South African artists take centre stage with Splice Sessions

Splice recently touched down in Mzansi and launched Splice Sessions: South Africa, putting the spotlight on local amapiano, gqom, Afro tech, Afro house and tech talent. A combination of heavy drums, simmering percussion and spirit-lifting vocals, Splice Sessions: South Africa takes you to the heart of the local dance scene.

Produced in Johannesburg as a collaboration between the Splice team and local artists, these packs dive deep into the sounds, instruments and culture of the region. The sessions were recorded at the Jazzworx recording studio in Johannesburg.

The producers worked alongside veteran and rising South African musicians, including Kooldrink, who has worked with Tyla, and Alun, Dr Feel, Afro tech duo Kususa and legendary guitarist Themba Mokoena, who has worked with artists such as Sibongile Khumalo, Miriam Makeba and Dorothy Masuka.

Splice Sessions previously travelled to Senegal and Anguilla to bring local trends to the forefront of music creation and help music creators bring their creative ideas to life. In South Africa, musicians and producers who carry the soul, depth, and unmistakable energy of South Africa’s musical heartbeat were selected.

“Partnering with Splice has been an amazing opportunity to elevate the authentic sounds of South Africa,” said Kususa.

“We're very excited to share our pack and hope that it inspires other producers.” Kooldrink said.

“Putting together the Amapiano Pop pack for Splice was such a fun experience. Amapiano has its own unique vibe, and I wanted to make it easy for producers everywhere to tap into it. I can’t wait to share this with South Africa and the world — hope it inspires more artists to play around with the sound and push it even further.”

Kenny Ochoa, Splice's senior vice-president of content, said they are excited to bring South African sounds to creators around the world.

“Genres like Afro house, Afro tech, and amapiano are shaping the future of music. The team had an incredible time working with these local musicians to capture the energy of South Africa and Johannesburg and the result is electric.”