Pop fusion band Mango Groove, heavily influenced by the eclectic sounds of the township, pay tribute to the late Spokes Mashiane in their evergreen hit Special Star. The melodic pennywhistle intro, solo-performed by Mduduzi Magwaza, takes you back to your childhood — back to Van Tuka, in your grandparents’ house, dancing to the kwela-infused beat blasting out of a 37-inch TV screen.
It is this spirit of Van Tuka that we are celebrating. Van Tuka is the soundtrack of your youth, forever etched in your memory. It is a mishmash phrase combing scamtho (tsotsi taal) and Afrikaans, that simply means “way back”.
It is the sound of old, the 1960s Mbaqanga revolution. It's Mahlathini and the Mahotella Queens in full motion to the intoxicating rhythm of Kazet; it’s Ladysmith Black Mambazo and Paul Simon finding diamonds on the soles of her shoes at a Graceland performance in Harare in 1987.
Van Tuka is Ray Phiri, Nana Coyote and Stimela getting inspired on Whispers in the Deep, reaching not to find a hand but an amputated stump that tells the story of the lonely, and beats the rhythm of the free.
The original Van Tuka dates back to 1939, Mbube blasting through the old gramophone all the way to present day where its mutating version has made its way to Broadway as the score of Lebo M’s highly successful Lion King production. It is the unforgettable image of Dorothy Masuka on the cover of Drum magazine in 1955.
Gallo is keeping the sound of Van Tuka alive on your favourite music streaming service — be it Spotify, YouTube, Deezer or Apple Music. Compile your own Van Tuka playlist and let us take you back in time. To help you navigate the sounds of yesteryear and the rhythms of today, Spotify has commissioned rapper Tumi of Tumi And The Volume to put together a tribute of what SA is and the magic of its vast musical collection. The campaign celebrates our legendary musicians and their cool descendants, who have turned our music into a global treasure.
Tumi has recorded a hip-hop freestyle track that celebrates those who have taken us on this delightful joyride of sound — including himself. This Is South Africa will have you jamming to its melodic beat. “To the celebrated esteemed. The late resurrected through streams. Elevated waves, ultralight beam for HHP, Mahlathini and Prokid, Jozi, Mbongei Ngema and Trompies,” he bursts on the mike.
That is what Van Tuka sounds like: a fusion of old and new; bubblegum, Maskandi; hip-hop and jazz.
It’s Mbongeni Ngema taking an E-20 minibus taxi at Carlton Centre to see iStimela sase Zola; It’s your reaction to the intro of Trompies’ Sigiya Ngengoma (“Dem coming on a different styleee”) live on Saturday television.
It cannot be Van Tuka without Thandiswa — the original chakra hun on the Fester tip with Jack-Knife, or Mafikizolo choreographing your parties with their sumptuous hit Ndihamba Nawe, dancing with us into the new millennium. Who can forget Karen Zoid and the Parlotones rocking our souls; or Freshlyground lead singer Zolani Mahola’s haunting rendition of Nomvula, in remembrance of her late mother?
Van Tuka is Zola 7, Black Coffee, Skwatta Camp, Busi Mhlongo and Abdullah Ibrahim. It is the colourful music videos on Bop TV before the birth of 24-hour music channels. It is Prokid and K’naan rocking Diepkloof mid-Y2K. Van Tuka was there at Club 206 on 2001 Louis Botha Avenue when Flabba was Flabbergast and Slikour was phantom slick.
It’s the original makoya, flashback Fridays, the throwback of throwbacks.
Van Tuka is the heritage of this country and we at Gallo want you to enjoy these unforgettable sounds curated on the #GalloVANTUKA playlist here.
This article was paid for by Gallo Music.
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