For close to 30 years, TKZee has been a crowd favourite with lovers of their music and performances. Whether the catchy lines from the late Tokollo or the melodic flows of Zwai Bala, the band has won hearts with their nostalgic summer jams that have been crowd pullers since their return a few years ago. This was also the case at their recent performance at the Castle Double Malt experience at the Elgin Railway Market.
For Bala, the decades gone by have created a number of developments in music. In particular, the many trends that he always keeps abreast with. With house music having crept into the scene, Bala reflects on it as a concerning moment for some. It seemed the essence of local sounds was being lost, he said. However, with amapiano coming in too, this reflected an ever-changing nature in the local music industry.
“You have to look at life with interest to replace judgment with curiosity. It's incredible how South African sound will always be South African sound.”
He praised DJs like Cleo, who was able to fuse kwaito into house music, which has become a popular trend today as younger musicians look back to the TKZee discography for samples. Though it's often without payment, Bala believes it's humbling to see them honour their sound the same way they did artists who they respected.
“It's a beautiful thing. Music was there before it was made a business,” says Bala, who doesn't think it's a problem that artists don't get paid for some of those samples. “These guys are inspired by what we've created, and we have to allow them to be so.”
With Gen Z continuing to be an unpredictable audience, so have listeners from earlier generations who have become a part of the digital streaming norm. While movies and fashion can enjoy 10 or more years in the spotlight, the longevity of a music trend can be three to five years tops. Bala does not see this as an issue, as music has always been a spiritual experience.
“It's a lot of things that affect what happens with society. How we groove, how we express ourselves. There's even politics involved there as well as the social stuff that affects how we feel about ourselves and who we are,” says Bala.
Citing the likes of Hugh Masakela, who created struggle songs in their time, trend cycles for him are fully dependent “on letting everything be”.
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