Deep South - Industry Insider - Mixmag
Industry Insider

Deep South

What we can learn from South Africa’s excellent taste in music

  • Mixmag Staff
  • 3 August 2015

Mixmag cover star Black Coffee is fast becoming a worldwide underground success, but he's long been a household name in his homeland. With that in mind, should we be paying closer attention to the listening habits of South African dance fans? It's not the first place that springs to mind when trying to pinpoint future hits, but one look at the Shazam dance charts in South Africa reveals a unique and upfront taste when it comes to club tracks and floor-fillers.

TiMO ODV's glorious 'Save Me' is making some serious waves in South Africa, along with 'J'Adore' by Four7, while most dance charts across the rest of the world are still led by the likes of Diplo and David Guetta. Plus, the irresistible blend of tribal sounds and club beats is evident in three Top 10 tunes from Dbn Nyts, Heavy-K and Culoe De Song (pictured). Each offers a distinct, deep house take on the traditional sounds of Africa.

With the exception of Armin van Buuren's 'Another You', subtle beats are the order of the day in South Africa, rather than the harder-hitting club anthems currently filling floors in Ibiza as the summer season gets underway.

Global hits from Lost Frequencies, The Avener and Deorro dominate the top of the Ibicencan charts, but a number of fresh tunes sit alongside these huge commercial tracks. The remix of Elderbrook's 'How Many Times' by Cologne duo Andhim (featured in last month's magazine), Guy Gerber's reworking of 'Catch You By Surprise' by Art Department and X-Press 2's remix of 'Domino' by Oxia are all picking up thousands of Shazams, while tracks by Gregory Porter and Format:B are shaping up as 2015's coolest summer anthems.

Check out South Africa's dance top ten tracks below.

 
 
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