Kwaito - South African dance music

South Africa is taking over the music scene worldwide! Especially when it comes to dance music.

Last week we featured one of our favorite South African artists, Black Coffee, and his brand of African flavored soulful house music. Check out his tune Turn Me On on the GLOBAILE Podcast.

Now we're bringing you more house music from South Africa. They have their own genre in fact, and it's called Kwaito. The word originates from the Afrikaans word kwaai, meaning "cool". Kwaito took shape in the township Soweto at the same time Nelson Mandela took office as the first democratically elected president of South Africa. Since those origins, Kwaito led a post-apartheid township subculture into the mainstream.

Instrumentally, Kwaito music uses slowed-down house-music beats, and also draws upon music that was popular in South Africa during the early 1990s, including disco, hip-hop, and contemporary R&B.

Here is a video from Arthur Mafokate, known as the "King of Kwaito". We love the song and the dance moves are dope! Check it out:



For more bangin' music from South Africa, check out our homeys from the Passport to Global Sound radio show and their latest feature program on South Africa:

Passport 2 Global Sound Episode #5 - South Africa by AnonymsOne