Sensational performances by Moonchild Sanelly and Toss closes Spotify Greasy Tunes

The month-long pop up in Braam welcomed over 4,000 patrons who experienced the best of South African greasy foods and tunes. Spotify’s continued journey to amplify creators’ community, and connect them to fans was showcased this past month with the launch of Greasy Tunes Cafe in Braamfontein.

The month-long experiential pop-up paired South African food with music under a weekly themed program and came to life with activities curated from Wednesdays to Sundays. Each week opened with live podcasts recordings and quiz nights on Wednesdays, then masterclasses, artist performances, and DJ sets carried through Thursdays to Sundays.

Spotify Greasy Tunes received more than 4,000 patrons over the four weeks. Maak ‘n Plan’s live recording set the tone for the first week, themed Mint, while Glen Lewis, Lelowhatsgood, Fka Mash, Thakzin, DJ Scott the Girl, Omagoqa and more, transported patrons to South Africa’s best electronic dance music, house, and Afrotech scene.

Dance music took a different form in the following week with the theme, Amapiano Grooves. South Africa’s hottest cultural export, Amapiano, was celebrated.  That week’s live podcast recording with Gugu Nyatsumba of After School is After School featured one of the genre’s key artists, Focalistic. Focalistic’s knowledge of the genre and how he navigates his career, locally and globally, left patrons wanting more. The rest of week two saw music industry veteran Oskido play a captivating set, while Mellow & Sleazy, Pabi Cooper, Pcee, Justin99, Spotify EQUAL Africa ambassador for July Khanyisa, Chicco, KMART, Myztro, Kelvin Momo transported audiences to the Amapiano realm.

Week three started on a different note, and a day earlier, with Tyla’s exclusive first-look screening of her RADAR Africa documentary on Tuesday night. Tyla also performed her new single Water. Back to regular programming, Wednesday kicked off with a live podcast recording led by The Sobering Podcast featuring Siya Metane, a well-known Hip Hop music figure in South Africa. Themed Mzansi Raps and headlined by Nasty C, Okmalumkoolkat, DJ Akio, MashBeatz, Dee Koala, 25k, Buzzilee, DJ Kaymoworld and more, served nothing but the best of South African hip hop.

‘The Festival’, a local mix of flavours, concluded the month-long pop-up. Lee Kasumba of The African Whisperers podcast chatted to well-known choreographer Bontle Modiselle. Electrifying performances and DJ sets ruled the week courtesy of Moonchild Sanelly, Toss, Master KG, Muzi, Elaine, DJ Doowap, and more. RADAR Africa alumni Elaine serenaded the audiences, performing some of her well-known tunes like the chart-topping You’re The One while Master KG showcased his Bolo house music roots.

The activities for the Festival week also included an African Music Masterclass. The two-part masterclass first focused on the role streaming and social media played – and continues to play – in the African music industry’s growth over the past couple of years, and the collaborations between African artists both within the continent and globally that are also contributing to its growth. The second part looked at the newly launched Spotify Afrobeats site, Afrobeats: Journey to a Billion Streams, a dedicated website to track the explosive West African genre.

The panelists included, among others, Spotify Sub Saharan Head of Music Phiona Okumu, Spotify’s Artist & Label Partnerships Manager for East Africa, Monica Kemoli-Savanne, and Spotify’s Sub-Saharan Lead, Music Strategy and Operations, Warren Bokwe.

Speaking at the masterclass, Warren Bokwe said, “Africa boasts of dynamic creators with cultural diversity that’s richly expressed through different audio forms including music. African music is transcending borders and this is reflected in how its unique sounds, led by Amapiano and Afrobeats, have found a fan following far beyond its borders.”

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