still an impossibility.

    With “Gqom is the Future” Thobani “Que” Mgobhozi and Zipho “Gold” Mthembu have assembled an album that captures the vibrant energy of Durban and it’s no surprise that the album has been released in time for summer. With promising initial sales, the Distruction Boyz’ goal of reaching Gold seems within reach. Expanding the palette of what one expects from Gqom, the Distruction Boyz have added new elements to what is an already exciting and evolving genre. The only questions that remains is where the future of Gqom is going to take it next.

  • DJ Prie Believes Anything is Possible with Gqom

    If you’re a night-owl and you listen to Ukhozi FM, there’s a good chance you’ve heard DJ Prie Nkosazana taking you through the graveyard shift from 1:30. I don’t listen to Ukhozi so I heard about her from those more knowledgeable than myself. Turns out I’ve been sleeping – which is fair considering the time slot – because the 21-year-old DJ, producer and #hustler from Morningside in Durban has steadily been gaining plays and stage time. I mean, her track ‘Washa Gqom’ has racked up over 30 00 plays on Youtube in just over 4 months, her latest single ‘Balesa Ba Kulu’ is sitting on over 6000 downloads in 2 weeks, and she told me she got to share a stage with DJ Khaled at Vain Nightclub in Orlando, Florida, which is just dope and not something many South African artists can say. Plus she follows nobody on Instagram which is pretty baller.

    I couldn’t find much about the “Princess of Gqom” through Google so I bounced a few emails back and forth with her. Turns out she’s still new to the game, having only been producing for a year. Prie produces gqom because “Gqom is for young people, sometimes it doesn’t have a message that can inspire you, but the beat and bass can make you believe that anything is possible.” She’s multifaceted too, “My music stands apart because I’m creative, my beat changes, and I can produce commercial house as well.” The young DJ recently played the femme-focussed Pussy Party at Kitcheners in Jozi, and I heard she tore the place down. Her own experience was even better than she’d expected, “The reception was totally amazing, everybody was dancing to Gqom. Even the people I thought would never like Gqom. The crowd was welcoming and the lady who booked me (Colleen Balchin) made sure I was safe.”

    Considering DJ Prie is from Durban and plays Gqom, I asked how much influence the city has had on her. She’s not as sentimental as most Durbanites, “Growing up in Durban didn’t influence my music. I believe even if I was in Cape Town, I would have been doing what I’m doing now because I’ve got so many people I look up to.” People like Ukhozi FM’s BigKid, and DJ Cindo, “They are hardworking and warm. The way they carry themselves to me and to everyone is just mindblowing.” Being on radio, even at such a late time slot, has been nothing but a blessing for a young DJ eager to learn. “Ukhozi has made me grow in so many ways, my gigs improved, my fan-base increased and I got to meet my mentor Gugu Yengwa (BigKid). I enjoy the freedom of the slot because sometimes I don’t have to pitch at the studio so it gives me more time to focus on my music.”

  • DJ Lag to release exclusive ‘Trip to New York’ EP to fans for free

    Gqom innovator, DJ Lag is about to strike again with his first, self-titled EP having only come out last year. DJ Lag is a pioneer who propelled the  Durban Gqom sound straight into the capitals of the international electronic music industry.

    DJ Lag has performed across the country, including at the Cape Town Electronic Music Festival, and has shared the stage with respected artists such as Skrillex and Euphonik at the Bridges For Music workshop in Kliptown, Soweto. He debuted in the international scene at the Unsound Festival in Poland and has since performed in a number of other cities.

    The King of Gqom, together with his management company Black Major, is dropping an exclusive EP to fans via WhatsApp for free on the 14th of July.

    DJ Lag’s Trip to New York EP is a 3 track EP with a remix of Khonkolo from Okzharp. The only way fans can get the EP, is by heading over to djlag.com and making sure they are on the send out list by 11am on the 14th. The EP will sent out to all those who have signed up in time.

    Fans who sign up for the EP will be the first to get exclusive links to future tracks.

     

  • Maramza: Low-key but Kwaai-fi

    “Low-key” is a phrase Maramza uses multiple times in our half-hour phone call interview and it’s an apt way to describe the ever-evolving producer. I’ve met Maramza, real name Richard Rumney, a few times and he’s always struck me as the quiet, reserved and observant type – someone who would rather listen than talk. When he does talk, it’s usually to ask a question so he can get some insight to process whatever it is he’s already thinking. So that I managed to get half an hour of conversation out of him is quite something. “I’m very introverted, I guess I’m shy, you know?” He explains when I ask him if he considers himself an introspective cat. “I don’t drink, I used to but I don’t anymore. I’ve been partying for over 20 years so when I’m out now, I’m just there and observing, listening to the music and chat to a few people, but I’m not like “Yo, this is my best life, I’m outchea.” That ended a long time ago. Since I’ve been doing Maramza, it’s been like that. The thing with Maramza, the whole idea was to be low-key. When I first started it was this incognito, low-key thing. I was just kinda not feeling Richard The Third and wanted to release a very different style of music. Originally, no-one knew who I was. But then people showed interest and I was like “Now I want the gigs and I want to be known.” If anything, now I want to go back to being low-key again. Which is kinda weird now that I’m on the Bubblegum Club cover.”

    Originally from Joburg, Maramza, then known as Richard The Third, moved to Cape Town in the early 2000s to be part of the fresh wave of electronic music in South Africa. “In the 2000s, I was very inspired by Cape Town electronic music and I think that was a general feeling in Joburg, that Cape Town were the guys who were doing the most forward thinking shit at that time.” He tells me. “African Dope, Real Estate Agents, Felix Laband, Lark and even Goldfish, they were just doing the coolest shit, you know? and I was very inspired by that and that’s essentially why I moved to Cape Town, I wanted to be a part of that. When I got there that was probably the tail end of that era, moving into the kind of Discoteque, electro era and the dubstep era.”

    The move did Maramza well and he soon found himself deep in a flourishing Cape Town scene he’d admired from afar, “For me, it felt like there were days when all of us in that scene were lucky. Discoteque was a weekly event, the dubstep parties were quite regular, it felt like there were quite a lot of venues, for a whole lot of us it just felt like a lot was going on club wise, event wise there was a very enthusiastic vibe happening, and there was just a lot to do.”

    Since then, things have changed a lot in Cape Town. On a commercial level, people are following the global 4/4 to the floor resurgence, and in the underground, young folks are more politically conscious, and aware of identity, privilege, and power. Maramza makes note of this, “I feel that in Cape Town a lot of young people are woke now, you know? They’ve awoken and are looking at things, and a lot of young people are angry and they see things differently. I think similar groups of people hanging out in the 2000s weren’t so concerned or conscious of it, now they are. Especially around race, gender and sexuality. Not being okay with the way things are, justifiably, and not wanting to support things that aren’t willing to change in that way. As a result, I think there’s a transition, I’m hoping that we see the change now. There’s a crew called 021 Lit, there’re Uppercut parties on a Friday, and when you look at those, at the audience there and actually the DJs themselves, and you feel like, now I’m older now- I’m a guy who has been doing this for a long time- I look at that and think “This is what younger people wanna see. These are the DJs they want to see get put on and who they want to see become successful, who they want to hear making music.””

    Adjusting to a scene whose identity is shifting away from your demographic can often be met with resistance. When asked how he’s adapted to the change in culture over the years, Maramza answered thoughtfully, “I think the simple answer is that you just need to be low-key, as low-key as possible. If you’re an older white guy, pull yourself away from any feeling of being offended, or wanting to see things in a certain way, or feeling miffed because things aren’t a certain way. Invariably, that’s going to be your privileged, old-school perspective coming through and that’s just not going to help. You’ve gotta lose that shit, just drop it, it’s gonna cause problems.”

    dj maramza x bubblegum club

    It seems Maramza has learned a lot since being called out for culturally appropriating gqom, “I had this thing when gqom started blowing up, I was like “This is so dope, I want to do my own version of this” and I was actually called out on it online in an article. It really got me thinking, “Fuck, well, that’s true. I can’t do that.””  Maramza has since moved away from the sound and is more aware of his place in the world. “I’ve been very lucky, I am privileged, I’ve had a lot of things work out the way I’ve wanted. I just need to listen to other people and connect with the right people, that’s very important. It’s about proximity. Who do you spend your time with? Who are you listening to? You can’t force that but I think if your intention is out there to be like “I don’t want to be in a world that’s a white privilege bubble”, as much as that’s automatically where I fit in, especially in Cape Town, but if you put the intention out there, you’re more likely to be opening up and connecting with people that aren’t a part of that bubble and they will make you think differently.”

    Maramza’s low-key vibe is also about putting others on. When asked what he’s currently working on, he casually replied with “Not much”, and proceeded to tell me more about other artists than his own music. “I started a kinda label project towards the end of last year called “Kwaai-fi”, and I want to do that which really looks to highlight corners of scenes in Cape Town that I think could do with a bit more love and I also would personally think would be nice to connect together. Like the bass music scene, the house music scene, the sjoko joko scene. The guys who I’ve already worked with for “Kwaai-fi”, Terrasoul, DJ Fosta, they all just have a fresh Capetonian, South African take on things. I wanna pursue encouraging those kinds of artists to put out music and remix each other and do it through that platform as “Kwaai-fi”.”

    Maramza has already been such a crucial part of the SA music scene, but this next era might be where he has the most impact. Not just as a producer but as someone dedicated to continually pushing the culture of electronic music in South Africa. It’s important for the old guard to use their knowledge, experience, and connections to help the new wave successfully take over, and through “Kwaai-fi” and keeping it low-key, that’s exactly what Maramza is doing.

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    Photography by Luke Maritz

    Styling by Luke Bell Doman