Phelimuncasi

In 2012 in Durban's Mlaszi township, vocalists Malathon, Makan Nana and Khera assembled as a trio, driven by a desire to broadcast their leftist activist work and orchestrate South Africa's most energetic parties. Teaming up with some of the country's best gqom producers - such as DJ MP3 and DJ Scoturn - they quickly became an unstoppable force in the Durban club scene, combining urgent, futuristic beats with the kind of narrative storytelling that's been part of South African tradition for hundreds of years. In 2020 they assembled their debut album, "Phelimuncasi: 2013 - 2019" for Uganda's Nyege Nyege Tapes label, following it up this year with "Ama Gogela". The latter is a defining album in the gqom canon, fusing the trio's dextrous call-and-response vocals - in their local isiZulu language and English - with dancefloor-ready productions from DJ Nhlekzin, DJ Ndakx, and SVBKVLT-signed South Korean producer NET GALA. Phelimuncasi make party music that's fueled by opposition, dissent and a textured understanding of South Africa's artistic past, present and future.