KAMAZU Vinilo y CD

Review: Dutch label Afrosynth's latest dig into the South African scene of the 1980s and '90s focuses on the career of Kamazu, a prolific artist who released six albums and a handful of killer singles between 1986 and '97. It's a great collection, combining his better-known hits - the mid-80s boogie goodness of "Korobela" and superb 1991 Kwaito smash "Indaba Kabani" - with a quartet of lesser-known cuts from his bulging catalogue. Our picks include the slo-mo Kwaito dreaminess of "Atikatareni" and the cheery, synth bass-propelled brilliance of "Victim", though the standard throughout is dizzyingly high. A must-have for all those who love the distinctive warm, dreamy and synth-heavy sound of South African dance music from the late '80s and early '90s.

Review: For its third outing, AWEH has a brilliantly and much anticipated collaboration between label head Esa and Soweto based South African Kwaito legend Kamazu. The music was made between 2020 and 2022 and is a perfect fusion of new school electronics and authentic and traditional musicianship that also pays testament to the power of musical synergy and South African cultural awareness. 'Shukuma' is a deep house tune with Afro vocals percussion bringing it to life in all new ways. After the dub comes 'Muntu' (feat dirty Bungalow) which is like a classic Chicago house cut with more Afro vocals and fresh percussive sounds and patterns.