Diepkloof United VoiceDiepkloof United Voice - Harmonizing Soweto: Golden City Gospel & Kasi Soul from the new South Africa [Picture Disc]

Format: LP, Pic Disc
Catalogue No.: OSTLP015PD
Barcode: 827565063017
Release Date: 24 Nov 2023
Genre: International/Christian/Gospel/Urban Contemporary Gospel

01: Too Late for Mama - Diepkloof United Voice
02: Baninzi - Diepkloof United Voice
03: Round & Round - Diepkloof United Voice
04: Sipo - Diepkloof United Voice
05: Who Knows - Diepkloof United Voice
06: Nomalizo - Diepkloof United Voice
07: My Brother - Diepkloof United Voice

In apartheid-era South Africa, gospel music provided solace and served as a tool for covert communication to circumvent the censorship of the settler regime. By the 2010s, South African gospel, deeply ingrained in the soul of Soweto, assumed a new role—as a heartfelt cry against persistent failures and shortcomings, a cry mourning a South Africa that never materialized.

A new South Africa needed a new gospel sound.

In 2016, nine young men from different parts of Diepkloof, a celebrated neighbourhood brimming with talent within Soweto's sprawling township, came together to form the sound of a new South Africa under the name Diepkloof United Voice.

Diepkloof United Voice's music has gone viral multiple times on TikTok, YouTube, and Facebook, garnering between 60,000 to 2 million views. The comments section displays flag emojis from Brazil to India, showcasing the global reach of their music.

This album was recorded on site in Soweto, in an abandoned classroom of Lebowa Elementary School in Diepkloof Zone 3, where the choir rehearsed for years. Amid rolling blackouts, Diepkloof United Voice poured their heart, soul, and vocal chords into their debut record, combining classic South Africa gospel, Soweto's own kasi soul, American blues, and Zulu flavor, to present the contemporary gospel sound of a changing South Africa.

The promise of a new South Africa might finally be realized, as Diepkloof United Voice guarantees the country's future is guided by the truth, uttered with each gasp of breath from their inimitable voices.

““Spellbinding”
— Uncut Magazine

“(More than) 10/10”
— Truth & Lies

“Unaccompanied and with their voices providing the percussive effect, the effect is earthy and electrifying. Fabulous stuff.” ★★★★”
— Songlines

More From This Artist: Diepkloof United Voice