Mamela, the music duo of Parisian talent Valentin Barbier (Boogie Vice) and South African born Gordon Mackay (El Gordo) sees its first release “Tsitsikamma Vygie” on German electronic music label Katermukke in collaboration with Pangea.
Mamela, meaning “Listen” in Sesotho, is an ode to the travels of Valentin and Gordon and is born from a trip taken up South Africa’s East Coast – following their mutual passion for the great outdoors, the pair embarked on an epic trip exploring its natural heritage by foot and road while recording and creating music from a DIY studio setup of analog gear in the back of a motorhome.
Enthused by their good friend’s dense vinyl library of rare 70’s & 80’s Afro-Funk & Soul, they loaded up a sampler and hit the road with the intention of writing tripped-out Afro-Disco inspired by the exquisite locations they were immersed in.
This collaboration between Valentin and Gordon is a reflection of both artists’ dedication to precise and detailed execution of music making, and to having as much fun while doing it as possible – using just a Sampler, a 303 Bass synthesizer; a Model D synthesizer, and gentle doses of psychedelics, the imagination behind the sounds created is translated into a sublime reality and listening experience.
“Tsitsikamma Vygie” is the first of many tracks to be released by Mamela and with its full-bodied elements of down-beat melodic techno, at a perfect 122bpm, this progressive afro-electronic sound journey is certainly a benchmark for more of what we look forward to hearing from this dynamic pair.
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