You might know Tshepang Ramoba from the Jozi rocker outfit BLK JKS. These days he’s channeling some energy into a side solo project, and diving into more ambient, hip hop related waters.
His latest single “Lefase” comes ahead of an EP, due to drop in June, and is a soothing ode to the world – and earth – at large. Pivoted on a singular bassline which serves as the intro before jangling guitar fleshes things out, the track navigates a crooning R&B continuum, while a driving hip-hop verse or two – via Texas-based duo Riders Against The Storm (RAS) – injects halfway through. But at the core it’s a moving, deeply African tribute to the land, told in Sepedi and inspired by a struggle song by Blondie Makhene.
The video keeps things funky with an off-beat, almost trippy, animation. Disembodied heads float through space, an assembly of what I can only term wise men take to a mountaintop. There’s an undeniably wholesome spiritual context within it, if you look close enough.
Ramoba delivers with the sort of simplicity and poise that pits him, almost by accident, a head and shoulders above the rest.
Feature pic supplied by artist
