“We are greatly inspired by Africa. We try and stay true to our sound as much as possible and try not to forget the roots of the music and culture that we have”
The dance music originated by African Americans has, in the past decade, returned to its ancestral home. Though the embrace has happened later than in many countries its explosion in popularity is no less overwhelming than when house music caused social change in the UK in the late 1980s. House music now rivals reggae and hip-hop as the most popular sound of parties and clubs in many urban African areas and African DJ/producers like Black Coffee, Culoe De Song and Djeff Afrozila have broken through onto the international scene.
Already very popular in South Africa, here at Defected we believe that production/DJ/performance duo Black Motion are set to be the next breakthrough act. After witnessing their game-changing stage show, we simply couldn't pass on the opportunity to present them to our Defected Croatia audience this summer and sign two of their singles, which are set for release later this year.
Both having a history in music production, Robert (DJ Murda) Mahosana and Thabo “Smol” Mabogwane met in Soshanguve, a township located 25 km north of Pretoria in 2010 and formed a bond through a love of house music and an appreciation of traditional African music. What really sets them apart from other house music artists is their live show in which the roots of their African music comes through, via the rhythms laid down by Murda's Djing and Thabo's accompanying percussion and in the way they both spectacularly respond to the music. It’s an infectious sight for an audience to behold.
"I've been drumming professionally for 8 years now, “ says Thabo. “When I started playing it was African music, what we call ancestral music. We would go to rural places, deep in the north, where they use songs to call out for rain. When I met Murda we both had an appreciation for that so we took ideas from the ritual callings and put those ideas into our songs and performances.”
Though they both have defined roles in their masterly performances, Murda’s movement equally as enthusiastic as his drumming partner, both come together during synchronised dance sections. “When we started the whole thing of the performance with drums, leaving the stage and the dancing, people at first thought that it was crazy,” says Thabo. “Some people definitely didn't like it. But we stuck to what we believe in, we continued to perform the way we perform and eventually people started to like it, people started talking. Now we set a trend in South Africa and other people are following.”
Similarly, in the studio each takes an equal role in the production of their music, delivering breakthrough hit 'Banane Mavoko', which went on to be signed by Tribe Records and more recently 'Rainbow' and 'It’s You', both of which have been signed by Defected.
“It's like the dream of every young kid who knows house music in South Africa, even the rest of the world,” says Thabo of working with Defected. “We used to go town and pay for internet just to check out Defected music and videos, because there was no access to wifi or internet in our hood. It's what we grew up listening to. People are in shock that we're in discussions with them to release music and do remixes. It's a huge opportunity, especially if you're from South Africa. It means a lot.”
Black Motion - 'Rainbow' will be released July 4th on Defected Records.