In an endeavour to reintroduce these profound emotions to South Africa’s young generation, 608 Experiences, a division of GRID Worldwide, together with Africa’s oldest record label, Gallo Record Company, has launched a remixed version of Mango Groove’s iconic song Hometalk, in honour of Youth Day and everything it signifies.
Originally released in 1990 by Tusk Music, Mango Groove’s Hometalk paid homage to the values of a liberated South Africa. It’s uplifting sound and memorable lyrics spoke to what it was to come home, free from oppression, poverty and inequality.
Now reimagined by TAU (Hamzah Tajbhai), a world-renowned producer, composer, and sound engineer at 608, the latest and more soulful-sounding Hometalk moves the song from Afropop to Afro House – a genre that is leading the global House music scene. Spearheaded by global DJs like Black Coffee, Zakes Bantwini and DJ Shimza, Afro House emanates from South Africa and has been embraced on global stages like Tomorrowland and Coachella.
Having his tracks signed by international labels such as Germany’s Get Physical and UK’s Aluku Records, TAU is no stranger to the global stage himself. His recent achievements include producing an official Afrotech remix of Brenda Fassie’s hit song “Vuli Ndlela.”
“Reimagining legendary local music is a huge privilege and responsibility,” says TAU. “The modern remix of Mango Groove’s Hometalk is not only about the recreation of an iconic track, but it must also serve the same role that the original did during the 1980s. It must serve as a reminder for our youth to unite in the just cause of picking up South Africa from her knees.”
As a company that curates meaningful experiences in culture and entertainment, 608’s release of the Hometalk remix speaks to its ambition to collaborate with iconic bands for modern rendition tributes, in addition to producing original music.
