Bantu’s Evolution Through Music

Okalango kwaito artist Bantu shows tremendous improvement of his musical prowess across the board of his two albums – ‘The Tower Of Babel’ and ‘Ekhaya’.

Bantu’s first album, ‘The Tower of Babel’, kicks off on a high note with ‘Pamba’ as he collaborates well with Fishman on this track. However, the song drags on for too long, leaving you lost in your own thoughts, rather than in the music.

Bantu’s spirit carries through to the second track, ‘Mukwafeleni’, and Frieda also offers her musical expertise on this track. The keyboard and drums provide the much-needed kick to this track to keep the beat on a high tempo.

This signature sound of the first two tracks transcends through to the next two as well, however Bantu brings in a slight change on track five, ‘Tower of Babel’. Starting off with smooth acoustic guitar and transitioning slowly into the keyboard and drums, it has a more soulful and mellow feel to it.

Reaching track six, it becomes apparent that Bantu has recycled the instrumentals thus far, only switching up the arrangements. The dynamics of each track don’t differ much, if at all. Unfortunately, the next track resembles its predecessors. ‘Silas Ndapuka’ then switches up the style slightly, giving a refreshing sound to the album.

The same can be said about ‘Mapendafule’ which features Amadazflo. This track has more depth to it than the others given the sound and arrangements of the instrumentals. The vocals on this track also significantly improved.

Track 10, ‘Never Gvup’ featuring Eliab, also ups the game a bit with its introduction of trumpets. This song could easily be the most enjoyable on ‘The Tower Of Babel’. The album ends off with ‘Nyifika’.

This track stays true to an authentic kwaito sound and finishes the project off with good vibes.

When it comes to the cover art, it’s easy to see this is the artist’s first attempt as it resonates with the “all over the place” feeling of the album.

Looking at Bantu’s next project, ‘Ekhaya’, however, the artist comes across as much more put together, and hopefully the music will reflect this.

Bantu teams up with Frieda once again on the first track of ‘Ekhaya’. The kicks and drum lines on ‘Ombibeli’ produce a catchy hook, something that was missing more often than not on his first offering. The mastering of ‘Ombibeli’ gives high hopes for the rest of the album.

It seems as if this album will definitely sport a different ambience than its predecessor. ‘Tokongo’ incorporates the keyboard in a creative fashion as it links with the rest of the instrumentals. Bantu’s vocals thus far also sound slightly more refined.

Jomolizo accompanies Bantu on ‘Kaboyi’, producing a very passionate, slower-than-usual kwaito track. The arrangements on ‘Ekhaya’ don’t seem to be as repetitive as Bantu’s previous album.

Although the songs are slightly lengthy, the dynamics manage to keep your attention. Having said that, track four loses the plot slightly. The album could have done without its inclusion.

‘Ekhaya’ raises the standard again while accompanying the acoustic guitar, with the keyboard and drums to deliver an Afro-jazz sound, which mixes well with the artist’s style and personality. This track could, however, have done without the synthetic sounds which occasionally feature. Having said this, it is evident why this is the title track.

‘Lambalala’ starts with choral expertise before transitioning into a funky, truly Namibian house beat. Although the sound of this track isn’t necessarily original and has a recycled sound, it brings much needed flavour to album, as well as to the progression of the artist’s style.

Bantu continues to show improvement throughout his album, as track nine, ‘Ndaloloka’, has more acoustic and jazzy vibes merged well with a kwaito sound. He then turns it down on ‘Underground Cable’ with more mellow sounds, and a slower tempo.

Bantu’s amelioration of ‘Ekhaya’ is evident throughout the rest of the album, displaying that this project is more refined, even down to the much simpler and cleaner album cover art. The album ends off with the instrumentals of ‘Lambalala’ – something this album definitely needed.

In an age of information overload, Sunrise is The Namibian’s morning briefing, delivered at 6h00 from Monday to Friday. It offers a curated rundown of the most important stories from the past 24 hours – occasionally with a light, witty touch. It’s an essential way to stay informed. Subscribe and join our newsletter community.