Hailing from KwaZulu-Natal, Afro House producer BlaQRhythm has been crafting beats since the age of 15, and has emerged as one of the most exciting artists in this nascent genre.
He’s one of the artists featured on the new Evolution of Afro House compilation, released by Mayonie Productions on 21 January. The label, operated by Grammy award-winning artist Zakes Bantwini, has similarly built a reputation as one of the most influential Afro House imprints, and the compilation sees BlaQRhythm team up with Marco Pex (on the track Intro), Deena G (onI Thought You Knew) and Mbalenhle M and Maline Aura (on Entweni).
Other artists to feature on the compilation include Drega and Skye Wanda (on the track eMpumalanga), Privacii and Agnobays (on Break), and Dr. Phil RSA (on Secrets, featuring S.A.N.E), and many more.
For this week’s #MyRecordBag, BlaQRhythm shares the Afro House tracks that he believes have defined the genre’s story so far.
Culoe De Song – Nguwe feat. Thandiswa Mazwai (De Song Music)
“The song that made me choose Afro House over every other genre.”
Kato Change & Winyo – Abiro (Da Capo Remix) (Aluku Records)
“This was the song that inspired my record Imvula back in 2019, one of my most streamed records.”
Shimza , AR/CO & Kasango – Fire Fire (Helix Records)
“This one has been a huge favourite since the release – I just can’t stop listening to it.”
Zakes Bantwini & Kasango – Osama (Paradise Sound System)
“This song wasn’t just a hit but a game changer in the Afro House scene – many songs you could see were inspired by it after it dropped.”
DJ Lesoul – Amabele feat. Deep Narratives, TNS & BlaQRhythm (Soul Exclusive Entertainment)
“On this record, I created a new and unique ancestral kind of sound, which I wasn’t too sure about at first. It turned out to something I never imagined would be so well received; I never thought it could be such a commercial success.”
Monique Bingham, Black Coffee – Deep In The Bottom (of Africa) (MoBlack Records)
“For me this song is probably top two of the all-time best house songs of my generation.”
BlaQRhythm – Imvula (Sound African Recordings)
“As much as I love all my songs, even the new ones, this for me is my all time favourite – when I listen to it, it doesn’t even feel like I made the song.”
Mayonie & Marco Pex – Crazy (Mayonie Productions)
“If you could choose one song from the Mayonie album, this Is definitely the one I would choose.”
Culoe De Song – My Sunshine feat. Soulstar (Universal Music)
“The first time I saw Black Coffee live in 2014, this was the song he played that got my attention the most. It was an exclusive – I still remember the moment like it was yesterday, because it was also my first time ever going to a night event.”
BlaQRhythm, Zakes Bantwini & Drega – Amadolo (Universal Music)
“As much as we were close already when we made the song with Zakes, it was a dream come true to feature him on my record. Honestly, I never thought it could happen so soon.”
Thanks to BlaQRhythm for this selections. Check out Evolution of Afro House here.