Kalimba Soul was formed in 2016 when Mageba Ngwenya (aka: Zest) met Karabo Mahlangu (aka: Ksuga) through a mutual friend and eventually decided to collaborate on a track. The chemistry between the duo was immediately evident from the onset and the beauty of the sound that came forth forced the two longtime musicians to combine their talents indefinitely.
Just as the Kalimba is an Original African musical instrument that embodies the spirit of all the cultures of the African peoples, Kalimba Soul captures the spirit of Africa through sound. The tribal sounds are infused with modern house music to produce a festival of rich original music that can be enjoyed in the tranquillity of home or if you like can burn the dancefloor. Kalimba Soul aims to entertain for a very long time by producing timeless music that won’t be too out of place in the modern context. We had one on with this exciting duo and this is how it went down…
Sho Mag: Thank you guys for taking some time out for us. ‘Kalimba Soul’ who makes up the ‘Duo’, how did you guys hook up and when was that?
Kalimba Soul: Kalimba Soul is made by Mageba Ngwenya aka Zest and Karabo Mahlangu aka Ksuga. We met through a mutual friend named SGO aka Andile Ntuli in 2016
Sho Mag: How would you describe ‘Kalimba Soul’s sound to someone who is not familiar with your sound?
Kalimba Soul: Kalimba Soul sound is a fusion of deep house and commercial house.
Sho Mag: You have been together as a ‘Duo’ since the year 2016 and before that what have you guys been up to individually when it comes to music?
Kalimba Soul: K-suga has been working with the like of De Mogul SA, Ezra, Dj Ganyani @Dj ganyani Entertainment and Zest has been working with the famous.
Sho Mag: Rewinding back just for a moment, what would you say is your biggest challenge when it comes to following and building a career within the music industry?
Kalimba Soul: Tapping into the industry is very difficult hence there are big dawgs like your Heavy K, Prince KB and Black Motion who have invested a lot pushing their brands.
Sho Mag: You dropped your latest single last month which is titled ‘My World’ with Minah how would you describe the sound within that single?
Kalimba Soul: My world is a fusion of broken beat house music and soulful house music. The lyrics and chord progression makes the song soulful.
Sho Mag: How has the reception been towards ‘My World’ by the public?
Kalimba Soul: People are receiving it well in most of the clubs we went to.
Sho Mag: What can we expect musically from ‘Kalimba Soul’? Is there a follow up album to ‘My World’ on the cards perhaps?
Kalimba Soul: You should expect more than one type of session style. We are musicians and we do all genres.
Sho Mag: Are there any particular music projects which are worth noting ‘Kalimba Soul’ is currently working on? What can we the public expect from ‘Kalimba Soul’ in the near future?
Kalimba Soul: We are busy working with a range of artists from both Uganda and Ghana.
Sho Mag: In terms of collaborations. Who would you like to work with in your future projects and why do you think that artist would add some flavour on your project.
Kalimba Soul: We would like to work with Dj Cairo because he has a unique sound and he is our home boy.
Sho Mag: Placing you ‘On The Spot Now’, is South African House Music heading towards the right direction? Are we growing or going backwards or just standing in the same spot we were years ago?
Kalimba Soul: South Africa is growing dramatically in the music scene compared to other countries around the world. With this comes respect to all producers and musicians who are playlisted on national radio stations
Sho Mag: Closing it off, what would be your final message to some ‘young talented bedroom producer’ who is trying to crack open into House Music Industry? Lets face it, they have a huge role to play and House Music is in their hands.
Kalimba Soul: We would advise them to go study the fundamentals of making music so that we can all grow as musicians.