You're recognised for blending deep, soulful beats with African-inspired rhythms, creating a distinct Afro-house sound. What drew you to Afro-house, and how has your connection to African music shaped your career?
I was living in Ghana when I heard Afro-house from Angola and South Africa. Angolan Afro-house featured more traditional African and Latin influences, while South African Afro-house was more influenced by deep house and soulful music. For those characteristics, the Afro-house was designated to an adult audience only. I gave the electronic injection Afro-house needed to be played by the biggest international DJs in big festivals. The idea was to combine the more traditional African vocals and instruments with electric music that gives more energy needed by the younger audience.
Can you share the story behind Yamore featuring Salif Keita and Benja, and how it feels to see the track make such an impact?
Benja’s mum, who lived in African countries for years, one day suggested her son rework Yamore (the original song was released 20 years ago). Benja shared the idea with Franc Fala and me and we started the collaboration. I played Yamore in Paris at Christmas time last year and the clip went viral on socials. The rest is history.
The huge global impact of Yamore contributed to the spread of Afro-house everywhere and through all the generations. Yamore, with 80-million streams so far since June this year, is the biggest Afro-house hit at the moment, with a proper organic sound and African vocals of the legendary Salif Keita and Cesária Evora.
I’m so grateful to the universe for what has been going on since we started the collaboration. It’s magical and the fact that the universe chose me to spread Yamore and this overall new Afro-house genre is a recognition of my dedication, passion and love for this genre, but also a recognition of consistency and hard work since 11 years ago when I created MoBlack Project (as a label and artist) to push Afro-house into the mainstream.
Afro-house is hugely popular in South Africa. How does performing for South African audiences differ from other parts of the world, and what excites you most about returning to this scene?
I played in South Africa in the past and it was emotional, but Corona Sunsets Festival is my biggest show and coming back with Yamore is amazing. My audience is amazing in every country, but of course performing in South Africa, the country that was my main source of inspiration, has a special meaning.
Speaking of the Corona Sunsets Festival World Tour in Cape Town, how do you plan to bring your unique style and Afro-house energy to the upcoming performance, especially with the festival's focus on nature, music and lifestyle?
I think it will be an emotional, spiritual and introspective DJ set, but also festive and lively in exchange for the energy and crazy vibe of the crowd. I like to create a journey in my style, especially with the festival's focus on nature. It will be pure magic.
Your music has such an emotional depth while remaining highly danceable. What does your creative process look like when you're crafting tracks that balance the elements?
As I was influenced from the beginning by Angolan and South African Afro-house, I kept those two characteristics in my creative process. My Afro-house goes from a heavily dance-oriented and celebratory mood to a more melodic emotional and deep one. I try to balance these elements in my music productions, my DJ sets and for my label release.
What upcoming projects or collaborations are you most excited about, and how do they reflect the next chapter of your music journey?
Probably because of the huge impact of Yamore, I will be exposed to more and bigger collaborations and projects, but in the end it’s always all about the sound for me. My approach to the music will be always honest and respectful. In my next chapters I will keep my music journey that goes from deep, melodic and more traditional Afro-house, trying to balance the different flavours that Afro-house has to offer. This is what I have been doing since the beginning and will be doing until the end.
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