Music
Top 5 Tracks: Blanka Mazimela
The Cape Town based composer, producer and DJ shares the songs that have left a lasting impression on him
Eastern Cape born, Cape Town-based composer, house producer & DJ, Blanka Mazimela's passion for music was realised when he met and was mentored by Ryan Murgatroyd. Influenced by his father's diverse music taste and his brother's love for house music, the love for house evolved when he taught himself to DJ. From his collaboration with Crazy White Boy and a feature on the recently released Get Physical Records compilation 'Africa Gets Physical' his music is making waves locally and abroad.
Dennis Ferrer & Jerome Syndeham - Timbuktu (Pan African Dub Mix)
"If you've been to any of my shows you'd notice this song is always in the set somehow and this is probably the song that best describes my life. The vocal chant is like a voice speaking out from someone who's in a desert searching to be free. Like an end to a new beginning, alpha and omega type of stuff. The biblical revolution, like the glitch in the matrix, that 'John Wick' type of stuff. I can go on and on about how much I love this song but yeah, this song changed my life."
Ryan Murgatroyd - iKalimba
"I watched the process behind this song unfold first hand. It taught me a lot about how I see music production/composition and the fact that it is often undermined/misunderstood. The truth of the matter is timeless music really takes a lot from a person and I mean this is probably the closest thing to perfection."
Blanka Mazimela - Phezulu
"Everything that I've always wanted to do in a song is on this song right here. From the big reverb, to the reversed vocals, to the bass guitar, and the big crash. Anelisa's voice was way ahead of her time on this one and well it's good to get high on your own supply sometimes. In my own opinion I think 10 years from..."
Jay Z - My First Song
"The intro to the song goes something like this: 'Gotta try to stay above water, y'know?/Just stay busy, stay working/Puff told me, like, the key to this joint/The key to staying on top of things/Is treat everything like it's your first project, nomsayin'?/Like it's your first day, like, back when you was an intern/Like, that's how you try to treat things like, just stay hungry'."
"This song resonates with me so much, each day is as the first day. Not becoming complacent about anything and always being on your toes. Never become too comfortable and never think you've made it. When i was interning I made sure making tea was the best thing ever, I made it to the best of my abilities but the lessons learnt from that were priceless. This is my 'remember why you started' song."
Soul Brothers - Mama ka Sibongile
"Driving 1200km's to and from iDutywa (Eastern Cape) introduced me to a whole lot of drive music. This song will keep you awake during those long Karoo stretches and my dad had a mean collection of these but this one took the cake. The chords that Moses 'Black Moses' Ngwenya plays on that organ are just too deadly. I honestly find myself playing an air piano every single time I listen to the song. I think the soul in me comes from the 'Soul Brothers' (see what i did there lol)."
Find Blanka Mazimela on Soundcloud, Facebook & Twitter.
