Zambia’s Milky Way The DJ echoes the same sentiments. Growing up playing music for her friends and family in Kitwe’s Copper Belt, music was always a part of her, with house and amapiano being the avenues in which she really shines. A social worker by day, the same care and consideration for others’ wellbeing extends to her dancefloor experiences. For her, as much as amapiano is still dominant, Afro house has a strong swell across the region, especially with the establishment of Sosha Records, one of Zambia’s first labels dedicated to Afro house, with its release of a 3-Step remix of ‘Aicha’ by Ghedi bringing new energy to El Mukuka, Eran Hersh and Mumba Yachi’s track. She explains that EDM, pop and hip hop are all easily found in Zambian scenes, but the country’s approach to Afro house leans more to South African sentiments of the sound than it does to the Western ideas of Afro house currently circulating.
“3-Step is definitely different, and once it gets you, it gets you. Thakzin’s ‘Horns in the Sun’ and Heavy K’s latest album are the ones that are making the most impact as introductions to the sound, and it’s making strides in pushing the sound forward to inspire folks like DJ Drill in his track ‘Kuziva’. What’s interesting is that a lot of audiences don’t even know that what they are playing is 3-Step, they just know it as more Afro house, because the sound of it is so Pan-African as opposed to other EDM. As much as we know Afro house is held by South Africa, we’re trying to make it our own way with our languages and cultures here in Zambia, as we have our own genres like Zamrock and Kalindula to draw from. It’s in the spirit of being unique, while adding our own flavours, because what we want is to help house become more Pan-African.”
This is the liberation today’s Afro house musicians bring to every dancefloor. For many, 3-Step’s timing, ingenuity and influence has opened up a world of possibility where fearlessness, ownership and re-centering are key. As much as house music has taken on many iterations, there is one truth. Its legacy started – and continues to multiply – on the African continent.
