Tonight is going to be all about dancing, sweating and celebrating one of the most effective rhythmic triangulations of recent years: we’re talking Durban (South Africa), Rome and London. Durban brings the music: a new urban rhythm called gqom produced (incredibly) on old PCs by ingenious young people from the townships. Rome offers Nan Kolè, who uncovered the genre whilst exploring African rhythm and founded the label Gqom Oh!. London has been spreading the genre with the Gqom Oh! Compilation The Sound of Durban Vol. 1., which immediately took hold in bass circles. Gqom is an onomatopoeic name that derives from the sound the speaker makes as it perforates the air. Gqom means finding yourself between dark sounds cut with sinuous and syncopated rythms, fragmented and ancestral house that will leave your body prey to unique rhythmic ecstasy.

MARCO CAIZZI

Read our interview with Nan Kolé from last October.

Watch a film about the Gqom genre played in taxis in Durban.

FROM ROME TO DURBAN

In collaboration with Amen & Since, we present Nan Kolè’s photographic journey from raves in ‘90s Rome to founding the Gqom Oh! Label, entirely dedicated to the electric sound of the townships of Durban.

Rave and Teknival flyers incl. the a flyer for Francesco’s Dynamo crew/sound system.
Rome, late ‘90s.

Agatha Night, Brancaleone. Rome, 2003.

Italian Dubstep Jamboree. Dj Kursk (R.I.P.), Dj Pier, Numa Crew, Dj Foster, Larssen, De Niro.
Vinyl Refresh record store, Rome, 2008.

Viral Night, on decks with Dj Pier. Rome, 2011.

Viral Night w Dj Kursk (R.I.P.), DjPier, Mael, Orree, shot by deadmeze. Rome, 2011.

Viral Night Carnival. Nan Kolé w Valentino Agunu. Rome, 2013.

Pepesoup Live Band x Radio2 w Valentino Agunu, Karima 2G, Gordon Blake. Roma, 2013.

Scenes from Woza Taxi x Crudo Volta w Tlc Fa. Shot by Tommaso Cassinis. Newlands, West Durban, South Africa 2015.