Uncle Waffles' road show

As the in-demand DJ embarks on her first headlining tour, we got a look at the vibrant world of Uncle Waffles

- MANKAPRR CONTEH

WHEN UNCLE WAFFLES left her Manhattan hotel for her first headlining show, in Brooklyn, her fiery-red hair was full of bounce and curves. By the time she plays "Tanzania', her first single after rising to prominence as a DJ specialising in South African amapiano, it instead flows kinkily down her back, tested by time, sweat and the heat from the sea of bodies in the sold-out crowd at Avant Gardner, an entertainment complex spanning a whole city block.

'Tanzania' - produced by Waffles and South African multi-hyphenate Tony Duardo is dynamic and intense, with layers of thrilling percussion and haunting lilts by vocalists Sino Msolo and BoiBizza. It was even worked into a dance break on Beyoncé's Renaissance world tour. It's an absolute heater, and the venue is already hot. There are people wall to wall and flames shooting up from the blasters behind Waffles, a part of the set design.

As a DJ, Waffles doesn't just spin amapiano, a dance genre surging in popularity and often distinguished by the deep knocks of a log drum in it. She really puts on a show. Dancers hired locally for this one are doing intricate footwork, a mob of them waving their arms in the air and swaying themselves from the front of the stage ahead of Waffles' sturdy table down the stairs of the platform they're on, leaving her solo. For a second, she looks up and opens her palms like an acceptance of blessings, and then her feet stomp and step to the music with a power that shoots up her body. Her thighs pop and pulse, and her hips follow, then her shoulders. After a few moments, her body relaxes, she glides to her right, bites her bottom lip, and smiles.