What does Africa sound like? That's what house duo Black Motion hope to answer as they travel the continent.
In partnership with Ballantine's Scotch Whisky, they will curate a five-track extended-play CD that will represent the sound of the continent.
"People think Africa sounds like those ululating sounds, sounds of the jungle or vuvuzelas, but there's much more than that," said Bongani Mohosana, one half of the duo.
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"The South African sound, for example, is unique because of the vibe going on here. Our taxi ranks are different from taxi ranks across the world. So that unique sound of horns and loud music playing and tyres screeching is one of the things South Africa sounds like."
The duo will accept submissions from civilians who want to showcase what they believe Africa sounds like. Black Motion will incorporate the best submissions into their EP.
"We're looking forward to spending time with the creator of the best submission. We want to ask him or her about what he or she thought when choosing the sound because the sounds picked ostensibly represent Africa," said Thabo Mabogwane, Black Motion's other half.
Assimilating the sound of a particular place has helped grow the pair's international appeal and was key to their decision to get involved in the project.
"Recently we were in Mexico and the flute is the main instrument there. It makes everyone go crazy so we tried to add it to our music where we could," said Mohosana.
To submit your idea visit thebeatofafrica.com
• This article was originally published in The Times.
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