DESCRIPTION
We were first introduced to Marumo’s legendary album Modiehi via DJ Okapi’s essential ‘Afrosynth’ blog, an invaluable archive chronicling South African bubblegum and disco from the 1980s and early 1990s. Without this kind of grassroots documentation, music like Modiehi might have remained hidden outside of South Africa, known only to the most dedicated diggers and collectors.
Originally released in 1982 on Spades Records, Modiehi was produced by the acclaimed West Nkosi, a member of the legendary Mahlathini & The Mahotella Queens, and a key figure in the evolution of South African pop music. Nkosi worked with some of the country's biggest names, including Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Teaspoon & The Waves, and Patience Africa.
Marumo was composed of four visually impaired musicians from the Athlone School for the Blind in Bellville, near Cape Town: John Mothopeng, Munich Sibiya, Simon Falatsi, and Marks Mbuthuma. With prior experience in groups such as Batsumi, All Rounders, and The Orations, the quartet came together to record an album that crosses genre and stylistic boundaries with remarkable ease.
Modiehi is a vibrant and soulful tapestry of Sotho soul, mbaqanga, disco-funk, gospel, and spacey synth-led slow jams. Every track brings a new flavor, a new mood, and a new layer of brilliance.
Fast-forward over three decades and dead-stock copies of Modiehi began to resurface, quickly finding their way into the DJ sets of tastemakers like Floating Points, Motor City Drum Ensemble, Invisible City Editions, and DJ Okapi himself.
We previously featured the stunning afro-disco-funk gem ‘Khomo Tsaka Deile Kae?’ on Mr Bongo Record Club Volume Three, but this reissue is about giving the full album its due — a deeply compelling record that deserves to be heard in full.
TRACKLIST
A Side
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Modiehi
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Khomo Tsaka Deile Kae?
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Molato Ke Eng
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Re A Hlopheha
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Toitoi
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A Mohau
B Side
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Bosiu Bona
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Lenyalo
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Ke Eo Terene
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Ha Se Nna Fela
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Siyahlupheka
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Ungioambela Amanga