Sho Mag Afro House Magazine
The prospect of 2019 is already proving to be a bright one for the Afro House music scene. The discovery of new rising stars signifies the undeniable growth of the “Eswatini Afro House Music”. The latest addition being “Parcel”, fresh from his self-titled debut EP “Sho Mag” brings you the “one on one” we had with him.
Very big welcome to Sho Mag and thank you for setting some time aside for this “one on one”. Can you start off by telling us who “Parcel” is and where is he from?
Thank you so much for the welcome. My birth name is “Sibusiso Bongani Zungu” from Mbabane, Eswatini. I’m a dance music DJ/Producer with a particular focus on Afro House. I fell in love with music at a very young age, I grew up listening to Gospel, Kwaito and RnB music and later on I started singing in a local church choir. That’s where I got a bit knowledge about music and that’s where I started exploring music more. I found house music most interesting and in 2015 I started music production using FL Studio.
How did the stage name “Parcel” come about and what made you to go along with it?
It’s a childhood nickname. I don’t know why my friends called me that but I liked it and it stuck.
What would you say is your contribution within the House Music Scene. Would you categories yourself as a deejay or a producer, or do you just do both and why so?
House music has grown so much over the years that it has become one of the biggest genres in Africa. My contribution is bringing my own new sound, a new perspective that will hopefully amplify the growth of the genre and dance culture in Africa. I am both a DJ and producer. Nowadays you need to be able to do both because if you make music and still rely on others to play your music, then it decreases your chances of making it in this industry.
What does “House Music” mean to “Parcel”, and out of all the music genres out there what made you choose House Music?
For me, house music is happiness, it’s a positive feeling. It feels like home!
How would you describe your sound and where do you draw inspiration from for that sound?
My sound is a fusion of many genres. There is soul, jazz, some techno and a whole lot of African and electronic sounds. I’m inspired by greats such as “Black Coffee, Manoo and Da Capo”, to mention a few.
“Afro House Music” has shown massive improvement when it comes to production quality. Just to put you on the spot. In your opinion, what makes a perfect “Afro House Song”
Personally, I think you need to be able select the right type of sound, it’s an “afro house song” so obviously you are going to need more of African sounds in it. The diversity in the application of this sound is key and of course it must make the people dance!
We were blown away by your recent debut offering “The Parcel EP”. “Big Up” for representing your hood in such an awesome way. What was the inspiration behind that banging offering
Thank you for the feedback, I’m glad it had such an effect. The inspiration behind the EP is love, the love of music, people and life.
Simple! Can you please run us through your music production process?
Firstly, I create a tune in my head, sometimes I would dream of it. Then, I lay down the idea on FL Studio. I will work around on that idea until it becomes a song and when I am satisfied, I then send it to a vocalist if need be, but if not I send it to the people I trust for some fresh pointers and advice.
The banger of a jam “Ngiyatifela Ngawe” with powerful and sexy “Swati Vocals” brought down by “Temantungwa”, how did that come about?
I had a couple of awesome beats that needed vocals, and this one day I was chilling at the studio after working on a song, a different song, and “Temantungwa” came by. I was told she could really sing, I didn’t know her by that time. We got to know each other and she was willing to work with me, so with started listening to the beats and she liked the beat for “Ngiyatifela Ngawe”. We started writing and we chose a concept about an undying love.
Music should be made for the “masses”. How has “The Parcel EP” been received by the public and deejay community at large?
It’s really mind blowing seeing people appreciating my music, talking about it, dancing to it and the feeling of hearing other DJs playing my music is amazing. The overwhelming feedback from the biggest names in the industry is a priceless feeling.
“The Parcel EP” was a great way to start a year. Are the any musical projects on the pipeline we can expect from you this year?
Definitely, you should expect a new EP real soon and a couple of remixes.
Your five best musicians of all time from any genre and why?
Lionel Richie
Oliver Mtukudzi
Nina Simone
Adele
Selif Keita
I love their sound, their song writing and their voices.
In closing, any last words to the people out there who support you and your music?
To everyone who is supporting me and my music, I want you to know that I love you so much and I’m immensely grateful for your love and support.
