Kwaito, Bass Music, Sjoko Joko and Deep House: The originals and the remixes
Kwaai-Fi is a collective that aims to be a jump-off for some of the unique sounds coming out of Cape Town. Currently, it is comprised of Dunnkidda, DJ Fosta, Terrasoul and DJ Maramza who have put together a 6 track EP of original music and remixes that explore a couple of corners of Cape Town’s electronic scenes – Kwaito, Bass Music, Sjoko Joko and Deep House.
The crew has just released a new compilation of original songs and remixes from each member, bringing their own blend of progressive dance music from the grimy dancefloors of Cape Town. Terrasoul’s deep house digs come together with Dunn Kidda’s downtempo vibes, which sits alongside Fosta’s isjoko joko beats and Maramza’s future bass drums.
The EP kicks off with Dunn Kidda’s “Laanie Level” and Maramza’s future bass fingerprints are all over this song. A low-fi midtempo beat reminiscent of the midtempo house and kwaito classics of yesteryear, you could definitely hear this one blasting out the speakers at Mzoli’s on a Saturday afternoon.
The EP then springs into DJ Fosta’s original tune “Sjoko Mission”, which is a reminder of the ripples qgom has had on the music scene, not just locally but internationally. In case you didn’t know isjoko joko is qgom’s distant west coast cousin, which the same thumping beats and throbbing basslines that could sit perfectly in any DJ Lag set and speaks to the collective’s mandate of unearthing unique sounds coming out of the Cape.
Terrasoul returns the favor on Maramza’s “Feral” which he turns into a funky house track, with persistent percussions that compel you to dance like it’s December 1999. The song is relentless in it’s persuasion to lose all inhibitions and seduces into a trance of rhythm and feeling.
Dunn Kidda comes back with a laidback tune called “Jas Now” and despite it’s insinuated hostility the song is actually an accommodating euphoria of trans and soul. You’d be hard-pressed not to find yourself bobbing your head along to the quirky and infectious beat that will definitely leave you in a good mood.
DJ Fosta introduced a searing bassline paired with a classic African house beat to Terrasoul’s “Storm in a Teacup”. The deep house banger is right in Terrasoul’s wheelhouse provides a welcome relief from the ever-present high octane qgom beats.
Maramza’s “Dont Think About It” ends the EP with a future bass bang that brings the project 360, the eclectically expressive producer brings it home with an ode to South African bass mixed with qgom. The track spans all the bass influences Maramza has been inspired by from 4/4 house to footwork and will leave with a feeling of desire to hit the replay.
