Mujava’s backed by Trevor Jackson, Erol Alkan, Sinden & Hot Chip & is out over here on 15th September On This is Music Ltd. (Warp R.O.W.)
More info on this artist, after the jump.
Sounding like DJ Gregory’s marching band heading through the back alleys of Brazil’s favelas, ‘Township Funk’ is the master work of one South African, Mujava – real name Elvis Maswanganyi, a twenty something hailing from a Pretorian township called Attredgeville.
DJ Mujava’s formula on ‘Township Funk’ is simple. It’s tough, dark, African dance music from the industrial city of Pretoria. It’s perhaps the most infectious dance record you’ll hear this year, echoing the early Warp sound of LFO or the Forgemasters in an uncanny way, almost 20 years on, across continents.
Mujava’s break landed when taxi drivers, who act as independent grassroots music distributors in South Africa’s urban townships, started punting CDs of the music they’d heard him play on community radio across Pretoria that they’d acquired from begging visits to his house.. Spreading his sound though their cab stereos, they started selling his music directly to their customers. His popularity grew and he was eventually signed to the well known Johnnesburg-based dance music label- Sheer Music. Up until now however, he’s not released anything outside of South Africa.
In the UK Mujava was discovered by the good people at This Is Music Ltd, (home to Simian Mobile Disco, A-Trak, Frankmusik, Little Boots and current grindcore electro idol Fake Blood amongst others).
Drawn to its simplicity, strange familiarity and catchiness, they first heard the track trawling through Youtube, where so far the video for the track has had almost 60,000 views. You’ll also hear Mujava on The Rapture’s forthoming DJ Kicks compilation. Warp Records have signed the track outside of the UK and South Africa guaranteeing a heavy push worldwide.
Indeed, this beefy slice of post nu-rave kwaito funk would be equally at home on East London backrooms as it would be in the front room of a Pretorian shanty. Held together by an incessant wobbly synth line and backed up by the ever-present booty-shaking bass-line, this is instant hitting, maximum impact African techno. Ashley Beedle’s ‘AfrikanZ on MarZ’ mix sprinkles a dose of big room magic on the original, beefing up the bass, adding jungle noises, crispening up the snares and bringing the dark pads to the fore, bringing the drama with them.
Early props have come from Erol Alkan, Hot Chip’s Joe Goddard, Kiss FM’s Sinden, and, most notably, Trevor Jackson- “Actually can’t believe you’re releasing this fucking record! It’s amazing- been trying to get hold of a copy for over a year! and had to play a rip I managed to burn off Youtube. This shit is amazing! Congratulations for bringing this stuff to the unadulterated ears. I hope it’s massive…it deserves to be.”
Its so amazing how music can turn out to be. Mujava’s earliest music was never played by the SABC for no apparent reason at all, until he got signed by a Major Label.
Thanks to the Public Jukeboxes, they really marketed his music a lot, in time when there wasn’t any one wanted to play his music over the radio.
This will prove the so called “SA House Music Big Guns” wrong for being so ignorant of recognizing their backyard talent.
There is so much awesome music talent in SA, but the industry is so sarcastic of what aspiring musos are trying to achieve.
We have Dj Sdunkero who is supported by the Public a great deal, but the so called “Classy Sophisticated SA Media” doesn’t support him that much, never mind their prejudiced reviews.
BIG UP!! MUJAVA, your music is going to get a bigger audience from now on.