Mzansi Beat Code

South Africa's Spoek Mathambo is a busy man. The celebrated songwriter and rapper also fronts Pan-African ensemble Batuk and the bass-heavy quintet Fantasma. In the light of all these projects, it's unsurprising that Mzansi Beat Code is his first solo record since 2012. That's not to say that this venture is without collaborators, though. Nearly 20 artists feature across the 13 tracks, with Mathambo largely presiding over production duties: the resultant record is a glorious homage to South Africa's variegated and vibrant underground music scene.

One of the stars of the record is Johannesburg singer/rapper Loui Lvndn, who features on three tracks including the uptempo ‘Blast Fi Mi’ and the densely textured ‘Landed’, a punchy, industrial piece as ferocious as they come. The other prevailing sound world on Mzansi Beat Code is the hyper-frenetic drumming styles of the genre known as Bacardi house. Fellow Fantasma member DJ Spoko is largely responsible for this sound, popularised by DJ Mujave's ‘Township Funk’ in 2008 and both appear on the centrepiece track ‘The Mountain’. The infectious vocal of Los Angeles’ Pegasus Warning works wonderfully with the simmering bass and syncopated percussion and is emblematic of the ambitious vision that Mathambo has captured across the entire album.