DJ Spoko | |
---|---|
Birth name | Marvin Ramalepe |
Also known as | SycoKillah |
Born | Tzaneen, South Africa |
Origin | Atteridgeville, Gauteng |
Died | March 14, 2018 |
Genres |
|
Occupation(s) |
|
Labels |
|
Formerly of | Fantasma |
Marvin Ramalepe, widely known as DJ Spoko was a South African record producer and DJ. He gained fame for co-producing DJ Mujava's, "Township Funk" as well as his pioneering work in bacardi house. [1] [2]
Spoko was born and raised in Tzaneen, Limpopo before relocating to Atteridgeville situated west of Pretoria. Himself and his brother made the move to Atteridgeville in search of their father. [1] [3]
As a child, DJ Spoko earned the nickname "Ghost" while residing in Ghost Town, the neighborhood which was home to the Atteridgeville cemetery. [4] Thus, Spoko was meant to be interpreted as "spook". [5]
At the age of 12, Spoko began producing songs in his home using pirated drum-loop software. [6]
I just banged those drums. Hard! No bass, just drums – bang... I hate soft music, I just love noise.
Following his move to Atteridgeville, he embarked on his musical career and initiated his studies in sound engineering under the tutelage of Nozinja, the innovator of Shangaan electro. [1]
In 2008, he garnered critical acclaim for co-producing Mujava's "Township Funk" which was released on Warp. The song marked an unforeseen crossover, blending elements of kwaito with bacardi house. It was featured on BBC Radio 1 show Worldwide in July 2008, and it became a favorite on DJ Pete Tong’s Essential Selection . David Guetta included the song in one of his F*** Me I'm Famous mix sets. Additionally, it became one of the most frequently played tracks in Fabric’s mix series. [1] [7] [8]
A little over 10 years ago now, an obscure song from Pretoria, South Africa flipped dancefloors across the Northern Hemisphere on their ears. It was called "Township Funk," and if you know it, you are probably hearing it in your head right now. The hook is like no other: a giddy, two-note riff that abruptly goes zig-zagging across the spectrum, with greased-up synths glowing fluorescent over snapping snares. The kind of tune that stops listeners in their tracks, “Township Funk” is not just an earworm but an earworm that has grown feet, learned to juggle, and taken up bungee jumping.
— Philip Sherburne, "The Strange Story of “Township Funk,” The Unlikely Hit That Helped South African Dance Music Go Global", Pitchfork, 2019
In 2010, DJ Spoko and Mujava released, "Mugwanti". [8]
In 2014, DJ Spoko, Spoek Mathambo, guitarist Andre Geldenhuys, drummer Michael Buchanan and Bhekisenzo Cele formed a collective known as Fantasma. Drawing from a diverse array of influences Fantasma combined maskandi, Shangaan electro, hip-hop, punk rock, electronica, psychedelic rock and other genres. [9] [10] [11]
Spoko performed at OkayAfrica Presents: Black Coffee, DJ Spoko and Electrafrique on the SummerStage in, Central Park. [12]
In 2015, Spoko performed at Nozinja's headline show during the Red Bull Music Academy festival's, Electronic Africa in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. [13] [14]
DJ Spoko made his debut in hip-hop by releasing the EP Falling Se'sfikile under the alias SycoKillah. Spoko referred to the genre of music as kasi rap. [15] [16]
On August 12, 2016 , DJ Spoko and DJ Mujava marked their return to music following years, with the release, of a bacardi house extended play titled, I.M.I. (Intelligent Mental Institution), through True Panther Sounds. [17]
In the 2000s, DJ Spoko, DJ Mujava, House Station, Mzo Bullet and several others pioneered bacardi house, popularly referred to as "sgubhu saPitori" featuring tracks such as "Township Funk", "Tobetsa", "Casablanca" and "Mugwanti". Bacardi house is a subgenre of kwaito and house music that blends percussive elements with pop-synth melodies. Bacardi house was described as "a fusion of martial military-style snares, wobbly, disorientated synth sounds and gruff call-and-response vocals" by Dean Bein of True Panther Sounds. [18] [5] [19] [4] [20]
In October 2015, news reports surfaced that DJ Spoko fell ill during his European tour. Subsequently, he underwent treatment for tuberculosis at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow, Scotland. [1]
Spoko passed away on March 14, 2018. Cause of death, unknown. [1]
DJ Spoko's fascination with music ignited during his time in Soweto. Upon hearing about Shangaanis experimenting with electronic sounds he delved into their world. Spending three years immersed in studying musical styles, audio engineering and production he honed his skills. Beyond pioneering the bacardi house movement Spoko ventured into hip hop, rap, house variants and electronic dance music. Moreover, Spoko embraced fusion music with Fantasma, the musical collective he was a member of. [8] [21] [15] [16] [22] [10] [23]
House is a genre of electronic dance music characterized by a repetitive four-on-the-floor beat and a typical tempo of 120-130 beats per minute as a re-emergence of 1970s disco. It was created by DJs and music producers from Chicago's underground club culture and evolved slowly in the early/mid 1980s as DJs began altering disco songs to give them a more mechanical beat. By early 1988, House became mainstream and supplanted the typical 80s music beat.
The music of South Africa exhibits a culturally varied musical heritage in conjunction with the multi-ethnic populace. Genres with the greatest international recognition being mbube, isicathamiya, mbaqanga, afrofusion, kwaito, South African pop music, afro house, South African hip hop, Shangaan electro, bacardi house, bolo house, gqom and amapiano.
Kwaito is a music genre that emerged in Soweto, Johannesburg, South Africa, between the late 1980s and 1990s. It is a variant of house music that features the use of African sounds and samples. Kwaito songs occur at a slower tempo range than other styles of house music and often contain catchy melodic and percussive loop samples, deep bass lines, and vocals. Despite its similarities to hip hop music, kwaito has a distinctive manner in which the lyrics are sung, rapped and shouted.
The Zulu people are a South African ethnic group. Many Zulu musicians have become a major part of South African music, creating a huge influence in the music industry. A number of Zulu-folk derived styles have become well known across South Africa and abroad. Zulu music has dominated many genres in South Africa, especially house music, folk music, acapella, choral music and gospel. In fact, some of the most popular songs from South Africa are in isiZulu.
Thandiswa Nyameka Mazwai is a South African musician, and is also the lead vocalist and songwriter of Bongo Maffin. She is also known as King Tha. Her debut album Zabalaza (2004), which attained double platinum status and her album also got nominated for Planet Awards on BBC Radio 3.
Elvis Maswanganyi, better known as DJ Mujava, is a South African DJ and electronic music producer. He has released music through Warp Records, This Is Music and Sheer House.
Nthato Monde James Mokgata, known by his stage name Spoek Mathambo, is a South African artist, producer, singer-songwriter and rapper. Mathambo rose to fame in the late 2000s with his fusion of a wide array of musical influences. He is known for coining the term ‘Township Tech’, to describe his sound.
Nozinja is a South African musician, producer and DJ, credited with the creation and popularisation of the 'shangaan electro' genre of African dance music, influenced by traditional folk, Tsonga disco, Kwaito house and township backstreet dance styles from the Limpopo region of South Africa.
Shangaan electro is a dance movement and musical style born from a 21st-century reboot of local folk traditions in South African townships, Tsonga Disco and Kwaito House. The movement has been spearheaded by DJ Khwaya and the producer Nozinja in recent years, who has turned it into an iconic Afro-futurist strain of electronic dance music. Shangaan electro is also called "Tsonga Electro" in the Limpopo province of South Africa and was described as "the footwork-y highlife sound" by Red Bull Media House's, writer Chris Parkin.
Uhuru were a South African musical group best known for producing the hit single "Khona" performed by Mafikizolo. Signed to Kalawa Jazmee, the band consisted of Nqobile Mahlanu (Mapiano), Sihle Dlalisisa, Xelimpilo Simelane (Xeli) and Themba Sekowe. Independently, Uhuru is best known for hit remixes like "Y-tjukutja" and "The Sound".
Oscar Sibonginkosi Mdlongwa is a South African recording artist, DJ, record producer and businessman. Having been in the music industry for over 26 years, Oskido has reached a prominent status in the South African music industry, more-so in popular youth culture. He is undoubtedly one of the pioneering artists that popularised the Kwaito genre of music outside of the townships of South Africa, and he's been central to the rise of Afro-house and opened doors for the new genre known as amapiano. Oskido is the co-founder of Kalawa Jazmee Records, a record label that is home to musical acts like Mafikizolo, Bongo Maffin, and many other foremost groups.
Rara tech is an electronic music subgenre that fuses the Afro-Haitian genre rara with house music. Haitian-style electronic dance music (EDM) in Haiti is often referred to as "HEDM". The origins of the genre and term was pioneered by Haitian artist, music producer, and DJ, Gardy Girault.
Themba Sekowe, known professionally as DJ Maphorisa, is a South African DJ, record producer, singer, and songwriter. As a record producer with a blend of house music, amapiano and afropop, he has worked with and has received production credits from several notable artists, including Wizkid, Sizwe Alakine, Kwesta, Uhuru, Drake, Black Coffee, Major Lazer, Runtown, C4 Pedro, TRESOR, Kabza De Small, Era Istrefi, Mpura, Young Stunna and Killer Kau. He was signed to Kalawa Jazmee Records prior to establishing his own record label, BlaqBoy Music.
Gqom, gqom tech,sghubu or 3-Step) is an electronic dance music genre and subgenre of house music that emerged in the early 2010s from Durban, South Africa, pioneered and innovated by music producers Naked Boyz, Rudeboyz, Sbucardo, Griffit Vigo, Nasty Boyz, DJ Lag, Menzi Shabane, Distruction Boyz and Citizen Boy.
Amapiano is a South African music genre taken from the word pianos, is a subgenre of kwaito and house music that emerged in South Africa in the mid-2010s. It is a hybrid of deep house, gqom, jazz, soul and lounge music characterized by synths and wide, percussive basslines.
Afro tech, is a sub-genre of house music and afro house which originates and is predominantly made in South Africa. It emerged in the 2010s. South African DJs and music producers who popularized the genre include Black Coffee, Culoe De Song, Bekzin Terris, Euphonik, Punk Mbedzi, DJ Tira, Zakes Bantwini, Shimza and Da Capo.
Afro house is a sub-genre of house music mainly developed in South Africa. The genre emerged in the 1990s.
Afro fusion is a dance and musical style that emerged between the 1970s and 2000s. In the same way as the dance style the musical style invokes fuses of various regional and inter-continental musical cultures for instance jazz, hip hop, kwaito, reggae, soul, pop, kwela, blues, folk, rock and afrobeat.