(Nyege Nyege Tapes)
Reinvigorating the South African mapanta subgenre, producer Serokolo 7 blends folk vocal melodies with seething 180bpm rhythms, creating a barrage of sound
South Africa pulses with electronic music. From the slow-bubbling feel of amapiano to the frenetic pace of Durban’s gqom, Soweto’s marimba-heavy shangaan electro and the sample-heavy 90s house of kwaito, each region seemingly lays claim to its own sound. The latest subgenre to reach international ears is mapanta. Originating in villages of the Marota people in Limpopo, this intensely fast and highly compressed music was originally an adrenaline shot for the early hours of 1980s wedding parties. It faded at the turn of the century, but mapanta has recently been updated by 27-year-old self-taught producer and sound system operator Serokolo 7.
On his debut album, Serokolo presents a masterclass in mapanta’s rural celebratory sound. Splicing together samples of animal howls with hammering marimba rhythm, scatter-gun electronic percussion and snatches of vocals, the initial impression is of relentless cacophony. Opener Naba Ba Papedi sets the tone, its folk vocal melodies blended with a cranked-up drum’n’bass beat that fizzes without reaching a cathartic crescendo or drop. That sense of seething tension continues on the breakbeat cymbal splashes and chopped vocals of Zoro and the glittering video-game melodics of Dinaka.
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