Teenage Dreams

Unless you have been living under a rock this summer, the likelihood is you would have heard amapiano booming from speakers at festivals, raves and – for those living under COVID restrictions – broadcasting from livestreams. It’s a particular South African brand of electronic music, taking kwaito, deep house and UK funk and injecting them with propulsive drums and heavy basslines. This album from the prodigious duo Kgothatso Tshabalala and Zakhele Mhlanga – both still teenagers – showcases the genre’s potential and evidences its allure. Each track is crafted for the dance floor with slowly evolving textures that never fully peak, but always offer intrigue. ‘Way to Cairo’ has a deep tech feel, with bolshy triple kick patterns and Daniel Avery-esque bass squelches. ‘Ambassador’ orients around potent string iterations that remain constant, while synth-bass swells and snare hits abound. The drum tracks for ‘Dead Sangoma’ and ‘United as One’ are almost exactly the same; perhaps a pitfall of a form both trying to define and assert its parameters. Nonetheless, there are many standout moments. ‘Burning Desire’ is great. It’s a brooding, track that continues to climb without ever quite reaching a euphoric high. The desire remains tantalisingly close, always just out of reach.