Following the Africa Rising Music Conference last year, the team members of Paradise Sound System had the opportunity to attend MTN Bushfire Festival-Eswatini’s largest internationally acclaimed music & arts festival, and there were able to experience first hand Eswatini’s creativity, artistry, and talent.
And now with the theme of Building Bridges to the world, Paradise Sound System now takes the chance to highlight and work with artists Hanwah and Qibho Intalektual on their latest body of work, the EMBILI EP!
With this EP being the Duo’s first EP release with the Berlin-based independent record label, both the artists and Paradise Sound System are looking forward to the opportunity that the EP presents-an opportunity for both the artist’s and the listeners to be honest with oneself, to be able to express one’s feelings to others, and to ensure authentic interactions with vulnerability, and the pursuit of self actualization.
Here, DMC grabs a world exclusive with Qibho for the lowdown…
Q: What led you to first begin your journey as an artist?
Qibho Intalektual- “I had stories to tell, some that were here before I even came along. Being an artist provided the ideal outlet to tell these with candor and cadence.”
Q: Did you have any figures who inspired you to become an artist? Any artists you find are similar to your sound?
Qibho Intalektual- “miles Makama, The Last Emperor, Fela Kuti, Tumi and the Volume.”
Q: How would you describe the style of your music?
Qibho Intalektual- “SWANGOMA. Indigenous chant, rhythm, shamanism and song.
Q: What inspired you to create this release? Are there any collaborations within the release that you think should be mentioned?
Qibho Intalektual- “Several things inspired the creation of this release, such as the political turmoil our country was going through at the time, the global public health crisis caused by COVID-19, the friendship between myself and Hanwah and the co-friendships that orbit around us, the perennial stage time provide to us by House on Fire, the need to create content for MTN Bushfire is right up there, the urge to share our dual strengths and some of our intimate weaknesses to engender a multi-spatial healing in our people, a brief run in with Africa Rising Music Conference which led to a relationship with Paradise Sound System that in turn ripened into a full-length EP.
Yeah, of course, Rendition who co-produced Butimba integrates a morbid bounce and haunting sonic air to the song, Gatji Bass who features on the EP’s title track masterfully accentuates the song’s equanimous moodiness into an alluring melancholy.”
Q: Do you have a process you follow when it comes to creating/writing a track?
Qibho Intalektual- “It’s mostly figuring out the approach and technique I want to employ and then rest is taken over by the muses, ancestors or the cosmic spaces!”
Q: Do you currently have any favourite tracks or artists that you’d like to mention?
Qibho Intalektual- “Absolutely, ‘Butimba’ off the Embili EP, ‘Madonna’ by Tubatsi Mpho Moloi and Msaki taken off the Synthetic Hearts EP, ‘Bonne journée’ by Stromae taken from the Maltitude album and ‘Diba Wa Ngwane’ by Diba Diba taken off the Mvelinchanti album.”
Q: What are your thoughts on performing live? Do you have a track that you really enjoy performing live?
Qibho Intalektual- “That’s where I prefer being most as an artist than anywhere else. The energy and vibration of the audience enlivens me. I do, yeah, 3 actually, ‘Indalo’, ‘Shona Malanga’ and currently ‘Indzaba Lendze’.”
Q: What do your plans look like moving forward after this release? Do you have specific goals?
Qibho Intalektual- “Myself and Hanwah have been working on a goals trajectory plan that sees us touring and solidifying our sound in the Southern African region within the first half of the year and then touring Europe in the latter part of the 2023, beginning with Germany because of the beautiful musical relationship we already have with her!”
