These days, Luke Beling hails from Big Island, Hawaii–a far cry from the Sunshine Coast of South Africa where he grew up. Indeed, he’s been away for quite some time now, and it seems only fitting that his latest EP is a resounding tribute to the land he first called home.
Mzansi Afrika, made alongside Andy Innes, Sipho Nxumalo, and Monde Mustwane, serves as a tribute to South Africa, first and foremost, and then to the musical legends he was raised on: the classic influence of both Paul Simon’s Graceland and Johnny Clegg’s entire repertoire.
Pulling on experiences instilled while growing up in a post-Apartheid South Africa, Beling delivers a rousing, anthemic tribute to his homeland and multifaceted struggles and triumphs he observed. Truth be told, he hasn’t been around for a while, and yet his classic influences hold poignantly in his heartfelt delivery.
Every track is weighted in familiarity. Opener “Mzansi Afrika” favours layered choral vocalism and a folk-meets-Zulu compound sound. “Madiba” follows suit as an intricate and shrewdly observed ode to Nelson Mandela, pulling on synth rhythm–while “My African Dream” sees Beling getting poetic and personal as he navigates his own experiences to counter that of the collective.
Feature pic supplied by artist
