Nozinja

Frequently credited with the creation and advancement of Shangaan electro, a frantic hybrid dance-music style, Nozinja is a South African talent scout, promoter, producer, musician, and DJ who is from Gyani, Limpopo but based in Soweto. Musicologist Wills Glasspiegel helped facilitate an association with London, England's Honest Jon's label, which helped the sound of Shangaan electro spread through the 2010 compilation Shangaan Electro: New Wave Dance Music from South Africa. Compiled by the label's Mark Ainley with Mark Ernestus (owner of Berlin record shop Hard Wax, and also of Basic Channel), the set credited Nozinja as the producer of 180-BPM tracks by the likes of Tshetsha Boys and Tiyiselani Vomaseve, as well as Zinja Hlungwani, Nozinja's daughter. It provided a mere fraction of the output Nozinja was behind. Shangaan Shake, featuring remixes from leading progressive electronic artists like Ricardo Villalobos, Anthony "Shake" Shakir, and Actress, followed in 2012. Meanwhile, Nozinja produced video clips, uploaded to YouTube, which provided outsiders with a greater understanding of accompanying dance styles. Warp signed Nozinja, whose first release for the label was the 2014 single "Tsekeleke." He toured abroad, including dates in England, France, Belgium, and Germany.