For Your Consideration: 5 Kwaito Summer Heaters
- Joe Rye Wax
- Jul 21, 2016
- 2 min read
With its slowed-down Chi-House grooves, slamming Speed Garage baselines, and party-focused rap flows, Kwaito's creation in the early-90's South African townships was truly ahead of its time.
Its rise in popularity correlated directly with the fall of the barbaric apartheid regime, and provided a generation of South Africans with a culture and beat to define a new era. It also offered the first platforms for black-owned record companies and projects to grow, and quickly became the dominant sound on SA airwaves, birthing the radio stations, clothing trends, dance moves and surrounding ecosystem of a culture that stays strong to this day.
Fast forward 20 years, and the music still sounds fresh and raw, especially in our house-heavy UK club scene. This is a little selection of some of the essential jams from that early mid to late Nineties period:
Alaska - Accuse
This one is an absolute classic and has been a staple in my sets for a couple years now. It's a perfect example of the kind of blissed-out swagger Kwaito is known for, slow but tough grooves and answer-and-request flows.. Check the BMW's drifting (or 'spinning' as it's locally known) for a insight into how it went down on a Saturday night in Sowteo.
TKZee - Mambotjie
TKZee we're one of the top Kwaito groups to emerge in the late 90's, and this killer cut is taken off their seminal LP, Haloween. With that deep, soundsystem wrecking bassline, and an almost UK Garage style mid-range synth, this was way, way ahead of it's time.
Brothers Of Peace - Manyonyoba
BOP are regarded as the godfathers of Kwaito, and alongside Arthur Mafokate, were one of the first acts to chart in South Africa. Their production was primarily done by Oscar Mdlongwa, better known as Oskido, who went on to found the label Kalawa Jazmee, without doubt the most successful independently run label in South Africa, and had a massive hand in pushing township music to the world. This is one of their early hits, and typifies the Kwaito sound.
Mashamplani - Is Fokol Is Nicks
95' HEAT! This one gets the blood rushing, all rave stabs and OG hoover sounds. Featuring vocals from Magesh, who went on to form TKZee, who performed at the opening ceremony of the 2010 South Africa World Cup, as well as shifting a boatload of records and supplying the world with more than one classic club joint!
Doc Shebeleza - Ebunandini
Try and stay still when this one gets moving! Essentially a remix of a G.O.D. track on Nice n' Ripe, given a 20bpm pitch down and lyrical lacings by Kwaito OG Doc Shebeleza. It's also a perfect example how ahead of the game producers in the townships were, and the connection between UK club music and the sounds coming out of the SA townships.
For all things Kwaito, RnB, & Grime - get down to the COTCH 1st Birthday next Friday.
@BRTSHKNIGHTS
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