From the impactful rhythm of Juluka’s ‘Impi’, the stirring sounds of Miriam Makeba’s ‘Pata Pata’, or an impassioned plea in Eddy Grant’s ‘Give Me Hope JoAnna’, music born in pre-apartheid South Africa has had to this day the ability to evoke that gritty, raw essence of the struggle movement, all the while igniting the passion that makes today’s culture so alive.
In an effort to revisits and honour the profound impact of music during apartheid South Africa struggle, 608 Experiences, a division of GRID Worldwide, together with Africa’s oldest record label, Gallo Record Company, recently unveiled a remixed version of Mango Groove’s iconic song ‘Hometalk‘, in honour of Youth Month and everything it signifies.
Now reimagined by TAU (Hamzah Tajbhai), a world-renowned producer, composer, and sound engineer at 608, the latest and more soulful-sounding ‘Hometalk’ moves the song from afropop to afro house, a genre that is leading the global house music scene.
Spearheaded by world-renowned DJs like Black Coffee, 2023 Grammy winner Zakes Bantwini and DJ Shimza, afro house emanates from South Africa and has been embraced on global stages, from Tomorrowland to Coachella and Ultra Europe you name it.
Having his tracks signed by international labels such as Germany’s Get Physical and UK’s Aluku Records, TAU is no stranger to the global stage himself. His recent achievements include producing an official Afrotech remix of the late Brenda Fassie’s hit song ‘Vuli Ndlela‘.
“Reimagining legendary local music is a huge privilege and responsibility,” says TAU. “The modern remix of Mango Groove’s ‘Hometalk‘ is not only about the recreation of an iconic track, but it must also serve the same role that the original did during the 1980s. It must serve as a reminder for our youth to unite in the just cause of picking up South Africa from her knees.”
Working with the original recordings of ‘Hometalk‘, accessed from the Gallo Records archive that houses some of South Africa’s music recordings, TAU has masterfully converted the tape into digital for the new song. The results is a more evolved afro house version, with an added personal signature sounds that fuse ancient harmonies with cutting-edge sound design and syntheses. The new ‘Hometalk‘, according to producers, reflects the evolution of local music and aims to revive the spirit in the youth of today.
“We love the fact that Hometalk has found new expression in TAU’s glorious Afro House remix of the song,” says Claire Johnston, lead singer of Mango Groove. “It’s such an interesting and lateral take on the original, and we’re delighted that the song is finding new traction in SA’s urban music culture today, and is continuing to resonate and find meaning with successive generations of young South Africans. Congratulations 608!’’
As a company that curates meaningful experiences in culture and entertainment, 608’s release of the ‘Hometalk‘ remix speaks to its ambition to collaborate with iconic bands for modern rendition tributes, in addition to both producing original music and providing avenues for emerging entertainers to influence both local and global culture.
“The newly minted version of ‘Hometalk‘ is our Youth Day gift to South Africa, celebrating the profound influence that the youth of the past had on our nation, and the potential impact that the youth of today can have on our future,” Adam Byars, joint CEO of GRID Worldwide/ 608 Experiences said.
The ‘Hometalk‘ remix, released on Youth Day (June 16), is now available on digital platforms, including Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music, and Deezer. Click here to stream/listen to it.
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