Apple Music today announced prolific house producer and DJ, Citizen Deep (real name Tivani Ian Junior Mkhombo) as the next Isgubhu cover star.
“What an honour to be able to share some of my favourite tracks with you. Thank you Apple Music! My Isgubhu playlist on Apple Music is filled with various young South African producers. Exploring the playlist you will definitely connect and understand the different types of 'Sgubhu we have to offer. What a vast variety of dance music we have as a nation!” he tells Apple Music.
The release of the Soweto-born DJ’s highly-anticipated debut album ARCADE (2022), available to stream on Apple Music in Spatial Audio, is the result of the down time afforded to him by South Africa’s initial lockdown at the beginning of 2020. With no pressure on him to perform, Citizen dug deep and as a result found his Afrotech signature sound on ARCADE (an acronym for A Rare Collection of Art Designed to Entertain), spearheaded by the hit single “Ilizwi” feat. Bukeka.
To celebrate his feature Citizen Deep has also created exclusive Isgubhu playlist that showcases South Africa’s next generation of producers and DJ.
Taking over Isgubhu By… for this month is deep house producer and DJ, DWSON (real name Ashwin Julies) who’s gearing up to release his EP later this year. After playing some of SA’s most prestigious stages including successive Cape Town Electronic Music Festivals, Oppikoppi, RedBull Music Academy, ULTRA and Rocking the Daisies, to name but a few, DWSON has become one of the most sought-after producers on the scene. With an innate feel for collaborative creation, DWSON’s music is rich with strands of dub and soul.
“Each selection for this Apple Music Isgubhu By… feature has had a huge impact on the industry. Here are many heavy hitters that have paved a way for South African dance music. There are a number of songs that are a decade old and more but still get celebrated. These songs are childhood and mid high school gems that I had on repeat and take me back to the days I collected CDs of my favorite local producers, artists and compilers,” DWSON tells Apple Music.
Launched in early 2021, Isgubhu is the definitive home of African Dance and Electronic music on Apple Music and spotlights and elevates the work of African Electronic DJs, producers and creatives. Isgubhu, a Zulu word meaning beat and used to refer to a banging song, pays homage to an evergreen set of genres and the African artists who have played a pivotal role in shaping the Dance and Electronic scene across the world.
Isgubhu also houses a collection of playlists including Spotlight On - a focus on boutique labels like Soul Candi, House Afrika, Stay True Sounds and Uganda’s Hakuna Kulala & Nyege Nyege Tapes and Isgubhu Voices - a focus on the best Dance and Electronic tracks that feature vocals.
