A.J. Holmes – 20 years of Kwaito Mix

With this new mix A.J. Holmes shows yet another angle to his musical taste. “I first discovered Kwaito in 2003 after a friend, João Orecchia (who now lives in Johannesburg and has a great project with members of the BLK JKS called Motel Mari) returned from his first visit to South Africa with a bag filled with Kwaito cassettes. The track that first grabbed me was TKZee – Magesh which had been a hit in SA a few years earlier. I listened to these cassettes reputably on car journeys touring in Germany the following year.

I was DJing a mix of Old School Rumba, Township Jive, High Life and Grime (UK Hip Hop) at the time. The down beat groove of Kwaito seemed to fit perfectly in this mix and to be the ‘missing link’ in my taste pallet: Employing the beautiful melodies of township Jive and the urban experience of – what was at the time – modern Soweto. This mix seemed to work in the clubs and bars in Europe: London, Berlin, Hamburg, Frankfurt, Leipzig, Rostock, Malmö, Copenhagen…for me it was a big part of the sound of 2004; but of course I ‘discovered’ this music 10 years after the fact, as some of it – to my surprise – had been released in the mid 90’s; however it still sounded fresh and exciting to me!”

Here’s what A.J. has to say about this mix in particular:

20 years ago – on the 27th April 1994 – ‘Nelson Mandela took office as the first democratically elected president of South Africa.  The removal of the political and economic sanctions greatly transformed the South African music industry. In the backdrop of a transforming South Africa, Kwaito took shape in the township Soweto’

For me this mixtape marks a personal 10 year reflection; since I first heard this mid 90’s / early 00’s Kwaito – South African Hip Hop – music. Which became a big part of the 2004 Summer sound track for me and my friends, after my friend João Orecchia returned from South African the previous year with a plastic bag filled with cassettes.

I was recently having a bit of a spring clear out and come across these cassettes. As much as I was really into them at the time; I somehow wasn’t surprised to discover that they sound even better to me now then they did all those years ago!

I think it’s time to ‘re- discover’ – or even ‘discover’ for the first time (you lucky person if that is the case!) – this amazing dance music. 20 years after some of it was made and – to me – this music sounds as relevant as ever.

I would love to go to a club that played this music. So if anyone wanted to invite me to play a set of hissy old Kwaito cassettes from this gold era of South African dance music; I’d be well up for it!

I’ve creamed off some of my favourite tracks to make this mixtape. Most of which can be bought on the great compilation – Kwaito: South African Hip Hop CD

So here’s to a ‘better life for all’!

Track list

Mandoza – 50/50

Jimmy B – Make Em Bounce

TKZee – Magesh

Spokes ‘H’ – Wara Wara

Aba Shante – Come get me

Brenda Fassie – Qula

Arthur – Kaffir

Akwaaba DJs: Weekly Picks – August 31

Aug 31, 2018

DJ Pizaro: This week we have One Love by Seyi Shay featuring DJ Spinall, Tekero By HarrySong, afrobeats favorite DJ Cuppy features L.A.X on currency , producer cum dj Juls features Kojey Radical on Normal , Joey B teams up with La Meme Gang on Stables and last but not...

Lala Shishi :Sarkodie – Ye Be Pa Wo

Aug 24, 2018

Sarkodie – Ye Be Pa Wo Lyrics {Intro}Its MOG babyAhh baAh yeahOk yen ko3Tia {Verse 1}Na se wo ti wiasi na se wa no da aSe obi ye wo bibi nas3 wo ka aWo nya siki na wo si wo de be num nsa aWo nfa nyame se wo kra ne wa gyekwa aAh ye be tu wo fu na se wonfa aNa se daakye...

DJ Spotlight: DJ Fro (Ghana)

Aug 20, 2018

Music, especially of the loud, danceable kind, is ubiquitous in most of Africa. Yet DJs, the artisans behind the walls of sound, often remain in the shadow. This is not how we roll: we want you to find out who is pushing the envelope throughout the continent. This...

A.J. Holmes – 20 years of Kwaito Mix

With this new mix A.J. Holmes shows yet another angle to his musical taste. “I first discovered Kwaito in 2003 after a friend, João Orecchia (who now lives in Johannesburg and has a great project with members of the BLK JKS called Motel Mari) returned from his first visit to South Africa with a bag filled with Kwaito cassettes. The track that first grabbed me was TKZee – Magesh which had been a hit in SA a few years earlier. I listened to these cassettes reputably on car journeys touring in Germany the following year.

I was DJing a mix of Old School Rumba, Township Jive, High Life and Grime (UK Hip Hop) at the time. The down beat groove of Kwaito seemed to fit perfectly in this mix and to be the ‘missing link’ in my taste pallet: Employing the beautiful melodies of township Jive and the urban experience of – what was at the time – modern Soweto. This mix seemed to work in the clubs and bars in Europe: London, Berlin, Hamburg, Frankfurt, Leipzig, Rostock, Malmö, Copenhagen…for me it was a big part of the sound of 2004; but of course I ‘discovered’ this music 10 years after the fact, as some of it – to my surprise – had been released in the mid 90’s; however it still sounded fresh and exciting to me!”

Here’s what A.J. has to say about this mix in particular:

20 years ago – on the 27th April 1994 – ‘Nelson Mandela took office as the first democratically elected president of South Africa.  The removal of the political and economic sanctions greatly transformed the South African music industry. In the backdrop of a transforming South Africa, Kwaito took shape in the township Soweto’

For me this mixtape marks a personal 10 year reflection; since I first heard this mid 90’s / early 00’s Kwaito – South African Hip Hop – music. Which became a big part of the 2004 Summer sound track for me and my friends, after my friend João Orecchia returned from South African the previous year with a plastic bag filled with cassettes.

I was recently having a bit of a spring clear out and come across these cassettes. As much as I was really into them at the time; I somehow wasn’t surprised to discover that they sound even better to me now then they did all those years ago!

I think it’s time to ‘re- discover’ – or even ‘discover’ for the first time (you lucky person if that is the case!) – this amazing dance music. 20 years after some of it was made and – to me – this music sounds as relevant as ever.

I would love to go to a club that played this music. So if anyone wanted to invite me to play a set of hissy old Kwaito cassettes from this gold era of South African dance music; I’d be well up for it!

I’ve creamed off some of my favourite tracks to make this mixtape. Most of which can be bought on the great compilation – Kwaito: South African Hip Hop CD

So here’s to a ‘better life for all’!

Track list

Mandoza – 50/50

Jimmy B – Make Em Bounce

TKZee – Magesh

Spokes ‘H’ – Wara Wara

Aba Shante – Come get me

Brenda Fassie – Qula

Arthur – Kaffir

Akwaaba DJs: Weekly Picks – August 31

Aug 31, 2018

DJ Pizaro: This week we have One Love by Seyi Shay featuring DJ Spinall, Tekero By HarrySong, afrobeats favorite DJ Cuppy features L.A.X on currency , producer cum dj Juls features Kojey Radical on Normal , Joey B teams up with La Meme Gang on Stables and last but not...

Lala Shishi :Sarkodie – Ye Be Pa Wo

Aug 24, 2018

Sarkodie – Ye Be Pa Wo Lyrics {Intro}Its MOG babyAhh baAh yeahOk yen ko3Tia {Verse 1}Na se wo ti wiasi na se wa no da aSe obi ye wo bibi nas3 wo ka aWo nya siki na wo si wo de be num nsa aWo nfa nyame se wo kra ne wa gyekwa aAh ye be tu wo fu na se wonfa aNa se daakye...

DJ Spotlight: DJ Fro (Ghana)

Aug 20, 2018

Music, especially of the loud, danceable kind, is ubiquitous in most of Africa. Yet DJs, the artisans behind the walls of sound, often remain in the shadow. This is not how we roll: we want you to find out who is pushing the envelope throughout the continent. This...

Joey Le Soldat – L’Hivernage Video

[:en]

Directed by Inoussa Kaboré.

Produced by DJ Form for Tentacule Records.

From the album Burkin Bâ out now.

Head over here for more information about this song, full lyrics translation and free song donwload.

[:de]

Directed by Inoussa Kaboré.

Produced by DJ Form for Tentacule Records.

From the album Burkin Bâ out now.

Head over here for more information about this song, full lyrics translation and free song donwload.

[:fr]

Directed by Inoussa Kaboré.

Produced by DJ Form for Tentacule Records.

From the album Burkin Bâ out now.

Head over here for more information about this song, full lyrics translation and free song donwload.

[:]

Joey Le Soldat – L’Hivernage

[:en]

From the album Burkin Bâ out February 11.

Produced by DJ Form for Tentacule Records.

“L’Hivernage [the rainy season] is a return to the childhood village. Joey praises the merits of the bountiful rain, saying at the heart of the hot season, rainfall can always come. Before him, Creedence Clearwater Revival sang Who’ll Stop The Rain, a metaphor asking who would stop the Vietnam war, right as the Nixon presidency disintegrated. Today, Joey Le Soldat says in essence that all forms of hope are allowed, even within the harshest of conditions. There is no doubt the recent January 18 demonstrations, during which rain came miraculously, are nourishing this hope for change. Far from a grumbling, rearguard battle, Joey Le Soldat and a handful of other African rappers are writing the soundtrack of a future where everything now seems possible.”

Florent Mazzoleni, writer and author of “L’Epopée de la Musique Africaine” (The Epic of African Music), “Afro Pop: L’Age d’Or des grands orchestres Africains” (Afro Pop:The Golden age of the great African orchestras, “Memphis: Aux racines du Rock et de la Soul“(Memphis, at the root of rock and soul).

Lyrics:

Chorus:
Farmer I salute you
The first rain, marking the Hivernage, has come
Once more we are all going to the fields to plant seeds
A new rainy season is given to us, it’s time to plow
May the Gods bring rain so the season is plentiful
May the Gods bring rain so the harvests are plentiful

First Verse:
A big cloud darkens nature
I invoke: come, cloud, to water the land
Come down so the season is good
It’s the rainy season, the weather is gentle, the grasses have grown back
Goodbye great heat
In the Mossi language we say
“when the fig tree recovers its leaves the rainy season is coming”
So farmer, hang on and don’t let go
I know it’s hard at times but your craft is noble
By these words I come to praise your work

Second Verse:
In my land it’s the rainy season
Mother nature wore her prettiest dress
I admire her greeneries
It is raining in my village
Goodbye April heat, long period of heat
Rainy season in our villages
From the morning and the rooster’s crow
Man, woman and child
A cart and a donkey are back on the road to the fields

It is raining in my village
Me, from my window
I’m looking at the rain.[:de]

From the album Burkin Bâ out February 11.

Produced by DJ Form for Tentacule Records.

“L’Hivernage [the rainy season] is a return to the childhood village. Joey praises the merits of the bountiful rain, saying at the heart of the hot season, rainfall can always come. Before him, Creedence Clearwater Revival sang Who’ll Stop The Rain, a metaphor asking who would stop the Vietnam war, right as the Nixon presidency disintegrated. Today, Joey Le Soldat says in essence that all forms of hope are allowed, even within the harshest of conditions. There is no doubt the recent January 18 demonstrations, during which rain came miraculously, are nourishing this hope for change. Far from a grumbling, rearguard battle, Joey Le Soldat and a handful of other African rappers are writing the soundtrack of a future where everything now seems possible.”

Florent Mazzoleni, writer and author of “L’Epopée de la Musique Africaine” (The Epic of African Music), “Afro Pop: L’Age d’Or des grands orchestres Africains” (Afro Pop:The Golden age of the great African orchestras, “Memphis: Aux racines du Rock et de la Soul“(Memphis, at the root of rock and soul).

Lyrics:

Chorus:
Farmer I salute you
The first rain, marking the Hivernage, has come
Once more we are all going to the fields to plant seeds
A new rainy season is given to us, it’s time to plow
May the Gods bring rain so the season is plentiful
May the Gods bring rain so the harvests are plentiful

First Verse:
A big cloud darkens nature
I invoke: come, cloud, to water the land
Come down so the season is good
It’s the rainy season, the weather is gentle, the grasses have grown back
Goodbye great heat
In the Mossi language we say
“when the fig tree recovers its leaves the rainy season is coming”
So farmer, hang on and don’t let go
I know it’s hard at times but your craft is noble
By these words I come to praise your work

Second Verse:
In my land it’s the rainy season
Mother nature wore her prettiest dress
I admire her greeneries
It is raining in my village
Goodbye April heat, long period of heat
Rainy season in our villages
From the morning and the rooster’s crow
Man, woman and child
A cart and a donkey are back on the road to the fields

It is raining in my village
Me, from my window
I’m looking at the rain.[:fr]

From the album Burkin Bâ out February 11.

Produced by DJ Form for Tentacule Records.

“L’Hivernage [the rainy season] is a return to the childhood village. Joey praises the merits of the bountiful rain, saying at the heart of the hot season, rainfall can always come. Before him, Creedence Clearwater Revival sang Who’ll Stop The Rain, a metaphor asking who would stop the Vietnam war, right as the Nixon presidency disintegrated. Today, Joey Le Soldat says in essence that all forms of hope are allowed, even within the harshest of conditions. There is no doubt the recent January 18 demonstrations, during which rain came miraculously, are nourishing this hope for change. Far from a grumbling, rearguard battle, Joey Le Soldat and a handful of other African rappers are writing the soundtrack of a future where everything now seems possible.”

Florent Mazzoleni, writer and author of “L’Epopée de la Musique Africaine” (The Epic of African Music), “Afro Pop: L’Age d’Or des grands orchestres Africains” (Afro Pop:The Golden age of the great African orchestras, “Memphis: Aux racines du Rock et de la Soul“(Memphis, at the root of rock and soul).

Lyrics:

Chorus:
Farmer I salute you
The first rain, marking the Hivernage, has come
Once more we are all going to the fields to plant seeds
A new rainy season is given to us, it’s time to plow
May the Gods bring rain so the season is plentiful
May the Gods bring rain so the harvests are plentiful

First Verse:
A big cloud darkens nature
I invoke: come, cloud, to water the land
Come down so the season is good
It’s the rainy season, the weather is gentle, the grasses have grown back
Goodbye great heat
In the Mossi language we say
“when the fig tree recovers its leaves the rainy season is coming”
So farmer, hang on and don’t let go
I know it’s hard at times but your craft is noble
By these words I come to praise your work

Second Verse:
In my land it’s the rainy season
Mother nature wore her prettiest dress
I admire her greeneries
It is raining in my village
Goodbye April heat, long period of heat
Rainy season in our villages
From the morning and the rooster’s crow
Man, woman and child
A cart and a donkey are back on the road to the fields

It is raining in my village
Me, from my window
I’m looking at the rain.[:]

Anto Nesoul – Paid My Dues

[:en]

Remember Anto Neosoul? I loved his song Chips Funga two years back already, and at last he is announcing the release of his album next month! To get us started, a very catchy first single, Paid My Dues. Check what Anto’s been up to on Twitter or Facebook, and stay tuned for the rest of the album in the coming weeks.

[:de]

Remember Anto Neosoul? I loved his song Chips Funga two years back already, and at last he is announcing the release of his album next month! To get us started, a very catchy first single, Paid My Dues. Check what Anto’s been up to on Twitter or Facebook, and stay tuned for the rest of the album in the coming weeks.

[:fr]

Remember Anto Neosoul? I loved his song Chips Funga two years back already, and at last he is announcing the release of his album next month! To get us started, a very catchy first single, Paid My Dues. Check what Anto’s been up to on Twitter or Facebook, and stay tuned for the rest of the album in the coming weeks.

[:]

Joey Le Soldat – D.M.D.

[:en]

Joey le Soldat, the other half of Burkinabé hip hop powerhouse Waga 3000, unleashes the first burst from his sophomore album due out next month. D.M.D. is the voice of Ouagadougou’s kids, speaking up against injustice in their land of upright men. After the success of Art Melody‘s Wogdog Blues, this is another exciting collaboration with France-based Tentacule Records. Beats by DJ Form. Grab the track as a hi rez mp3 from soundcloud below:

[:de]

Joey le Soldat, the other half of Burkinabé hip hop powerhouse Waga 3000, unleashes the first burst from his sophomore album due out next month. D.M.D. is the voice of Ouagadougou’s kids, speaking up against injustice in their land of upright men. After the success of Art Melody‘s Wogdog Blues, this is another exciting collaboration with France-based Tentacule Records. Beats by DJ Form. Grab the track as a hi rez mp3 from soundcloud below:

[:fr]

Joey le Soldat, the other half of Burkinabé hip hop powerhouse Waga 3000, unleashes the first burst from his sophomore album due out next month. D.M.D. is the voice of Ouagadougou’s kids, speaking up against injustice in their land of upright men. After the success of Art Melody‘s Wogdog Blues, this is another exciting collaboration with France-based Tentacule Records. Beats by DJ Form. Grab the track as a hi rez mp3 from soundcloud below:

[:]

Jumping Back Slash: JBS004

One of the most exciting discoveries on my recent trip to South Africa is Jumping Back Slash (Twitter, Facebook, Soundcloud). His 4th EP just came out this week, don’t sleep on this dude, and be sure to read the story at Lungu Lungu.

JBS004 by Jumping Back Slash

Akwaaba DJs: Weekly Picks – August 31

Aug 31, 2018

DJ Pizaro: This week we have One Love by Seyi Shay featuring DJ Spinall, Tekero By HarrySong, afrobeats favorite DJ Cuppy features L.A.X on currency , producer cum dj Juls features Kojey Radical on Normal , Joey B teams up with La Meme Gang on Stables and last but not...

Lala Shishi :Sarkodie – Ye Be Pa Wo

Aug 24, 2018

Sarkodie – Ye Be Pa Wo Lyrics {Intro}Its MOG babyAhh baAh yeahOk yen ko3Tia {Verse 1}Na se wo ti wiasi na se wa no da aSe obi ye wo bibi nas3 wo ka aWo nya siki na wo si wo de be num nsa aWo nfa nyame se wo kra ne wa gyekwa aAh ye be tu wo fu na se wonfa aNa se daakye...

DJ Spotlight: DJ Fro (Ghana)

Aug 20, 2018

Music, especially of the loud, danceable kind, is ubiquitous in most of Africa. Yet DJs, the artisans behind the walls of sound, often remain in the shadow. This is not how we roll: we want you to find out who is pushing the envelope throughout the continent. This...

Jumping Back Slash: JBS004

One of the most exciting discoveries on my recent trip to South Africa is Jumping Back Slash (Twitter, Facebook, Soundcloud). His 4th EP just came out this week, don’t sleep on this dude, and be sure to read the story at Lungu Lungu.

JBS004 by Jumping Back Slash

Akwaaba DJs: Weekly Picks – August 31

Aug 31, 2018

DJ Pizaro: This week we have One Love by Seyi Shay featuring DJ Spinall, Tekero By HarrySong, afrobeats favorite DJ Cuppy features L.A.X on currency , producer cum dj Juls features Kojey Radical on Normal , Joey B teams up with La Meme Gang on Stables and last but not...

Lala Shishi :Sarkodie – Ye Be Pa Wo

Aug 24, 2018

Sarkodie – Ye Be Pa Wo Lyrics {Intro}Its MOG babyAhh baAh yeahOk yen ko3Tia {Verse 1}Na se wo ti wiasi na se wa no da aSe obi ye wo bibi nas3 wo ka aWo nya siki na wo si wo de be num nsa aWo nfa nyame se wo kra ne wa gyekwa aAh ye be tu wo fu na se wonfa aNa se daakye...

DJ Spotlight: DJ Fro (Ghana)

Aug 20, 2018

Music, especially of the loud, danceable kind, is ubiquitous in most of Africa. Yet DJs, the artisans behind the walls of sound, often remain in the shadow. This is not how we roll: we want you to find out who is pushing the envelope throughout the continent. This...