Afro tech, (also Afro-tech or AfroTech) is a sub-genre of

house music House is a music genre characterized by a repetitive four-on-the-floor beat and a typical tempo of 120 beats per minute. It was created by DJs and music producers from Chicago's underground club culture in the late 1970s, as DJs began altering ...

and

afro house A : Emphasizes a repetitive, hypnotic and trance-like style, often with samples or spoken lines instead of lyrics. It has core electronic "squelch" sounds that were developed around the mid-1980s, particularly by DJs from Chicago who experi ...

which originates and is predominantly made in South Africa. It emerged in the 2010s. South African DJs and

music producers A record producer is a recording project's creative and technical leader, commanding studio time and coaching artists, and in popular genres typically creates the song's very sound and structure. Virgil Moorefield"Introduction" ''The Producer as ...

who popularized the genre include Black Coffee,

Culoe De Song Culolethu Zulu (born 20 August 1990 in Eshowe, Kwazulu Natal), known commonly by his stage name Culoe De Song, is a South African producer, remixer and DJ. His first name, "Culolethu", is an IsiZulu name meaning "our song", and he is known as ...

, Bekzin Terris, Euphonik ( DJ Themba), Punk Mbedzi,

DJ Tira Mthokozisi Khathi (born August 24, 1976), professionally known by his stage name DJ Tira, is a South African DJ, record producer and Kwaito artist. He helped popularize the Gqom music genre. Khathi won the Smirnoff SA DJ Knockout competi ...

Zakes Bantwini Zakhele Madida (born May 26, 1980) professionally known as Zakes Bantwini, is a South African singer, record producer and businessman. Born from KwaMashu, KwaMashu F-section, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. He has worked with fellow musician Black ...

, Shimza and

Da Capo Da capo (, also , ) is an Italian musical term that means "from the beginning" (literally, "from the head"). It is often abbreviated as D.C. The term is a directive to repeat the previous part of music, often used to save space, and thus is a ...

Name and characteristics

The name is in direct symmetry with

Afro house A : Emphasizes a repetitive, hypnotic and trance-like style, often with samples or spoken lines instead of lyrics. It has core electronic "squelch" sounds that were developed around the mid-1980s, particularly by DJs from Chicago who experi ...

whereas in frame of reference the

prefix A prefix is an affix which is placed before the stem of a word. Adding it to the beginning of one word changes it into another word. For example, when the prefix ''un-'' is added to the word ''happy'', it creates the word ''unhappy''. Particu ...

'afro' defines anything relating to

African culture African or Africans may refer to: * Anything from or pertaining to the continent of Africa: ** People who are native to Africa, descendants of natives of Africa, or individuals who trace their ancestry to indigenous inhabitants of Africa *** Ethn ...

as well as Africa. The suffix 'tech' appeared to be designated on account of the evident immediate connection to

techno Techno is a Music genre, genre of electronic dance music (EDM) which is generally music production, produced for use in a continuous DJ set, with tempo often varying between 120 and 150 beats per minute (bpm). The central Drum beat, rhythm is typ ...

Maud Cuney Hare-55-Zulu Singers in London

Vocals or lyrics are predominantly delivered in

Xhosa Xhosa may refer to: * Xhosa people, a nation, and ethnic group, who live in south-central and southeasterly region of South Africa * Xhosa language, one of the 11 official languages of South Africa, principally spoken by the Xhosa people See als ...

and Zulu. Afro-tech is a combination of Afro house and techno sounds inclusive of various African percussion.

History

The genre emerged in the 2010s, when record producers started exploring a distinct sound, reminiscent of afro-house but characterized by a stronger techno influence. Presumed precursor examples, being McLloyd's "''Tembisa Funk''", Blackwhole's "''1000 seconds"'',

's ''Ezase'' ''Afro Vol.1'' "''Won't Let Go''" , Bekzin Terris' ',"''The Calling''" (''Woza Madala''), Punk Mbedzi's "''6th Sense''" as well as Black Coffee's "''We Dance Again''". Additionally,

gqom Gqom () '(Igqomu) () is a genre of electronic dance music that emerged in the early 2010s from Durban, South Africa, pioneered largely by producer DJ Nathan_Medee, DJ Lag, Rudeboyz, Griffit Vigo, Mbreshcar SA and Citizen Boy. It was developed fr ...

was prevalent during the period.

2010s

In 2015,

Grammy The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

award-winning artist Black Coffee received the Breakthrough of the Year award at the

DJ Awards DJ Awards is a celebration of electronic music, and aims to recognise and honour DJs and individuals who have influenced electronic dance music worldwide. Held annually in Ibiza at the end of the summer season, DJ Awards has retained the same ...

, primarily due to the song "''We Dance Again''" featuring

Nakhane Nakhane Mahlakahlaka (born Nakhane Lubabalo Mavuso, 3 February 1988) is a South African singer, songwriter, actor, and novelist. They are formerly known under the stage name Nakhane Touré. Having grown up among a Christian community in Port Eliz ...

In 2018, Punk Mbedzi recorded a live Afro tech mix for

Redbull Red Bull is a brand of energy drinks of Austrian company Red Bull GmbH. With 38% market share, it is the most popular energy drink brand as of 2019. Since its launch in 1987, more than 100 billion cans of Red Bull have been sold worldwide, incl ...

. ''Gqom'', DJ and producer,

DJ Lag Lwazi Asanda Gwala, better known as DJ Lag is a South African DJ and record producer. He is regarded as the pioneer of Gqom, a genre of electronic dance music that emerged in the early 2010s in Durban, South Africa. In 2019, DJ Lag notably col ...

released a song titled, "''3 Step Culo''". Some of DJ Lag's work showcases the fusion of afro tech with other genres such as gqom, amapiano and Afro house.

Euphonik DJ Themba, also known as Euphonik (born 6 December 1983), is a South African DJ, music producer, and radio presenter. He is known mostly for playing house music under the alias Euphonik. Early life Nkosi was born in Mpumalanga, South Africa in ...

changed his stage name to "DJ Themba".

released the album ''Black'' which featured British-Japanese

musician,

Maya Jane Coles Maya Jane Coles is a music producer, audio engineer and DJ based in the United Kingdom, born in London of British and Japanese descent. Under her real name, she mostly composes and plays techno music, while her alias Nocturnal Sunshine crea ...

as well as

. The album was especially curated for the event "Black NYC" in New York City which was headlined by De Song and German, DJ

Dixon Dixon may refer to: Places International * Dixon Entrance, part of the Inside Passage between Alaska and British Columbia Canada * Dixon, Ontario United States * Dixon, California * Dixon, Illinois * Dixon, Greene County, Indiana * Dixon, Indi ...

. In 2019,

Holly Rey Holly Wasserfall (born 1996), professionally known as Holly Rey is a South African singer and songwriter. Born and raised in Westville, KwaZulu-Natal, her musical career began at the age of 14, signing her first publishing deal with Sony. Rey ro ...

was the first woman in 20 years to win the

South African Music Awards The South African Music Awards (often simply the SAMAs) are the Recording Industry of South Africa's music industry awards, established in 1995. The ceremony is held annually, usually in late April or May, with the judging process starting in N ...

, Record of the Year , award for her single "''Deeper''". Holly Rey had taken over from

Brenda Fassie Brenda Nokuzola Fassie (3 November 1964 – 9 May 2004) was a South African singer, songwriter, dancer and activist. Affectionately called MaBrrr by her fans, she is also known as the "Queen of African Pop", the " Madonna of The Townships" or s ...

who won the award in 1999 for "''Vulindlela''". In 2023, she collaborated with

Kenya ) , national_anthem = " Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...

n musician,

Blinky Bill Blinky Bill is an anthropomorphic koala and children's fictional character created by author and illustrator Dorothy Wall. The character of Blinky first appeared in Brooke Nicholls' 1933 book, ''Jacko – the Broadcasting Kookaburra'', which ...

on the song "''25 To Life''".

2020s

In 2020, DJ Shimza became the first DJ, ever to play a set on

Robben Island Robben Island ( af, Robbeneiland) is an island in Table Bay, 6.9 kilometres (4.3 mi) west of the coast of Bloubergstrand, north of Cape Town, South Africa. It takes its name from the Dutch word for seals (''robben''), hence the Dutch/Afr ...

. During the apartheid regime,

Nelson Mandela Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela (; ; 18 July 1918 – 5 December 2013) was a South African anti-apartheid activist who served as the first president of South Africa from 1994 to 1999. He was the country's first black head of state and the ...

was

imprisoned Imprisonment is the restraint of a person's liberty, for any cause whatsoever, whether by authority of the government, or by a person acting without such authority. In the latter case it is "false imprisonment". Imprisonment does not necessari ...

on the island for 18 years. Clintons tour Robben Island in 1998 G name

DJ Clock Kholile Elvin Gumede, (born 16 May 1988), better known as DJ Clock, is a South African DJ and record producer. Career 2007-2010: ''The First Tick'' (2008), ''The Second Tick'' (2009) His first album ''The First Tick'' was released on January ...

, NaakmusiQ and DJ Tira released "''SuperHero''", described as "an old techno flavour and a strong kwaito feel". The song's music video was filmed solely using the mobile phones of DJ Tira and NaakMusiQ. In 2021, Black Coffee collaborated with the singer,

Cassie Cassie is a feminine given name and a short form of various other given names mostly used in English-speaking countries. It is more rarely a surname. People and fictional characters named Cassie include: People with the name Given name or nickna ...

on a song titled, "''Time''". "'' IMali''" was released by

-award winning musician

, songstress Nana Atta and Karyendasoul. The song was certified

platinum Platinum is a chemical element with the symbol Pt and atomic number 78. It is a dense, malleable, ductile, highly unreactive, precious, silverish-white transition metal. Its name originates from Spanish , a diminutive of "silver". Pla ...

and debuted at number 1, on South African,

charts A chart (sometimes known as a graph) is a graphical representation for data visualization, in which "the data is represented by symbols, such as bars in a bar chart, lines in a line chart, or slices in a pie chart". A chart can represent ta ...

. In 2022, Caiiro and Enoo Napa performed a back to back, set for

Mixmag ''Mixmag'' is a British electronic dance and Nightclub, clubbing magazine published in London. Launched in 1983 as a print magazine, it has branched into dance events, including festivals and club nights. History The first issue of ''Mixmag'' ...

's , ''In The Lab

Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu language, Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a Megacity#List of megacities, megacity, and is List of urban areas by p ...

''. Through German electronic music record label

Get Physical Music Get Physical Music is a Berlin-based electronic music record label founded in 2002 by M.A.N.D.Y. (Patrick Bodmer & Philipp Jung), DJ T (Thomas Koch) and Booka Shade (Walter Merziger, Arno Kammermeier & Peter Hayo). They were DJ Magazine's "Label ...

, producer, vocalist and singer Thandi Draai released a compilation album titled ''Africa Gets Physical Vol. 4''. The compilation showcased afro-tech musicians from various African countries such as Kenya,

Ghana Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in Ghana–Ivory Coast border, the west, Burkina ...

Zimbabwe Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north, and Mozam ...

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of G ...

and South Africa, among others. It was abundant in African percussion, vocals and

rhythms Rhythm (from Greek , ''rhythmos'', "any regular recurring motion, symmetry") generally means a " movement marked by the regulated succession of strong and weak elements, or of opposite or different conditions". This general meaning of regular rec ...

. The album, comprised 17 songs and featured Thakzin, Atmos Blaq, Drega, Dawgpound and Kitty Amor. In 2023,

Spotify Spotify (; ) is a proprietary Swedish audio streaming and media services provider founded on 23 April 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. It is one of the largest music streaming service providers, with over 456 million monthly active us ...

established the "AfroTech Now" playlist. Karyendasoul released his debut album, ''We Live 4 Our Music''. The album included other acclaimed afro house and afro tech artists such as songwriters and singers

Ami Faku Amanda Faku (born May 28, 1993) is a South African singer, performer and songwriter. Born and raised in the township of eZinyoka, Port Elizabeth. Faku rose to fame as a contestant on The Voice SA season 2 in 2017 and prior getting recognition ...

Msaki Asanda Lusaseni Mvana(born 31 December 1988) known professionally as Msaki, is a South African composer, singer, and songwriter. Born and grew up in East London, during her childhood she was involved in musical activities. Her career in music b ...

Simmy Simphiwe Majobe Nhlangulela, better known by her stage name Simmy, is a South African singer-songwriter. She gained prominence in 2018, after signed a record deal with EL World Music and release her debut album ''Tugela Fairy'' (2018), spawne ...

and

. The album was listed in

DJ Mag ''DJ Magazine'' (also known as ''DJ Mag'') is a British monthly magazine dedicated to electronic dance music and DJs. Founded in 1991, the magazine is adapted for distribution in the United Kingdom, the United States, Spain, France, Italy, Lat ...

's , ''top albums of 2023''. "''

iPlan "iPlan" is a song by South African DJ and record producer Dlala Thukzin taken from his extended play (EP) ''Permanent Music 3'' (2023). It was released on 15 September 2023 and features guest appearances from frequent collaborator Zaba, an ...

''" by gqom producer

Dlala Thukzin Thuthuka Wandile Zindlovu, prominently known as Dlala Thukzin is a South African DJ and record producer born and bred in Lamontville, KwaZulu-Natal. He is famous for his versatility of blending amapiano and afro tech with gqom. Zindlovu came ...

( known for fusing gqom with Afro tech and amapiano) debuted at number 1 on ''Billboard'' South Africa songs, and on

The Official South African Charts The Official South African Charts (TOSAC) is the music industry standard record chart in South Africa launched by RISA for local and international songs. Chart rankings are based on digital sales and online streaming in South Africa through i ...

, also surpassed 2 millions streams, and achieved

double-platinum Music recording certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped, sold, or streamed a certain number of units. The threshold quantity varies by type (such as album, single, music video) and by nation or territory (see ...

status in 2 weeks. DJ, DESIREE was announced as the

''Top 100 DJs Future Star'', winner. Lizwi released "''Prayer''". The song's delivery is a

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words '' Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρ ...

prayer in Zulu. Portuguese, duo Afrokillerz released their 11 songs, debut album, "''UKÄRÄ''" featuring

Angola , national_anthem = "Angola Avante"() , image_map = , map_caption = , capital = Luanda , religion = , religion_year = 2020 , religion_ref = , coordina ...

n artist Irina Vasconcelos and singer, Szon. Mörda (former

Black Motion Black Motion is a South African house duo from Soshanguve, Gauteng, founded in 2010. The group is composed of Bongani Robert Mahosana (former), Roy Thabo Mabogwane and Kabelo Koma. History Black Motion was formed in 2010, by DJ Murda (born Ro ...

, member) and musician Brenden Praise featured on ''The Color Purple''(soundtrack). They remixed

Tamela Mann Tamela Jean Mann (née Johnson; born June 9, 1966) is an American gospel singer, songwriter, and actress. Mann began her career as a singer with the gospel group Kirk Franklin and the Family. She was a featured soloist on several tracks while wi ...

's "''Mysterious Ways''". The compilation included other acclaimed artists such as

Alicia Keys Alicia Augello Cook (born January 25, 1981), known professionally as Alicia Keys, is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. A classically trained pianist, Keys started composing songs when she was 12 and was signed at 15 years old by Colu ...

Mary J. Blige Mary Jane Blige ( ; born January 11, 1971) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Often referred to as the " Queen of Hip-Hop Soul" and " Queen of R&B", Blige has won nine Grammy Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, four American Music Award ...

Usher Usher may refer to: Several jobs which originally involved directing people and ensuring people are in the correct place: * Usher (occupation) ** Church usher ** Wedding usher, one of the male attendants to the groom in a wedding ceremony ** Fie ...

and

Halle Bailey Halle Lynn Bailey (born March 27, 2000) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She is best known for being one half of the musical duo Chloe x Halle with her sister Chlöe Bailey, together earning five Grammy Award nominations since 2 ...

. In 2024, ''GIMC Afro Tech 5.0'' was held in

Botswana Botswana (, ), officially the Republic of Botswana ( tn, Lefatshe la Botswana, label= Setswana, ), is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Botswana is topographically flat, with approximately 70 percent of its territory being the Kal ...

. The event was established in April 2022. Previously South African Afro tech acts such as Da Capo, Africa Da Deep, Darque, Mpho.Wav, Culoe De Song, Sun El Musician,

, Lemon and Herb amongst local acts Nurogroove and Raul Bryan were showcased. Event organizer, Fish Pabalinga stipulated that "the event has positively impacted the growth of Afro Tech in the country". American singer

Aloe Blacc Egbert Nathaniel Dawkins III (born January 7, 1979), known professionally by his stage name Aloe Blacc (), is an American singer, songwriter and rapper. He is best known for his singles "I Need a Dollar", " The Man", which topped the charts in th ...

most noted as the songster on

Avicii Tim Bergling (; 8 September 1989 – 20 April 2018), known professionally as Avicii (, ), was a Swedish DJ, remixer and music producer. At the age of 16, Bergling began posting his remixes on electronic music forums, which led to his first rec ...

's, " ''Wake Me Up''" collaborated with DJ Shimza for single "''Darling''" an afro-tech and

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun '':wikt:soul, soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The ea ...

interpretation of

Ben E. King Benjamin Earl King (né Nelson; September 28, 1938 – April 30, 2015) was an American soul and R&B singer and record producer. He is best known as the singer and co-composer of " Stand by Me"—a US Top 10 hit, both in 1961 and later i ...

's 1961 single, " ''Stand By Me''". "''Ode to Ancestors''" by Black Coffee featured

Benin Benin ( , ; french: Bénin , ff, Benen), officially the Republic of Benin (french: République du Bénin), and formerly Dahomey, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east, Burkina Faso to the nort ...

actor

Djimon Hounsou Djimon Gaston Hounsou (; ; born April 24, 1964) is a Beninese-American actor and model. He began his career appearing in music videos. He made his film debut in '' Without You I'm Nothing'' (1990) and earned widespread recognition for his role as ...

as presumed guest performance

vocalist Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or witho ...

on ''Rebel Moon –Songs Of The Rebellion'' which was compiled for and inspired by

Zack Snyder Zachary Edward Snyder (born March 1, 1966) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and cinematographer. He made his feature film debut in 2004 with '' Dawn of the Dead'', a remake of the 1978 horror film of the same name. Since t ...

's Netflix

sci-fi Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel univ ...

space opera Space opera is a subgenre of science fiction that emphasizes space warfare, with use of melodramatic, risk-taking space adventures, relationships, and chivalric romance. Set mainly or entirely in outer space, it features technological and soc ...

film series A film series or movie series (also referred to as a film franchise or movie franchise) is a collection of related films in succession that share the same fictional universe, or are marketed as a series. This article explains what film series are ...

, ''Rebel Moon-Part 2''. The

extended play An extended play record, usually referred to as an EP, is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album or LP record.

included other artists such as

Tokimonsta Jennifer Lee, known professionally as Tokimonsta (stylized as TOKiMONSTA), is an American record producer and DJ based in Los Angeles. She has collaborated with artists such as Anderson .Paak, Earthgang, Isaiah Rashad, Selah Sue, and ZHU. Addition ...

and

aespa Aespa ( ; , commonly stylized in all lowercase or æspa) is a South Korean girl group formed by SM Entertainment. The group consists of four members: Karina, Giselle, Winter, and Ningning. They debuted on November 17, 2020, with the single "Bl ...

. "''Ode to Ancestors''" was specifically inspired by the character, General Titus played by Hounsou. Emerging from a two-year hiatus, the

Cape Town Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second larges ...

electronic music Electronic music is a Music genre, genre of music that employs electronic musical instruments, digital instruments, or electronics, circuitry-based music technology in its creation. It includes both music made using electronic and electromech ...

trio GoodLuck debuted their inaugural Afro tech-inspired collaboration with Frigid Armadillo on the song "''Goodbye My Friend".''

Noteworthy record labels

* Soul Candi

References

{{House music African electronic dance music African popular music House music genres South African styles of music 2010s in music