Kwaito, Gqom, Barcadi house, Kurudo, … the electronic music coming from the African continent is exciting to say the least. Whereas the USA and Europe seem to have have been in the spotlight as when it comes to Electronic Dance Music and the Caribbean and South America are also well known by music lovers, the mother continent is still mainly below the radar. Via Portugal the sound of Kuduro got some recognition, Buraka Som Sistema getting airtime and attention. But South Africa has moved on (or evolved) the Kwaito sound of the 90’s, sometimes credited with a role in taking down Apartheid, with gqom and Barcadi house. DJ Mujava’s Township Funk was they only exponent of that which reached my European ears until I started to delve into it recently. Spoek Mathambo’s documentary Future Sound of Mzansi is something to look forward to, giving an overview of what is happening in the south (Mzansi means south in Xhosa, one of SA’s 11 official languages and is one of the terms South Africans refer to themselves by).

• Jumping Back Slash’ guide to Gqom
• Spoek Mathambo and the future sounds of township tech
• Fantasma Soundcloud
• Future Sound of Mzansi