kwaito (south africa)

it's time like this that this little project pays dividends
there was an album given to me by my best friends on return from a trip to south africa
a group going by the name of mafikizolo and the album titled sibongile
sibongile meaning in zulu 'thank-you god'
as a result of the trio surviving a near-fatal car accident
it is a brilliant album of great up-tempo numbers and excellent production
stunning female vocals and strong bass and dance beats
apparantly it was a huge hit in south africa thanks no doubt in part to sony
i go back to it occasionally and still enjoy it from start to finish
had no idea that it was atypical of a whole genre of music
but doing a youtube search for kwaito threw up this group as leading lights
songlines had this to say about the music rhythm known as kwaito
after apartheid south africa needed to find a fresh sound
that reflected both its new optimism and the return to the international fold
of the newly liberated rainbow nation
that sound was kwaito a uniquely south african hybrid of local beats
and such imported forms as hip-hop, house and techno
which to me very well sums up the music of mafikizolo