Afrosynth South Africa Vinyl & CDs

Review: Some high-grade South African gold here, as the admirable AfroSynth imprint offers up a fresh pressing of an obscure - but utterly magnificent - set first released back in 1991. Like a lot of black South African dance music from the period, Living For The City, Citi Express's sole full-length, brilliantly blurs the boundaries between kwaito, deep house and what was then called garage-house, with a few nods to the breakbeat-driven roll of hip-house and the glassy-eyed low-warmth of UK street soul. Highlights include the MFSB-sampling, piano-sporting rush of 'Love Is The Message', the Club Zanzibar-friendly 'Victim of Your Love' and 'It's Too Late', and a superbly loved-up kwaito cover of Stevie Wonder's 'Living For The City'.

Review: Dutch label Afrosynth's latest dig into the South African scene of the 1980s and '90s focuses on the career of Kamazu, a prolific artist who released six albums and a handful of killer singles between 1986 and '97. It's a great collection, combining his better-known hits - the mid-80s boogie goodness of "Korobela" and superb 1991 Kwaito smash "Indaba Kabani" - with a quartet of lesser-known cuts from his bulging catalogue. Our picks include the slo-mo Kwaito dreaminess of "Atikatareni" and the cheery, synth bass-propelled brilliance of "Victim", though the standard throughout is dizzyingly high. A must-have for all those who love the distinctive warm, dreamy and synth-heavy sound of South African dance music from the late '80s and early '90s.

Review: South African bubblegum soul queen Ntombi enjoys a timely spotlight session as Afrosynth look back over her short-lived career and pick some of the highlights from each album she blessed us with. Leading from the front with the cult classic "Tomorrow" we're treated to highlights such as the proto tropical house harmonies and layers of "I've Got A Friend", the shinier house-focused workout "In My Mind" and a disco dancehall shaker "Mina Ngilijaji". Tomorrow is a day that never comes... Don't sleep.

Review: Back in 1991, PT House's debut album Big World introduced Soweto rapper Nelson Mohale (who was later known as Dr House) to South Africa's burgeoning house and kwaito scene. Collaborating with producer Danny Bridgens, known for his work with Yvonne Chaka Chaka and Margino, the newly formed pair fused US and UK hip-house influences with local flavours and always imbued their music with a positive outlook for the future. Now reissued for the first time on Afrosynth Records, the small but well-formed four-track record remains a bold testament to their vision and has more than stood the test of time with its vibrant energy and forward-looking spirit.