'Shangaan Electro'

South Africa's Nozinja just signed to Warp records - home of Aphex Twin, Boards of Canada, Flying Lotus, Hudson Mohawke and more. 

Nozinja is the South African artist famous for creating the revolutionary dance movement dubbed 'shangaan electro’. A 21st century reboot of local folk tradition, Tsonga disco, kwaito and South African house, Nozinja has transcended these reference points to dream up an innovative and iconic Afro-futurist strain of electronic dance music. There is nothing quite like a Nozinja production: it is home-grown rave music in its purest form.Nozinja is acting as a kind of ambassador for the Shangaan people. Shangaan Electro - the rapid fire 180bpm South African dance phenomenon - Nozinja keeps his explanation of the geographical location and history of the nation brief: they are one of the smallest tribes in southern Africa, living in Mozambique and Zimbabwe, as well as in the Limpopo province of north east South Africa, beside Kruger National Park. In South Africa, where Nozinja and the dancers with him are from, they are a minority. One thing he doesn't mention in his brief history is that the Shangaan people who live next to the National Park do so because in the early twentieth century they were forcibly removed from their ancestral land to make room for it. Shangaan men also migrated to Johannesburg to work in the gold mines. 

Nozinja's sound has found a particular kinship with other forward thinking electronic producers and DJs, with fans and champions including Caribou, The Knife, Mount Kimbie and Pearson Sound. A high profile series of 12”s on Honest Jon's featured Theo Parrish, Rashad & Spinn, Ricardo Villalobos, Hype Williams and others remixing Shangaan tracks, subsequently compiled on the 'Shangaan Shake' double CD. 2013 saw the release of 2 brand new Nozinja cuts (under various pseudonyms) on Dan Snaith's (Caribou, Daphni) Jiaolong label.

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http://vimeo.com/81210594

https://soundcloud.com/nozinja

http://thequietus.com/articlngaan-electro-nozinja-interview