Africa
The sound of South Africa
A jazz tradition with its own vocabulary rather than an American one borrowed, and a house and electronic scene that became genuinely dominant locally before anyone abroad noticed.
150 artists in the catalog.
What South Africa does that nowhere else does
Genres far more common here than across the rest of the catalog. The multiplier is how much more common, weighted by how many artists carry it.
Five records to start with
Not a canon — a way in. Each one links to what it is, who it's for and where to go next.
South African artists worth walking into
Ordered by how much we can tell you, not just by how well-known they are.
Howard Carpendale
pop rock · popular music
Where to start →Seether
alternative metal · hard rock
Where to start →Ike Moriz
Where to start →Jonathan Butler
popular music · soul
Where to start →Nora En Pure
deep house · progressive house
Where to start →Steve Hofmeyr
Where to start →Hugh Masekela
cape jazz · jazz
Where to start →Kongos
alternative rock
Where to start →Abdullah Ibrahim
Afro-jazz · bebop
Where to start →Kurt Darren
pop music
Where to start →Nduduzo Makhathini
jazz
Where to start →Die Antwoord
alternative hip-hop · electronic dance music
Where to start →