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21 May 2023

Since introducing the Afro Tech festival to the Gaborone International Music Concert (GIMC) bouquet, the audience have been mesmerised with awe inspiring sets by the most iconic DJs and live acts at the Afro Tech editions.

The recent fourth edition of Afro Tech festival at Game City Roof Top was no different, as it yet again combined the most diverse talent in the afro tech genre with sophistication to detail on stage as well as the venue set up for its revellers.

Pretoria based local DJ Tefo Foxx, born Tefo Phokoje, enjoyed home ground, setting the dance stage into a groovy electrifying afro-trance. 

“As a DJ, the more you play the more you know what your audience wants. I know my people and that gave my set the response I wanted,” said Tefo Foxx confidently.

“Today I felt like I killed it, I was way too much in it and hungry to entertain my people,” he said. Tefo Foxx expressed gratitude to the GIMC Afro Tech organiser Fish Pabalinga for recognising his talent and potential and believing in him.

“One can only work harder and deliver so that they get a call again,” he noted. Soon to release a single with Sun El Musician and Simi, Tefo Foxx noted that he was busy working on a project that would be out end of this year. He advised other musicians to be consistent in their craft and work hard. 

“The secret is simple. Give your work the love and put the heart to it. When you love your work, it will love you back,” he advised, adding that they also needed to be patient and not rush for fame.

Earlier on, another act from South Africa, Mpho.Wav who has visited Botswana while working with Simi also gave the audience a steamy rendition of his set.

“This is my first time in Botswana as a DJ and the audience has been amazing, the musicians and DJs are all amazingly vibrant,” Mpho.Wav said of his experience.

The crowd loved him, as they danced and mingled through his drumming percussions.

“My vibe is to groove and give my audience the love,” said the versatile DJ and producer, who does not only play afro tech, but Electronic Dance Music (EDM) as well. “But afro tech is my main thing,” he stated.

Mpho.Wav praised afro tech saying it is ‘the hottest thing coming up, stay tuned for more artists as we are coming through strong.”

“I am hoping to work with a lot of artistes here because I have heard of amazing vocalists whom I am yet to meet and take it from there,” Mpho.Wav said excitedly.

Closing the Afro Tech 4.0 night was the Black Motion duo.

Despite the audience’ uncertainties as to whether the duo would pull a performance to the original duo,  the pair stunned the audience and echoed the dance floor with their ‘spirit’ drums and hypnotised the partiers. With Thabo ‘Smol’ Mabogwane on drums and the new member Kabelo ‘Problem Child’ Koma on the turn-tables, their mighty instruments and turn-tables vibrantly thundered as they commanded the audience to move along to the tunes and dance.

The dance floor went wild as the duo interacted with them at intervals. 

The audience kept up with the adrenaline performance of the duo as the energetic set carried the night into early hours.

During an interview after their performance, Black Motion indicated that Afro Tech genre was the most penetrating in Africa with regard to the youth, particularly when they wanted a stamp on establishment in their music career. 

“Afro Tech is where it should be and where it needs to be in the world, growing bigger and allowing more crowds to be joining in,” noted Smol. 

Sharing the sentiments with Tefo Foxx, Smol encouraged musicians and DJs to stay true to their craft and do what was best for themselves.

“It is a matter of believing in yourself, and there should not be anything to prove when you know you are doing great,” he said. GIMC Afro Tech fest continues to push boundaries and bring unparalleled combination of the DJs in the game, with strongholds as well as newbies from South Africa and Botswana.

One of the coordinators of the festival Thapelo ‘Teaz’ Koitsiwe noted that the genre was getting to a space where they wanted it for this festival. 

“The fourth edition was amazing, it is not the normal one. 

It is more of the hybrid of afro tech,” said Teaz, who was also part of the performing acts.

He said there is the demand in Botswana as evidenced by the numbers and the caliber of DJs who play at Afro Tech fest. DJ Darque from South Africa, also in the line-up of Afro Tech 4.0, was one of the minds behind Kunye Afro Tech fest at home, an afro tech live show made popular by Grammy Award winner Zakes Bantwini.

GIMC Afro Tech has also in the past birthed collaborations between South Africa and Botswana musicians.

Benny T, a renowned local DJ who was also an act in the fourth edition, collaborated with Enoo Napa, an afro tech DJ from Durban, South Africa who once also performed in the GIMC Afro Tech.

“When there are musical events such as these, managers, producers, vocalists and artistes should be in attendance so that they can benchmark and create relations with big guns from South Africa, because once you penetrate the South African market it gets easier to get other markets out there,” Teaz advised Botswana musicians, saying events such as GIMC Afro Tech are the best platforms to ‘export our talent via South Africa.’ ends