A groovy house track can be heard coming from inside the legendary Kalawa Jazmee Records building in Gallo Manor, Johannesburg. Could this be the next December anthem? “Ngifun’ukjaiva ngibuye k’sasa? (I want to party all night and come back tomorrow)” are the lyrics, and the beat is infectious.
Jotham “Vetkuk” Mbuyisa and Zynne “Mahoota” Sibika are in the studio, mixing, listening and engineering the perfect sound. Vetkuk, whose name conjures the popular deep-fried South African street food, turns around and asks: “What do you think of the beat?” “I’m ready to dance to it at your 20-year anniversary party,” I say, prompting laughter.
The duo, who joined forces in 2001 with the release of the house music compilation album Vetkuk vs Mahoota on 1 September, is celebrating two decades in sound. And as we move to a quieter room, the story about how Vetkuk vs Mahoota came to be unfolds. Vetkuk, however, has one request: ”Don’t ask me how I got my name.”
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