...Or, perhaps, how taxis brought South Africans to House.
The phenomenon of House Music in Southern Africa can no longer be considered underground - at least after CNN covered it. In a story today, CNN gives the "House in South Africa" narrative a twist by relating how taxi drivers led to the House sound of South Africa to popularity:
But its improbable journey to glitzy superclubs around the world may never have happened without the help of South Africa's taxi drivers.
South Africa has long been a voracious consumer of imported European House music, but over the last few years a small group of producers in Pretoria have begun experimenting with their own sound, more representative of the music of the townships they live in...
DJ Qness writes for South African dance music magazine BPM and works for Mujava's record label, Sheer Music. "In South Africa, the easiest way to the people is through the taxis," he told CNN.
South African taxis are actually small mini buses and are by far the most popular mode of public transport in a country where car ownership is limited. A Pretoria University study estimates that between five and 10 million South Africans use taxis every day.
The Township House pioneers began to give CDs of their tracks to taxi drivers. The drivers played the CDs to a captive audience of commuters and the response was incredible.
Passengers wanted to know where they could buy the tracks they were hearing, and with no record stores stocking the music, taxi drivers began selling CDs directly from taxi ranks and roadside stalls.
Qness said that even without radio play the township sound began outselling imported dance music and the record labels began to take notice. "These people created a demand," he said. "Then Mujava's 'Township Funk' blew up on the streets and everything went crazy."
Read the full story here.
