Harmonizing Soweto: Golden City Gospel & Kasi Soul from the new South Africa, by Diepkloof United Voice

Harmonizing Soweto: Golden City Gospel & Kasi Soul from the new South Africa

by Diepkloof United Voice

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Orange vinyl to match the scene of Soweto's iconic dusk skies in a gatefold sleeve.

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1.	Too Late for Mama 04:24
2.	Baninzi 05:08	buy track
3.	Round & Round 06:52
4.	Sipo 06:17
5.	Who Knows 03:57	buy track
6.	Nomalizo 05:09
7.	My Brother 04:56

about

“Spellbinding” — Uncut

“(More than) 10/10” — Truth & Lies

"Unaccompanied and with their voices providing the percussive effect, the effect is earthy and electrifying.” — Songlines "Top of the World" ★★★★

—————

Today, South Africa and its young people are 30 years detached from the end of apartheid and the achievement of Black majority political—but crucially not economic—power. Regrettably, the country languishes as a land of broken promises and unrealized potential.

In apartheid-era South Africa, gospel music provided solace and served as a subversive tool for covert communication to circumvent the censorship of the settler regime. By the 2010s, gospel music in South Africa, deeply ingrained in the soul of Soweto, assumed a new role—as a heartfelt cry against persistent failures and shortcomings, a cry mourning a South Africa that never materialized.

A new South Africa needed a new gospel sound. Diepkloof United Voice knew this.

In 2016, nine young men from different parts of Diepkloof, a celebrated neighborhood brimming with talent within Soweto’s sprawling township, came together, united by their shared home and impatience with the second highest youth employment rate in the world. Frustrated by the state's repeated failures, they embraced self-empowerment through music. Diepkloof’s competitive yet supportive music scene became their proving ground.

“The school competition and choir really helped us a lot as a group because if it wasn't for them the group wouldn't have formed. We wouldn't know each other. We met in those competitions, which is where the idea of having a choir came. Also the competitiveness of the competition helped us to become strong in our sound, coming together from different sounds to form one powerhouse.”

Linda Mninsi, also known as Lee McKrazy, a rising Amapiano vocal star, typifies Diepkloof’s talent pool. And despite Amapiano’s global success, Linda readily admits that only Diepkloof United Voice fully harnesses his and his choir mates' vocal prowess.

Yet, Soweto grapples with pervasive drug use and high crime rates while young people suffer illnesses prematurely because of misguided choices. Diepkloof United Voice is a refuge, shielding its members from the perils of drugs, health issues, crime, and gangs. It has become all too common for young men to acquire criminal records in Soweto, but none of Diepkloof United Voice share that fate. When they sing, everything feels right, everything feels safe. It is the sole force capable of bringing about change in their lives. If they were to ever stop, they believe they would only contribute to the statistics of shattered lives in their midst.

Since their formation in 2016, Diepkloof United Voice's music has gone viral multiple times on TikTok, YouTube, and Facebook, garnering between 60,000 to 2 million views. The comments section displays flag emojis from Brazil to India, showcasing the global reach of their music. Locally too, the group will perform at funerals, weddings, theaters, graduation parties, churches, street parties, and radio stations, able to connect across generations.

“We started singing this kind of music at a very young age so it's easy to connect with most of our fans who are young people who we inspire a lot. Some even copy our songs or do covers with our songs to sing in their choirs. It's also not only for the youth, the old can also connect to our sound.”

This album was recorded in an abandoned classroom of Lebowa Elementary School in Diepkloof Zone 3, where, symbolically, broken windows and brick walls created the backdrop for years of rehearsals and the honing of their sound. It was in this space that their phone recorded viral rendition of Too Late for Mama (a new version appears here too) won a large social media audience—and Ostinato’s ear. Music is best captured where it is most frequently performed.

Baninzi, the only number on the album sung in Zulu, is a track from fellow South African group The Soil. Sung from the perspective of a female describing how much she loves her man, Diepkloof United Voice adds deep vocal harmonies, making it sound more “African-romantic.” Sipo, a traditional South African soldier's anthem that would be sung after soldiers have returned from battle in honor of their fallen, is given further depth and feeling with sombre harmonies and harmonious leading vocals. Round & Round is the group's take on Rihanna’s hit track Stay.

Over many plates of braai, a spicy South African barbeque style laced with a local salsa and hot pickles, they created a historic recording of sorts. “Harmonizing Soweto” is the first gospel and kasi soul (a singing style unique to the township) album of a new generation in a new South Africa—a generation poised to shape not only the country's future sound but also its direction and leadership. The promise of a new South Africa might finally be realized, as Diepkloof United Voice guarantees the country’s future is guided by the truth, uttered with each gasp of breath from their inimitable voices.

credits

released November 10, 2023

Diepkloof United Voice:

Siyabulela Kahla (F)
Nkululeko Mhlungu (BiBi)
Simphiwe Maluleka (Sims Makoya)
Linda Mnisi (London)
Sandile Khumalo (Sandi)
Nkosinathi Mthethwa (Mna)
Tebogo Ramokgopa (Bron)
Siyabonga Rakoma (Chartos)
Mothusi Marumo (Mo)

_______

Produced by Vik Sohonie & Janto Koité
Mixed by Janto Koité
Mastered by Michael Graves (Osiris Studio)
Artwork by Mahammed Elmekki
Layout by Pete 'Piwi' White
Special thanks to Joel Moatshe & Karl Monahan

Recorded in Diepkloof Zone 3, Soweto, Johannesburg, South Africa.

_______

Too Late for Mama / Written by E. Twala / Performed by L. Mnisi

Baninzi / Written by S. Mdolomba / Performed by S. Maluleka

Round & Round / Written by M. Ekko & J. Parker / Performed by S. Maluleka

Sipo / Performed by S. Maluleka

Who Knows / Written by M. Black / Performed by T. Ramokgopa & L. Mnisi

Nomalizo / Written by L. Mbulu & C. Semenya / Performed by L. Mnisi

My Brother / Written by E. Ntombikayise Ndaba / Performed by S. Maluleka

All covers licensed from the original songwriters.

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