'We are just getting started' — Major League DJz on etching their name on the global music scene

'What we have done is try to move away from that and move to the dance scene'

28 April 2023 - 08:00
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Major League DJz set their sights on taking amapiano to the dance scene genre.
Major League DJz set their sights on taking amapiano to the dance scene genre.
Image: Supplied

Twins Banele and Bandile Mbere of Major League DJz say they are ready to see the fruits of the hard work they've put into making their brand international.

The pair regularly do a popular set they've dubbed “Balcony Mixes” which has earned them fans locally and internationally.

Banele told TshisaLIVE about their Sydney Balcony Mix.

“We normally do balcony mixes in countries we go to, sometimes big and sometimes small. But in Australia we were, like, 'let's do something pretty dope', we have a big response there and also people haven't really seen Australia. So we did two balcony mixes, one in Sydney and [another in] Melbourne, they were both crazy, its different vibes, its different types of people and energy.”

The duo released a joint album titled Piano Rebulik with American electronic dance music DJ trio Major Lazer. They've also just wrapped up recording their next album expected to drop in June. 

Banele said though it may seem they have reached the ceiling in the international market, they've barely scratched the surface.

“We have a lot of work to do internationally. It's only the beginning. You might think there's not because you are in South Africa.”

He says they are steering away from being boxed just under amapiano but are taking the genre to different markets. 

“I think the genre outside South Africa, [amapiano] falls under Afrobeats a lot, so a lot of people are playing into the diaspora market. Diaspora is people that live in New York or America who are from Africa and those are the people growing the sound. What we have done is try to move away from that and move to the dance scene.

“The dance scene is more Caucasian. It is the main market so that's where we are trying to put amapiano. That's how we play it different from a lot of people, so that's our journey in where we want to take it.”

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