Theo Kgosinkwe and De Mogul SA reimagine iconic Tsonga hit 'Khombo Ra Mina'
Image: Supplied/Gallo Music
Theo Kgosinkwe, singer, songwriter and member of the band Mafikizolo, and afro house DJ/producer Da Mogul have teamed up to remake the Paul Ndlovu classic Khombo Ra Mina. The collaboration marks the 5th Gallo Remixed single in the series to be released, adding an amapiano feel to the Tsonga disco hit.
Gallo Remixed celebrates the record label’s 95th birthday by reimagining treasured African songs from Gallo’s catalogue for a new generation; with executive producer Grammy award winning DJ/artist Black Coffee.
Kgosinkwe has always been inspired by Paul Ndluvo and grew up listening to the “Tsonga disco” hit Khombo Ra Mina. When Gallo Records approached him to be part of Gallo Remixed he could not think of a better song to rework into an amapiano track with the help of Oe Batla Kae creator De Mogul SA.
“I am honoured to be part of the Gallo remix catalogue reviving the songs that our fathers, uncles, sisters and brothers used to listen to,” said Kgosinkwe. “As a songwriter, singer and producer I found this project exciting as well as challenging to work on. I can't wait to hear the other reworked songs in the Gallo catalogue”.
De Mogul SA added: “It came as a surprise to me that Theo suggested we work on Gallo Remixed and I feel honoured as it could have been any other producer of Theo’s choice. Expectations are high for the remix because the original song by Paul Ndlovu is one of those timeless SA hits. We kept in mind that we did not want to lose the original nature of the song, but to reflect the current youthful sound, hence we made it amapiano.”
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Khombo Ra Mina was originally released by RPM/Gallo Records in 1985 and reached gold status in its year of release. There are three generations of music that have indulged in the experience of this sound. Paul Ndlovu laid the foundation with the classic hit which moved music fans within that era. Theo Kgosinkwe and De Mogul took up the challenge to bring this song into a new era bridging Tsonga Disco, afro pop and amapiano.
The amapiano remix pays homage to Ndlovu, giving new life to the classic hit and simultaneously reminds people about the Tsonga legend's story through music.
Since Music is Forever, the first Gallo Remixed EP dropped in December 2021, the tracks have been creating waves across the country. Tracks on the EP include Mpho Sebina's Too Late For Mama originally by Brenda Fassie, Da Capo’s Imbizo originally by Phuzikhemisi and Sun El Musician and Nobuhle’s take on Brenda Fassie's Vulindlela.
Khombo Ra Mina releases on April 8 across global streaming platforms, including Spotify, Apple Music, Deezer, Tidal, YouTube Music, and Beatport and Traxsource for DJ’s.
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