A boy band with really funky soul
WHILE most youth their age is taken by the vibe of dance music and the whooplah of hip-hop, the Soulphiatown trio goes for the soul with their brand of Afro-funk.
Call them old souls if you like, they don’t mind. In fact that would be the closest way to explain where their hearts are.
Siboniso Mbhele, 22, Mxolisi Madondo, 23, and Malusi Gumede, 25, all from KwaZuluNatal say their music harks back to the soul of Sophiatown while not losing their youthfulness and fun.
Gumede is the beat master behind the tracks while Mbhele and Madondo shine as vocalists.
Madondo says they look up to the compositions by the likes of Hugh Masekela and Miriam Makeba, who they say sang from the heart.
“These icons sang about their lives and what they experienced and we do the same without losing today’s vibe and influences. What we make is an exciting cross between Afrobeat and groovy disco. We’ve had great response from the young and old and couldn’t be happier.”
Soulphiatown is signed to The Soil’s Ntsika Ngxanga’s Nomadic Tribe record label and it took a Scottish man to set them up. Alan Cathro had been visiting South Africa for a while and came across the band in 2014. He happened to be friends with Ngxanga too and he introduced them.
They performed
for Ngxanga on a laptop after he drove from Johannesburg to Durban to meet them. He offered them a contract and here they are, on the brink of potential music greatness.
Their single was released last month and has enjoyed airplay across radio stations.
The band say Ngxanga is more than a boss to them, but plays the role of elder brother and friend in a new city they have just moved to.
“When we first arrived in Johannesburg we were intimidated by the city and thought it would be hard on us, but with his guidance and discipline, life has been bearable and we’re willing to learn from him,” says Madondo.
Madondo and Gumede met at boarding school in Nkandla, where they sang in the school choir and became best buddies.
Madondo ended up in Team Robbie on the hit TV reality show Mbhele, from Port Shepstone was introduced to Gumede when he got to Durban, and he stayed with prolific songwriter Linda Gcwensa and Gcwensa and Mbhele were both Their full album is scheduled for release on April 21 and they promise it will have just the right dosage of ballads, funk, and happy tunes with features from Zakwe, Khonaye and Londi Fihlela.