A nighttime haunt in the backstreets of Orlando run by a well-known bootlegger should have been a prime zone for nefarious underworld activities. Instead, it nurtured an underground of a different kind
Amapiano super producer De Mthuda is shaping the soundtrack of summer, but prefers to speak through his music, not to journalists, except in this case …
The distinctive quality of Theuns Jordaan’s voice meant he became a standard part of the South African music landscape, particularly the Afrikaans market
Jabba’s Back To The City performance in 2016 was a late-career triumph for the visionary MC, but its promise would prove elusive
For a man to whom music was a mission, the local industry ultimately proved too narrow
Monster hits and expressive deep cuts from HHP’s extensive catalog, ranked from best to very good by Sabeo Mkhabela
Jabba was an an innovator who paved a lane and nurtured a genre, but he only ever wanted to be a Maftown hero
Kagiso Rabada talks to Eyaaz Matwadia about his love for music and production, how the lockdown affected him, and how he hopes to get back to his best
In 1998, Sibongile Khumalo and other musicians recorded an odyssey through SA’s musical landscape. Decades later, it helped Thandi Ntuli find her way to self
Lebo M tells us about his journey from South Africa to Hollywood, his days as a ballroom dancer and his successful battle against alcohol abuse.
The city where Martin Luther King Jr took his last breath remains haunted by urban blight, blues and soul
An extract from the biography ‘People Funny Boy’: how the maverick producer transformed the sound of reggae and its number-one group
Veteran journalist Felicia Mabuza-Suttle tells us about how she dealt with patriarchy, her passion for youth development and why she is a germaphobe
Protest music and protest culture is part of being black, and of being human. Several musicians are passing this practice on to the next generation
The local music industry can’t place the blame for its current state solely on the Covid-19 pandemic; it’s been in a mess for a while
Empowering her people through music and education, Maggie Mkandawire fights the Covid-19 pandemic in her own unique way
Very little is known of the late guitarist, who was a keeper of a stark and foreboding maskandi sound
When news of the passing of one of SA’s most iconic musicians broke, Bongani Madondo revisited his songbook and located him in the global pantheon of the greatest vocalists, ever
Mokgadi Mabela is the bee lady whose love for good honey has blossomed into a business. She tells us about her genius dad and her late introduction to bees
A collaboration featuring Dhruv Sodha, Shailesh Pillay, Muhammad Dawjee and Othnell Mangoma Moyo has lifted up the musicians’ individuality
Watching several of Coltrane’s harmonic and melodic experiments at the cusp of the 1960s, Amiri Baraka emerges frightened, yet energised
‘I never looked at it like it was my work’: Justin Nomad says his mural at The Orbit ensured the musician never left the building, even when the music stopped
Steve Dyer reflects on jazz musician Bheki Mseleku’s contribution to the canon
‘Beyond the Stars’ forces us to think about Mseleku’s solo piano practice as an approach to inhabiting sound
Neil Gonsalves was formally taught, unlike his colleague Bheki Mseleku, but he was in awe of the genius the of multi-instrumentalist
Bheki Mseleku, or ‘Mr Bruce’ as he was known, roamed the globe but was at home in mantra mode
Although it is in many ways a prohibitive instrument, particularly in terms of access, the piano offers both simplicity and richness to this songwriter
Fancy figuring how a torn-up shoe inspired Sechaba Morojele’s new film? Or sipping cocktails while listening to Tefo Mahola? Whatever your tastes, we’ve got you covered this long weekend
Two pivotal Harari re-releases shine new light on the Soweto Soul movement. Gwen Ansell writes about the ‘Rufaro/ Happiness album’
During the grind of lockdown, musicians exchanged notes on modes of creating through the barrier
The collaborative album Indaba Is, facilitated by Siyabonga Mthembu and Thandi Ntuli, is greater than the sum of its parts
Well versed in many styles, the producer drew on vintage drum ’n bass to win an international remix competition