For the past decade some of my favorite House music has come from the African continent, and things just continue to evolve. When I was hipped to the “Gqom” scene that’s been bubbling in Durban I was hooked. Gqom itself is a response and deconstruction of the clean, overproduced Deep House sound that dominates South Africa. The tunes are dark, minimal, and percussive —pretty much my trifecta of musical bliss.

The culture surrounding Gqom is very Internet driven. I actually stumbled upon kasimp3.co.za —the major node of the scene— while on a deep Google dig for new music. A quick search on the site for Durban producers such as Exception Boiz & Rude Boyz finds an almost endless bounty of music they’ve uploaded. It’s great to be alive in a time where artists have agency through networked societies.

I’ve been on a Gqom download spree from Kasimp3, but the tune that is really doing it for me is Rude Boyz track Is’cathulo (which I’m sure is a reference to the South African Gumboot Dance).

Shortly after discovering the music I found a brilliant write-up on Stamp The Wax by Cape Town based producer/DJ, Jumping Back Slash. He also has a mix that is a great introduction to Gqom.