29 Jan 2014

A sizzling quad of artists makes the group Team Distant. A force to reckon with, they are sure going to turn up the volume in the music circles.

The four young men are students at the Limkokwing University of Creative Technology. They met at university and shared a common desire of producing music.

House music is their passion and they ventured and explored it to the core, from the sensual beats of Afro-pop house to the loud soothing rhythms of deep house.

Team Distant said they initially identified a gap in the market, that commercial house music was lacking in Botswana and they capitalised on that. They further incorporated indigenous languages in their songs, especially Sesubiya and added drums to their music.

Their first debut single, Onikorota was released in November 2012, and it introduced the group to the music industry. A Durban house version beat was used in the song fused with some Sesubiya music. Onikorota is translated as “you owe me”.

Another single known as Kavengoma was produced in 2013 and blew the air waves and was number one at several charts of radio stations all over the country. This hit propelled them to greater highest and gave them ample exposure to house lovers.

The group is still working on their debut album which they promise will be a hit. They mentioned that they did not limit themselves when composing the album; they broke boundaries and mixed a little bit of jazz, traditional music and all genres of house music to produce the album. The album is due for release later this year.

Team Distant expressed interest in making future collaborations with artists around the world. These include the likes of the famous Salif Kheita, DJ Black Coffee from South Africa, and Jimpstar from Europe together with working with local artists in order to broaden their listenership.

Not only have they redefined house music by lacing it with Afro-pop and other genres. They are in every musical concerts line up, including the recent Back to School bash, last year they toured the country and took part in an international festival in Lesotho.

The group’s manager, Pukka Entaile explained that there is more to come and they are looking at expanding their music into the African and European markets.

In addition to this, Entaile said “We are looking to partner with any organisation to fly the flag of Botswana in embracing and selling our arts globally, integrating our culture with the western culture. We are also making sure that our cultural languages such as Sesubiya do not get extinct.”

Team Distant will light up the stage at the upcoming musical concert on Friday at Botswana Craft were Zahara will be performing. “Expect to see a totally new, empowered Team Distant performance and a combination of traditional and urban house music performances that will show our growth”, he says. ENDS