The more the world seems to be crumbling around us, the more people are turning to the dance floor as a place of sanctuary. A place of healing. And being a DJ right now means taking on that responsibility.
The responsibility of being a refuge for people, or offering them healing in some sense. There’s something about being in a packed, sweaty room, the energy volatile, like anything could happen at any moment, and offering up music that will make us move and feel joy. Music that will take us both into and out of our bodies for a moment. Out of ourselves.
It takes bravery to be a DJ, and in honour this, we’ve identified five emerging selectors and producers who are each pushing the boundaries of electronic music in South Africa, redefining club culture as we know it.
This iconic duo has quickly gained recognition as one of the most innovative acts in the country. Bringing together the creative genius of Jodie Williams and Liam Sean Bowers, they offer pulsating rhythms looped through hypnotic vocal samples, and a fusion of traditional South African sounds.
“The level of innovation coming out of the South African electronic music scene is crazy. We’re just trying to push the boundaries of what can be done, both sonically and visually,” they tell us.
They now enter the ranks of Omagoqa, DJ Lag and more, pushing a style of New Wave Gqom that is at once raw and melodic, and their talents don’t end with production. They’re a force to be reckoned with on the dance floor too, having performed at Boiler Room, CTEMF, AFROPUNK and more.
Relatively new to the scene, Cape Town-based Elle’s unique DJ stamp is wildly experimental, and at times playful too. She mixes just about everything from Gqom to house, hip-hop, bass music and more.
She’s been on the scene for about a year now, and she’s already billed some pretty iconic queer parties in the Mother City, including the indomitable The Death Of Glitter.
“Club culture is about feeling seen,” she tells us. “It satisfies our deeper need for catharsis. And as fragmented as people claim the scene to be, I think it presents the perfect opportunity for unpredictable sonic journeys.”
Image courtesy of Bonang Libuke.
The creative force behind Ebumnandini and Franasonic, Franadilla (real name Francesco Mbele) is a multidisciplinary artist working in music, events, creative direction, photography and film. As a DJ, his sets are vibrant and unpredictable, and his contributions to the events space in Johannesburg, as well as Cape Town and Durban, are shaping the club scene as we know it.
“Being young and emerging in the music scene right now feels like the renaissance of a South African sound,” he tells us. “There are so many facets from hip-hop to electronic on the rise, and I try to relay that in my DJing and event curation.”
Image courtesy of Sandra Nagel.
The Johannesburg-based OkayHlengi is as bold as they come. Their unique fusion of bass, rhythmic techno and Gqom is perhaps emblematic of the new electronic sound coming out of South Africa right now. A sound defined by subversion, and in the case of OkayHlengi, a sound that reignites the Black spirit inherent within all dance music.
“Electronic music was birthed out of political strife, out of black struggle, queer struggle. It’s a story of innovation,” they tell us.
“And that’s why electronic music needs to be safeguarded,” they continue. “We need to reiterate the stories and the violence that contributed to the very formation of these movements, of dance and club music, and actively write the story that we want to see instead of allowing it to be written for us.”
Having collaborated with an extensive list of some of the country’s most important Gqom artists, including Omagoqa, Lelowhatsgood, DBN Gogo and We Dem Boyz, Dee Traits are the masterminds behind some of the most infectious beats to have circulated South African dance floors in recent years.
They bring a hard style of Isqinsi, experimenting with melodic rhythms in a way that few producers do so effortlessly. And all this almost entirely under the radar. They operate in the underground, at the fringes of alternative culture, and this is what makes their music, both behind the decks and in the studio, truly revolutionary.
“We’re entering a new era of electronic music in South Africa,” the duo tell us. “It’s about more than just DJing for us. We want to be the pioneers of Isqinsi and more!”
If you’re looking to shake some ass anytime soon, be sure to look out for any of these artists on the lineup. Not only will they make you sweat, they’ll offer you some release too.
