OSKIDO

Oskido – Akhiwe (Kalawa Jazmee / Universal Music)

In his more than a quarter century as a DJ and producer, Oskido has been a key creative force in kwaito, house and Afro house. Now he’s taking a glance at evolution of dance music in 2019 – and he’s recreating a genre inspired by kwaito and midtempo in his own image. In doing so, he’s made the most vital musical statement of 2019.

When Oskido started DJing in the Jozi CBD in the 1990s, kwaito didn’t exist. By the end of the decade, it was everywhere, thanks in large part to his efforts. BOP’s “Traffic Cop” was an early (and seminal) entry, and he was also on hand to engineer countless hits for the likes of Bongo Maffin,Mafkizolo Boom Shaka and many more.

In the 2000s, when it was clear there was a massive market in Mzansi for house music, and CD compilations were essential, he was there with the defining ‘Oskido’s Church Grooves’ collections. And long before Black Coffee (who had originally been nurtured at Kalawa Jazmee by licening his musical work ) blew up internationally with his brand of deep Afro-house, Brothers of Peace’s “Zabalaza” was a global anthem thanks to a release from New York’s Louie Vega with Masters at Work.

Now Oskido is again chiming in with the nation and incorporating the exciting sound of amapiano kwaito and soulful house into his work – but in an all-together Oskido way, and one that lyrically looks back to the kwaito era.