BY PHUMZILE NDLOVU
MBABANE: The Genes of the Vibe duo is set to drop a new song titled Many Faces on February 2, 2024.
The visuals for the song will be ready by the end of the month.
The duo, which consists of Mfanfikile Sandile Ntshangase (26) and Samkelo Dlamini (23), from Mbabane Mangwaneni, are producers and DJs who were nominated for the MTN SWAMA Awards in 2021, where they were nominated six times for; Best newcomer, Song of the Year, Best Music Video, Best Music Video Director, Best Collaboration, and Best House Song.
We caught up with the duo, and they told us more about their music and upcoming projects.
Tell us about the new song you’re dropping.
The song Many Faces is an expression of fondness from a girl who is in love, mentioning that her newly found love is different from others.
We worked with Sarnilo, who’s signed to Antidote and Phiwo Sax on the song.
Who did the visuals for the song?
Before we drop our single, we are going to drop our music video first, titled KwaSatan, featuring Tman Xpress (Imnandi Lento Hitmaker). The music video was shot by us with the help of other members of the team and Cinematic Alpha Visuals.
Where was it shot?
Most scenes from the video were captured in the streets of Soweto, South Africa, and the rest were taken here in Eswatini.
When did you fall in love with music?
We fell in love with music during our high school days back in 2013, and that was before we formed the group ‘Genes of the Vibe’, which formed in April 2021.
Is this your first album?
The single we dropped is our seventh single. We have been dropping singles since April 2021, and we are not looking to drop an album yet. The singles arenamely; Genes of the Vibe: Ft. Dee, the General, and Kay-Themba Lami, Genes of the Vibe: Ft. Cnxboi100 and Nicki J-Basize, Genes of the Vibe: Ft. Kwangmusik, Ngifuna Wena, Genes of the Vibe: Ritual Tunnel, Genes of the vibe: spoken spirits Genes of the Vibe: Ft. Tman Xpress, KwaSatan.
The recent song we dropped last year is titled Kulula, which features The Bishops and Sethu.
Which is your most memorable performance?
We think Kulula was our most popular performance locally; most of our fans know it from the private school piano sound. Kulula is a Deep House-light kind of song, so it brought a lot of attention to most people who know us as Amapiano producers.
Whom would you still like to work with, and why?
We would definitely still like to work with Tman Xpress. He’s kind of big now in South Africa. He’s one celebrity who’s down to earth and easy to work with.
Who are your favourite artists?
Locally, so far, our favourite artist is Sethu Magagula, the MTN Spotlight Winner; she’s just easy to work with. Globally, we’re going to pick Kelvin Momo, the private school piano pioneer; he’s an amazing producer. His sound is so unique.
What can you advise anyone who wants to venture into music?
Making music is not an easy thing to do, especially in our country, but don’t lose your passion; keep fighting; you may never know your day.
How is the competition in the industry locally?
There are a lot of good producers in the country, but we still see ourselves as number one when it comes to production.
Can our artists survive only on their talent in the country?
We really don’t think you can survive with your talent in the country, mostly because we don’t get much support here. EmaSwati doesn’t support talent; they don’t stream anything. Very few have access to Spotify or other streams.
What’s next after this project?
We will be focusing on releasing more singles, and with the right feedback from the fans, we might also consider releasing an album before the year ends. In February, we are doing a single tour in South Africa, mostly Johannesburg and Pretoria in South Africa. We plan to venture and push our sound in SA, as we believe that’s where we’re more likely to get the most support. We also dropped a Deep House Collaboration Extended Playlist (EP) with Melvin SA, who’s kind of big on Pretoria’s platforms, it proves that most of our streams come from SA, not here.
