Art, of any kind, encompasses the unique and distinctive output of its
creator: an inimitable human being. It points to a blueprint map of
who this creator is, encapsulates their experiences and somehow points
to how they arrive at their creation(s). This blueprint, although
lending glimmer into one life, connects deeply into an unfathomable
amount of other lives - lending an expression and effect. With this in
mind, we go on a journey with Dowinowe - the first solo artist release
for the Gqom oh! label - on his debut "GQOM004"
Dominowe is a 19 year old producer from the Newlands east township of
Durban, South Africa who started out making music just for his
friends. This release snapshots important themes in his evocative
personal journey - expressed in his own very unique style.
Releasing on Vinyl in 27th of January 2017, the EP, titled
“SiyaThakatha”, showcases Dominowe's original style in the context
of the Durban electronic music scene especially when paced beside Gqom and Sghubu. The listener gets a real sense of his complexity and the variety of styles Dominowe is capable of producing. "SiyaThakatha",
the EP name, is translated _black_ _magic,_ or, _we witching - _ which
is right at the heart of this release: that listening to these sounds
invite you into the universe of an unseen world, putting you in touch
with what can only described as invisible energy - a combination of
the ideal, the intangible, the unattainable and the other-worldly
whilst on journey with a 19year old from Durban whose music is
composed of influence and innovation. It is about gqom working its
magic on the dance floor for people to move - to the distinctive beats
and cultural rhythms.
It features four tracks - including one skit outro - as well as
three tracks on digital download. The tracks were chosen specifically
as a reflection of the variety of styles Dominowe produces and the
originality of his productions.
Side A of the vinyl it’s about Gqom and Core Tribe and on side B finally we are going to introduce the music genre from Durban called Sgubhu.
Referring to some of the tracks on his idiosyncratic track list,
Dominowe cites:
* A1 - Newlands Mgido _was made "for the suburb I live In
(Newlands East,Durban) to salute all the dancers of gqom music who
live there” (Genre - Gqom)
* A2_ - Umzabalazo_ "is based out of prayers being heard by
the Zulu people. This prayer is based on a celebration" (Genre - Core
tribe)
* B1_ - Umthakhathi_ "..means 'witch' in Zulu but not as we
imagine it. It comes out of the thought that not all witches have dark
intentions.
(Genre - Sghubu)
*B2 - _Bhenga Nezinja feat. Chaotic Boyz “dancing with the dawg so In this track we send a invitation for a dance with us" (Genre - Sghubu)
+ 3 bonus tracks ON DIGITAL :
01_* Club_ _killer_ showcases “a new form of house music” - his own
genre.
02_* Instrumental_”...is a Gqom track with a hint of “Sgubhu" style
03_* City Rise_ - one of his latest productions - "is purely Sgubhu" (Sghubu is Afro House music hailing solely from Durban having developed out of Gqom)
For the cover design, we teamed up again with HB PRODUCTIONS - an
artist “graffiti” collective from Rome, Italy. Having discussed
the themes and music at length, they came up with a design that
perfectly conveyed Dominowe’s music and concepts.
Enjoy the GQOM004 Journey!
Credits :
www.hbproduction.it
Photo and video credits Tommaso Cassinis.
Mastering by Francesco Pierguidi at LoudnProud Studio, Rome, Italy.
released January 27, 2017
Design : HB Production
Photo : Tommaso Cassinis
Mastering : Francesco Pierguidi at LoudnProud Studio, Rome, Italy.