#south-african-music — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #south-african-music, aggregated by home.social.
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From Mzimhlope to the World: How Lerato Lichaba Is Turning Heritage into a Creative Empire
In Soweto, where every street carries memory and every corner holds a story, a different kind of movement is taking shape. It’s not loud in the way taxis are loud. It’s deeper. It moves through strings, voices, and archives. It sounds like the past—but it’s building the future. This is the world of Lerato Lichaba. For anyone reading this on Soweto Apparel—whether you’re designing, creating, hustling, or dreaming—his journey isn’t just about music. It’s a blueprint for […] -
Desire Marea – Desire (2020, South Africa)
Our next spotlight is on number 216 on The List, submitted by platenworm.
This is hands down one of my favourite finds from The List so far. It’s dramatic and satisfying yet intimate and vulnerable, and brilliantly mixes a variety of sounds and genres. With my untrained ear, I would’ve said it sounds like a queer experimental electronic/art rock/avant-pop hybrid that would be comfortable on the same playlist/stage as Anohni and Moses Sumney, with other unexpected sounds borrowing from industrial and even jazz. But reading more learned people describe this album and artist (and their other work), I realize yet again how much I don’t know, and how there are so many more sonic corners of this world to explore.
The album is the solo debut from multidisciplinary artist and sangoma Buyani Duma aka Desire Marea, who is also (or, was previously?) in FAKA, alongside Thato Ramaisa aka Fela Gucci. Founded in 2015, FAKA is/was a multimedia performance art duo and African queer liberation movement with a focus on sexual fluidity and non-conforming or “othered” masculine identities, and the aim to create a visible and safe space for young Black queer voices. Give them a search and you’ll find literally tons on them, ranging from great interviews, academic articles, fashion week appearances, and even a documentary.[1] In their musical output, the duo mixed gqom (South African dance/house) with other genres such as Afropop, traditional African music, and gospel, and had lyrics primarily in Zulu. (Side [but maybe not so side] note from a Fever Ray-obsessed fan: In 2019, FAKA contributed to the Plunge Remix album with their remix of the title track, adding in vocals to what was originally an instrumental song, and in Zulu at that.)
For his solo project, Desire Marea somewhat continues on the sonic work of FAKA (particularly the gorgeous feel of that Fever Ray remix that centers on Marea’s captivating falsetto [indeed, I wonder if that remix was something of a key jumping-off point for Marea’s solo work…]) with gqom and other dance subgenres as a base and some lyrics in Zulu. But here, the more personal and experimental road Marea takes results in tracks much more suited for close listens via quality headphones or gorgeous concert halls as opposed to blaring in a club or fashion show – and to spectacular effect! As you might’ve gathered from my use of “is/was” above, it seems that FAKA has since ended or is at least on hiatus, but Marea has continued with his solo work, in music and beyond. If you like what you hear here, make sure you check out his 2nd (and, perhaps, even more incredible) LP On the Romance of Being and EP The Baddies of Isandlwana (both released in 2023), and keep an eye out for what he does next.
- E.g., The Quietus 2018 interview titled “No Cunty For Old Men“; and “Siyakaka Feminism: African Anality and the Politics of Deviance in FAKA’s Performance Art Praxis” by Jordache A. Ellapen, in a special “Black Feminist Thought” issue of the journal Feminist Studies (vol. 47, no. 1, 2021, pp. 114-46). ↩︎
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Free download codes:
Azuhl - Prophetic Remixes Vol 1
"Paying homage to African hip hop pioneers"
#bandcampcodes #hiphop #rap #africanhiphop #southafricanmusic #concioushiphop #music
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Tomorrow I will musically be revisiting the rainbow nation - as usual at 6pm CET (9am PST, 12pm EST, 5pm GMT, 8pm MSK, 4am AEDT etc.) on https://twitch.tv/dj_cyberpagan!
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#party #djing #livestream #messthetics #southafrica #southafricanmusic #postpunk #goth #newwave #coldwave #deathrock #indie #minimal #genrefluid #twitchbatgang -
Free download codes:
Azuhl - Prophetic Remixes Vol 1
"Paying homage to African hip hop pioneers"
#bandcampcodes #hiphop #rap #africanhiphop #southafricanmusic #concioushiphop #music
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#DenTagStarten
#music
Heute mit #SouthAfricanMusic
Jeremy Loops, Motheo Moleko - Down South
https://song.link/s/3QwObSsIrfbNbTD0RhEEnT -
Free download codes:
Azuhl - Prophetic Remixes Vol 1
"Paying homage to African hip hop pioneers"
#bandcampcodes #hiphop #rap #africanhiphop #southafricanmusic #concioushiphop #music
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Free download codes:
Azuhl - Mzansi Hip Hop Remixes #1
"immerses listeners in the vibrant tapestry of South African Hip Hop"
#bandcampcodes #hiphop #rap #worldmusic #remix #southafrica #southafricanhip hop #african #africanhiphop #southafricanmusic #remixes #africanrap #music
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Free download codes:
Azuhl - Prophetic Remixes Vol 1
"Paying homage to African hip hop pioneers"
#bandcampcodes #hiphop #rap #africanhiphop #southafricanmusic #concioushiphop #music
-
Free download codes:
Azuhl - Mzansi Hip Hop Remixes #1
"immerses listeners in the vibrant tapestry of South African Hip Hop"
#bandcampcodes #hiphop #rap #worldmusic #remix #southafrica #southafricanhip hop #african #africanhiphop #southafricanmusic #remixes #africanrap #music
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#NowPlaying Afro-house/dance from South African duo Black Motion. Thanks to icastico for posting about them yesterday, loving this! :ablobjam:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_mj0avTRqSTQbtzHkPIwZDb4NmCX_a07BY
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Free download codes:
Azuhl - Prophetic Remixes Vol 1
"Paying homage to African hip hop pioneers"
#bandcampcodes #hiphop #rap #africanhiphop #southafricanmusic #concioushiphop #music
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Miriam Makeba & The Skylarks – The Best of Miriam Makeba & The Skylarks (1956-59, South Africa)
As randomly chosen by survey[1] on Mastodon, our next spotlight is on number 227 on The List, submitted by platenworm.
The Skylarks were an all-woman South African jazz & jive vocal group, founded in 1956 by Miriam Makeba upon request of Gallotone/Gallo Records. Makeba had already recorded for Gallo both solo and as part of The Manhattan Brothers, a very influential band in South Africa that was most active during the 1940s and 50s. Gallo was wanting a “girlie group” to compete with rival labels that had successful Black woman vocal groups whose style was modelled on popular close-harmony American trios from the 30s/40s/50s (such as the Boswell Sisters, Andrews Sisters, and McGuire Sisters, white groups whose style, in turn, drew on Black American music). Starting as a trio named The Sunbeams, the group brought their own unique sound to the style, adding a fourth member to perfect their harmonies, mixing in South African melodies and other elements, and singing primarily in Southern African languages including Xhosa (but also in English), with songs addressing social and political issues caused by apartheid in South Africa.
Within a couple of years, The Skylarks were South Africa’s most popular group, and had recorded over 100 songs. But, in 1959, Makeba’s star power skyrocketed with her lead role in the wildly successful South African jazz musical called King Kong (alongside Hugh Masekela, who she would later be married to for a few years), followed by her cameo in the anti-apartheid film Come Back, Africa. After only 3 short years, The Skylarks disbanded [edit: or did they? see the footnote[2]] when Makeba left South Africa to further pursue her solo career; Makeba would not return to her home country for over 30 years, effectively exiled by the South African government due to her vocal criticism of apartheid.[3]
Makeba became an iconic, internationally-known figure, for both her solo music and her civil rights activism. It’s a giant, fascinating rabbit hole to go down to learn more about her, and I’m very much looking forward to jumping in. But first, many thanks to platenworm for highlighting these early recordings with The Skylarks.
- I can’t find this particular compilation on streaming services, but similar comps can be found at:
- Discogs: Miriam Makeba & The Skylarks – The Best of Miriam Makeba & The Skylarks
- The survey choices that initially led to this spotlight were “You’re just a sinner, I am told”, “Be your fire when you’re cold”, “Make you happy when you’re sad”, and “Make you good when you are bad”, following surveys that had “I’m not a woman, I’m not a man”/“I am something that you’ll never understand”/“I’ll never beat you, I never lie”/“And if you’re evil I’ll forgive you by and by cuz”, “You, I would die 4 U, yeah”/”Darling, if you want me to”/”You, I would die 4 U”, and “I’m not your lover, I’m not your friend”/“I am something that you’ll never comprehend”/“No need to worry, no need to cry”/“I’m your messiah and you’re the reason why”. The third option was the winning selection, and so the survey result was translated as picking the album in The List that contained a word in the phrase – in this case, “make”. ↩︎
- Edit: When updating The Index with the link to this post, I came across this obituary notice for Mary Rabotapi, which states that the group continued after Makeba left, and recruited Letta Mbulu as the new lead. It doesn’t indicate, however, if the band’s name changed. Discogs does list Mbulu as a band member, at any rate. ↩︎
- The line-up changed a few times and there’s conflicting info on the Internets as to who was all in the group, but it seems The Sunbeams/Skylarks at least at some point included: Miriam Makeba, Mizpah Makeba (? – unsure on last name, is Miriam’s half-sister), Johanna Radebe, Mary Rabotapi, Mummy Girl Nketle, Helen van Rensburg, and Abigail Kubeka, with additional vocals by Nomonde Sihawu and Sam Ngakone. Discogs also lists Letta Mbulu as a member – see above footnote for an explanation on that. I primarily got my info via this post on the Soul Safari blog, as well as the liner notes for this comp that are written by Rob Allingham, former archive manager for Gallo Records. ↩︎
#1950s #jazz #ListenToThis #MiriamMakeba #music #SouthAfricanJazz #SouthAfricanMusic #TheSkylarks
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Free download codes:
Azuhl - Mzansi Hip Hop Remixes #1
"immerses listeners in the vibrant tapestry of South African Hip Hop"
#bandcampcodes #hiphop #rap #worldmusic #remix #southafrica #southafricanhip hop #southafricanmusic #african #africanrap #africanhiphop #remixes #music #yumcodes #bandcamp
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Free download codes:
Azuhl - Kaapstad Excursions
"the first in the series of EPs showcasing artists from Cape Town, South Africa"
#bandcampcodes #hiphop #rap #southafrica #southafricanhip hop #southafricanmusic #music #yumcodes #bandcamp
https://www.getmusic.fm/r/azuhl-kaapstad-excursions?utm_campaign=catalog&utm_source=mastodon
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Free download codes:
Azuhl - Kaapstad Excursions
"the first in the series of EPs showcasing artists from Cape Town, South Africa"
#bandcampcodes #hiphop #rap #southafrica #southafricanhip hop #southafricanmusic #music #yumcodes #bandcamp
https://www.getmusic.fm/r/azuhl-kaapstad-excursions?utm_campaign=catalog&utm_source=mastodon
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Free download codes:
Azuhl - Mzansi Hip Hop Remixes #1
"immerses listeners in the vibrant tapestry of South African Hip Hop"
#bandcampcodes #hiphop #rap #worldmusic #remix #southafrica #southafricanhip hop #southafricanmusic #african #africanrap #africanhiphop #remixes #music #yumcodes #bandcamp
https://www.getmusic.fm/r/azuhl-mzansi-hip-hop-remixes-1?utm_campaign=catalog&utm_source=mastodon
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Free download codes:
Azuhl - Kaapstad Excursions
Kaapstad Excursions if the first in the series of EPs showcasing artists from Cape Town, South Africa showcasing the diverse style, culture and language which makes it one of the most exciting rap landscape on the African continent.
#rap #hiphop #southafrica #southafricanmusic #southafricanhip hop #bandcampcodes #yumcodes #bandcamp #music
Link in bio ⬆️
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Free download codes:
Azuhl - Mzansi Hip Hop Remixes #1
"immerses listeners in the vibrant tapestry of South African Hip Hop"
#rap #remix #hiphop #african #remixes #africanrap #worldmusic #southafrica #africanhiphop #southafricanmusic #southafricanhip hop #bandcampcodes #yumcodes #bandcamp #music
https://www.getmusic.fm/r/azuhl-mzansi-hip-hop-remixes-1?utm_campaign=new&utm_source=mastodon