Zakes Bantwini's next era

If, like myself, you have long reached unc status, you might remember that the visuals for Zakes Bantwini's Wasting My Time | Clap Your Hands (2013) were utterly goated back then.

- Thembeka Heidi Sincuba

Sonically, vernacular rhythms, buoyant synths, and percussive claps lock into a mantra that nods to African call-and-response while translating straight into global groove culture.

It is quintessential Bantwini. Over a decade on, Bantwini is still building on that promise. In this interview, he reflects on his two-decade career, his new single Wena Baba, and his upcoming Mayonie Open Air Festival.

What was childhood like for you?

I grew up during apartheid. I was born in the 80s, so I lived, I think, nine or ten years of my life fully in apartheid. Some people say that 1990 was when we were free, but there was still an apartheid government until 1994. So in that case, probably 13 or 14 years of my life I lived in apartheid, technically.

And what are some of the things that, when you looked around, you knew you were in apartheid?

I didn't see anything until ... Something that I still struggle with is the language, Afrikaans. Afrikaans to me represents pain, because when that language was spoken, I knew there was going to be pain, there were going to be cries, there was going to be death, there was going to be blood, there was going to be tear gas, it was going to be chaos. When I heard that language, I knew it came with such horror.

What are some of the safer sounds that shaped you growing up?

Within that particular pain, there was always music. Protest music, music at funerals, even in celebrations ... people mabesina. You would hear music when people were active in politics. At home, music would be there because of my family.