THE HOUSE OF SUN-EL: Sun-El Musician, Simmy, Mlindo The Vocalist, and other related artists

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=og6eukgNU8w

Mobi Dixon's album 10 Steps Forward is really great on first listen. it starts off in smooth SA house territory with the 9 minute title track (above) which is a real highlight, and tracks like an extended mix of "Abantu" (linked earlier), before moving into harder-hitting gqom for the middle of the album

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LgzCjXH08zA
"Kwanele"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Z7-oh3RFBI
"Closer"

Sjava interview on the Fader starts out with a o_O

You just dropped an album about a month ago, how has it been?

I think people like it. But I didn’t like it. It’s the label that decided to drop it. I was not ready.

Are you serious?

I think it’s the whackest thing I’ve ever done.

https://www.thefader.com/2019/01/23/sjava-has-a-contagiously-spiritual-take-on-trap

lol omg. i'll def have to listen

"one dance" is a good song!

Proudly presenting the brand new Prince Kaybee. It’s a bit of a throwback to the sound of his first album, so it actually fits on this thread:

https://open.spotify.com/track/2ngzqhj2QhOvrzSoX8svO6?si=YNL8Oup3Tluib0KsSIuTTw

Prince Kaybee ft. Msaki • Fetch Your Life

was listening to Sjava and I realized I recognized his voice from the Black Panther soundtrack. The song he's on "Reasons," has a couple of American rappers on it, but it seems like Sjava's is the dominant style: https://youtu.be/6fdcVfj9iCk

d'oh the song on the BP soundtrack is called "Seasons" and features the rapper Reason.

Anyway, I dove into the Sjava album and it's taking over my world right now. Sjava not otm

To be fair to the guy, he wraps the interview up like this:

So, in an ideal world, looking at the album as it is, what would you tweak?

Nothing really. It is what it is.

I’m still stuck at that Umphako EP he was talking about, “Intombi” in particular.

I organized a small battle between two of my favourite tracks right now. It’s over here: Gqompetition time: two songs, two videos - QDOT vs SHADO M
Feel free to take a look and participate!

This is a great track, and yes, it’s from 2017:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SouSlSTixyM

Kaylow feat. DJ Mdix • Isgubhu

But who am I kidding? I really came to post these mixes Sun-El did for South African radio station 5FM. I just found out he did three 30-minute mixes, one in December and two just recently. And guess what, most of it is new stuff: some instrumental tracks, several tracks with Simmy (!), and some remixes of stuff by others (such as Black Coffee). It’s a lot to take in! (let me just say I can’t wait for him to drop “Indodana” featuring Berita.)
I will post the links from his Soundcloud (which include track listings). The mixes (01 and 03 at least) can also be found on YouTube.

MIX 01: https://soundcloud.com/sun-el-sithole/sun-el-musician-5-fm-mix
MIX 02: https://soundcloud.com/sun-el-sithole/sun-el-musician-5-fm-mix-02
MIX 03: https://soundcloud.com/sun-el-sithole/sun-el-musician-5-fm-mix-03

ah, thanks!

Has ILM gone into hibernation, apart from forks?

that first mix in particular is real good btw; i appreciate the My House opening.

I can't find the tracklists?

Sorry, the first mix has no tracklist, the others do though, and...

MIX 01: https://soundcloud.com/sun-el-sithole/sun-el-musician-5-fm-mix

01. 00:00 Jeremy Soule - The Streets Of Whiterun (Sun-EL Edit)
02. 02:50 (06:21) Sun-EL Musician Feat. Simmy - That's the way love goes
03. 07:00 Sun-EL Musician Feat. Berita - Indodana
04. 12:19 Sun-EL Musician - Unknown
05. 15:19 Simmy - Nawe
06. 19:07 Sun-EL Musician - Van Damm

great stuff, thanks breastcrawl

Not sure this is the right place for it, but this is an amazing piece of music:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EXz0V-jOte8

Kabza De Small ft. Leehleza • Amabele (Shaya)

This is the most beautiful thing:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wkKjvQ8PYd4

Tresor ft. Msaki • Sondela

very pretty. all this music is very pretty, perfect early summer ~vibes~

wow that's great. I was listening to the Mlindo album walking around yesterday and thinking I should bump this thread to check if I've missed anything new

Yep good summer vibes. Listening to the full Tresor album now. So Sun-El isn't involved with this at all? Are Tresor and Sun-El in same collective or something? Not questioning this being shouted out in this thread, just curious if there's a connection other than sonic/regional.

No, in this case it’s just the sonic/regional connection. To me, this song is most at home here, whereas I feel the harder South African club sounds (gqom, most notably) are better suited for the Afropop thread, but it’s all quite arbitrary.

Also, there is no official Sun-El collective as such. Simmy has worked exclusively with him so far, but Mlindo for instance, even though he got his break with a Sun-El track, had DJ Maphorisa produce his album.

Gotcha, thanks for the info, and keep posting these!

this is the one i've had on repeat for a couple months now. just a gorgeous mix of sounds worthy of loud listening.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LdiUZOXzlKo

Sjava rules!

Reminder that everything that’s posted here is also included on ILM’s official Rolling Afropop / Afrobeats / Afrodance 2019 Spotify playlist.

that Tresor track is really nice, will have to check out the album.

Chapter 2 : Myself and @Ami_faku present to you our latest offering “into ingawe” which drops this Friday, Taken from my upcoming project. #EWM #intoingawe pic.twitter.com/nsbZci42WO

— Sun-EL Musician (@SunELMusician) June 3, 2019

excited!

Beautiful.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGls9e8ARf8
Sun-El Musician ft. Ami Faku • Into Ingawe

Also this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aK5Ib30HRLQ
Mthunzi • Vuka

Thanks a lot for Sondela guys. Also following on Sjava.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qIl1MbWiCXA

Big wow at Into Ingawe, his skills in production are not getting any less than heavenly.

new single is glorious.

Today my wife stopped at Sondela's clip and said "Msaki ? Is that her ? She used to come and perform at our house in Melville" but I wasn't there for those nights. We also found out that Simmy has the same flowery dress in Sonini as the one we bought at Mr Price. Cool little details.

This is gorgeous:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ckfE8JaMB74

Naima Kay • Soka Lami

<3

Posting the hit track from the pretty magnificent Scorpion Kings EP (but at 12 tracks and 76 minutes you’re free to call it an album) by DJ Maphorisa & Kabza De Small here because it features Samthing Soweto, the voice on/of Sun-El’s “Akanamali”:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GUGwOLpjkEw
DJ Maphorisa & Kabza De Small ft. Samthing Soweto & MFR Souls • Amantombazane

Not all of the tracks fit on this thread, but this one does, I think: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zwIRUtP1n6I

DJ Maphorisa & Kabza De Small ft. Shasha • We’Mama

Thanks to whoever posted Sondela, it's now my most-listened track of 2019. So smooth, so beautiful!

it’s a pleasure

Live version of “Sondela”:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0JqPm4Nh5e4

And another, choreographed, one:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PcBPIhOdsbw

Simmy’s “Ngiyesaba” has a video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hPbMvHmguX0

Hopefully she’ll be releasing some new material soon too.

I only recently first heard this gorgeous song by sometime Sjava collaborators Blaq Diamond:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zFSEQB4e-sk
Blaq Diamond • Emzini Kababa

New song by Samthing Soweto, the voice of “Akanamali”. I love the organ on this - whether it’s amapiano that’s bringing back those sounds or not, I’m all for it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2FnBANZlxRs
Samthing Soweto ft. Makhafula Vilakazi • Omama Bomthandazo

yeah that's lovely

that is fantastic!

Am I right in assuming you guys are talking about the last track? (I’m not sure, because I posted three back to back)

oh yeah I meant Samthing