Idolar (Vinyl LP)

Awesome Tapes From Africa head honcho Brian Shimkovitz recently posted, "I'm excited to finally unleash Moskito on the masses!", and when Brian's excited, we're excited. This killer debut from South African kwaito group Moskito first landed in the early 2000s, not that you'd know it by the 90s-style production, funky samples, and free-flowing rhymes. Take the man's word for it and give these mad jams a spin! - Flying Out

In the vibrant streets of Tembisa, South Africa, amidst the sprawling urbanity connecting Johannesburg and Pretoria, the story of Moskito began. Formed in 2001 by Mahlubi "Shadow" Radebe and the late Zwelakhe "Malemon" Mtshali, the group first emerged as a powerhouse of pantsula dancers. However, their undeniable passion for music soon led them down a new path one that would cement their place in kwaito history. Spending countless hours on the street corners of their township, where they were born and raised, Shadow and Malemon danced and sang with an infectious energy that attracted crowds. It wasn't long before the duo decided to channel their talents into a kwaito group, and after adding friends Petrick Iwane and Menzi Dlodlo, Moskito was born.

(Pantsula dancing emerged in the 1950s among Black South Africans in townships and continually evolved until it became intertwined with kwaito music culture. The stylized, rapid foot movements and characteristic low-dancing became associated with kwaito as it took over South African urban culture into the early 2000s.) With limited resources, the group displayed immense creativity, recording demos using two cassette decks and instrumental tracks from other artists. They would rap and sing over an instrumental playing on one deck while the second deck records their performance. Their determination paid off when they submitted their demo to Tammy Music Publishers, who were captivated by Moskito's style. "Kwaito was the thing 'in' at the time. If you did music you did kwaito. We wanted to fit in and actually it was easy," says Radebe. "We didn't have engineers in the group, so the first time in a real studio was with Percy and Thami to record Idolar." That same year, the group released their debut album, Idolar, under Tammy Music. The album was an undeniable success reaching gold status selling over 25,000 units and earning them a devoted fan base across South Africa and neighboring countries like Botswana, Swaziland, Namibia and Zimbabwe. Moskito collaborated with industry legends such as Chilly Mthiya Tshabalala, who was known for his work with Thiza and Spoke "H." They drew inspiration from Thami Mdluli a.k.a Professor Rhythm, who had dominated the disco scene back in the 80s and 90s. Mdluli helped with musical arrangements and executive produced the album and signed on producer-engineer Percy Mudau, while Shadow and Malemon took pride in composing most of their songs. Like many of the rising kwaito artists of the time, they didn't have music production or engineering backgrounds so they required support from engineers together their ideas down on tape. They were inspired from South African kwaito icons like Trompies, Mdu, Mandoza, and Arthur Mafokate, alongside international heavyweights like Snoop Doggy Dogg, Dr. Dre, 2Pac, and R. Kelly, Moskito created a sound that was uniquely theirs a perfect blend of local flavor and global influence. Riding on the wave of their success, the group released their second album, Izinja, in 2004, which was met with similar enthusiasm. The title track turned out to be their biggest hit. Then, in 2006, they welcomed a new member, Tshepo "Nyamazane" Naapo, a gifted keyboard player and sound engineer. With fresh energy and talent infused into the group, Moskito dropped their self-titled album, Moskitos, in 2007, which further solidified their place in the kwaito scene. Eventually, each member went separate ways, recording their own solo albums and drifting apart creatively after Moskitos. Sadly, in 2024 Mtshali passed away. However nowadays, Moskito is working on a brand-new EP exploring new sounds. And they continue to perform around South Africa. With decades of experience and the same passion that started it all, they are ready for action once again.

Tracklist:

1. Idolar
2. Why Wena
3. Kwenzenjani
4. Impohlo
5. Thula Msindo
6. Mashonisa
7. Woza
8. Sdudla
9. Baby
10. Izozo