KhiweG finds solace in self-awareness in her latest EP, Bhotani, which serves as much as a meditative consideration on the highs and lows of life, as it does a gorgeously rendered snapshot of sonic culture.
Her’s is a fine-tuned navigation of electronic and organic confluence. Driving beats and broad electronic soundscapes are tempered by heady acoustic percussion and her honeyed vocals. The entirety of the EP is sung in isiXhosa and yet, whether you understand the language or not, the nuance always carries through.
The whole EP reads like a coming of age story. Opener “Sana Lwam” leans on a thudding traditional beat and sweeping electronics as it navigates the tale of a child seeking advice from a grandparent before she sets out into the world. “Ngeke Ng’vume” strips things back with woody percussion and breezy vocals takes the next step in the tale as the child, confident now, steps out into the world.
Trials and tribulations abound in the liquid electronic melody of “Thongo Mamela”, which hinges on an emotive rhythm and earthy acoustics, before “Kwee Cwaka” wraps things up with watery percussion and a stripped bassline, backed by melodic cries and shouts centred around the contradictions of the world we live in.
Bhotani, at its core, plays out like a folktale, wrapped in Afro-centric delicacy and gorgeously delivered authenticity.
Feature pic supplied by artist
