PAM met the South African producer, Ziddo, who brings his ethereal style to the Seres Produções label with a vibrant debut EP. Listen to “Inkabi,” exclusively with PAM.
The essential Angolan label, Seres Produções, is a talent spotter and incubator for some of the most talented young producers in Afro house and beyond, having already launched the careers of Bun Xapa and PolBack to name just two. Today, the young Ziddo joins this growing family with a debut EP that shows his deep, melodic and singular style. Also a singer and songwriter, Tshepo Kumalo fell in love with Afro house, Afro tech and deep techno and began producing tunes in 2018, determined to represent Thaba Nchu, the city of the Free-State where he comes from. He tells us the story so far …
What is your musical background and how did you become an Afro house producer?
At a very young age, I would tag along with my mother to the church choir rehearsals. I eventually became part of the church choir as well as the school choir, which I really enjoyed. In late 2018 I started producing my first projects and they were deep house because it has always been a genre I love. DJ’s from my hometown, Thaba Nchu, great artists like Les Da Dj, About Music, Revelation, Kay Rhythm & Mellow Bee ,just to name a few, led me on the trail to Afro House because they would play it at events and that’s where I saw my potential.
We can hear acoustic elements such as guitar, piano … Is it important for you to merge acoustic and electronic?
Yes it is. I am a very musical individual and I believe that every sound I choose to put on my tracks resonates, firstly, with the artist that I am. I love sounds that have emotion in them. I play them on a minor scale to derive that specific quality of the emotion.
How did you end up on Seres Produções and how did you meet Satelite?
Late last year, 2020 – that’s when I finished my EP and I wanted a great label that could help me release it. That’s when a very close friend of mine, Bun Xapa, linked me up with the pioneer of house music, Dj Satelite. He has played a very important role in making sure that my projects are pushed & played, like my first release under the label, “Metáfora Remix,” that had the potential to get into the top 100 on the Traxsource Charts.
What roles do Vibe Afrika and TorQue MuziQ play on this EP?
The Vibe Afrika duo and I have come a long way and we have a great relationship. I invited them to my studio and we discussed the concept of “Lesedi” in a very short period of time. We had the complete direction of the song in less than an hour. Very talented people.TorQue MuziQ, too, a very humble guy. I met him in 2019 and we worked on amazing projects like “Power” and the two tracks I did with him on the iSphuzo project. A very good Producer.
What is your definition of a good Afro house tune?
An Afro house/tech song with nice minor scale piano chords and melodies here and there, with a fusion of strings is music to my ears.
What can we expect from you in the near future?
I’ll be releasing more good music from here onwards, really dope singles and I’m also bringing hot international collaborations and collaborations from SA as well.
The EP is available on Traxsource, find it here.
