This month, we’re teaming back up with Ballantine’s Scotch Whisky for our second Stay True Journey to South Africa. This exact time last year marked our trip to Johannesburg, where a spotlight was cast on the rich and distinctive electronic music scene that South Africa has cultivated over the past decade or so. The emphasis is on dance, and the power and unity that comes with it to form the very heartbeat of the country. In fact, when asked about his motherland, Okmalumkoolkat unequivocally put it – “It’s a dancing nation”. Our weeklong stay stood as firm confirmation of this.
As the excitement around our return begins to bubble, we asked one of Johannesburg’s dance music pros Jazzuelle to talk us through the top ten tracks that influenced the sound of South African house. Jazzuelle explains, “These are the ten tracks which, to me, define a large part of South Africa’s house sound. You will notice that most of these aren’t from South Africans themselves, but compiled here in SA. That’s how most of us grew to know about these tracks. Back then, there weren’t a lot of producers. The only guys writing music were the likes of DJ Mbuso, Jerah and Brothers of Peace. After some years, more South Africans stepped in: Culoe de Song, Black Coffee, Mujava, Oskido, the list goes on…”
Read on to discover Jazzuelle’s top ten findings. Tune in live on 24th March for our Stay True South Africa party in Cape Town with Ballantine’s Scotch Whisky. Here, Jazzuelle will be joined by an all-star international cast of Henrik Schwarz, Fred P and Move D; and homegrown talents Kid Fonque b2b Jullian Gomes and DJ Fosta. If you’re a Cape Town native or lucky enough to be in town that day, don’t forget to request an invite.
