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House Hits Over the Years
MADE BY TIGER MAREMELA
House music – spanning techno , deep house and tribal – has been a staple of South African dance floors over the decades . Taking cues from other genres of music , it has continued to evolve while producing globally acclaimed DJs .
THESE ARE SOME OF THE TOP HOUSE TRACKS PRODUCED BY SOUTH AFRICAN MUSICIANS IN THE LAST DECADE
DJ Fresh vs Kellex featuring Thabiso – “ Stay Real ” One of the country ’ s most prolific radio and club DJs , Fresh released this self-help classic in 2007 . Taken off the Definition of House series , the song went on to become a nostalgia-inducing summer classic .
Kentphonik – “ Sunday Showers ” Kentphonik , made up of djs Kent and Euphonik , samples DJ Sai and Ribatone ’ s track of the same name with lyrics by Ntsiki Mazwai . The song splits between xylophone raps and a climatic piano solo .
Black Coffee – “ Wathula Nje ” Black Coffee is known for fusing different genres to create masterpieces . Wathula Nje , featuring the late Victor Ntoni , mashes house and jazz together and results in sensual bass lines and piano riffs .
DJ Zinhle – “ My Name Is ” With lyrics by Busiswa Gqulu , DJ Zinhle ’ s pro-feminist hit echo ’ s a woman ’ s chant – “ Her majesty the queen is in the booth come to the dance floors !” -- reminding the crowd exactly who she is .
Black Motion – “ Lazy Song ”
Known for their drum heavy beats , the duo ’ s song marries soulful lyrics , soulful rhythms and a dancefloor ready composition .
Blackwhole – “ Let them go ” Released in 2007 , the Pretoria-based duo ’ s house classic became a staple of South African sound systems , partly because of the song ’ s repetitive lyrics
and sparsley laid out hi-hats and cymbals .
Culoe de Song – “ Webaba ” Even though he has been mentored by Black Coffee , Culoe de Song has continued to carve a very distinct path for himself , experimenting with deep and tribal house which are epitomized by slowed down tempos , spiritually dense drum sets and dispersed chanting .
DJ Prie Nkosazana – “ Washa Gqom ” One of the few women DJs recognized in the South African dance music scene , DJ Prie balances gqom music ’ s electric and incessesant throbbing with house music ’ s heavy hissing .
DJ Ganyani ft FB – “ Xigubu ” DJ Ganyani has remained culturally relevant through the decades , and in 2013 released Xigubu ( which translates to drum in TshiVenda )
Qness – “ Imiyalo ” Released in 2011 , Imiyalo was the first single off of On Cue Vol . 2 . The Durban native remixes Swazi songbird Nomalungelo Dladla ’ s hit single Imiyalo speeding the tempo up and adding lingering keys . made-magazine . com | 9