“Shongo Foo” is a new single by Lesothian Morena Leraba and South African producers DJ Spoko and Andre Geldenhuys from Fantasma.
Producer and singer Morena Leraba is originally a native of Ha-Mojela in Mafeteng district, located south of Lesotho’s capital Maseru. For his lyrics, he takes inspiration in Lesotho’s traditional music, poetry, and it’s sub-genre, Famo, which was introduced as early as the 1920s when Basotho men were migrant workers in South African mines. For his beats, Morena is more focused on Electro, Electronica, Afro-House and Hip-Hop.
Recently, he decided to search for new electronic music collaborators in Cape Town, South Africa, where he met Andre Geldenhuys and DJ Spoko (Marvin Ramalepe) from Spoek Mathambo’s band, Fantasma. Morena was fascinated by Geldenhuys and DJ Spoko’s record label Beatlords, a fusion of electronic music and Bacardi House.
“Shongo Foo” – which is a regional slang from DJ Spoko’s hometown of Atteridgeville in Pretoria meaning “to floss” or when “someone is flossing” – is the result of these different stylstic origins, Sesotho Famo-inspired lyrics combined with the finest of South African electronic music.
