Just like the skin-colour-changing lizard inspired Siphamandla Innocent Nene’s stage name, China Charmeleon, his deep house productions take on different hues—plated with bright synth lines, darkened by dim pads, or embellished with dusty soul samples. China Charmeleon’s inventiveness has not only impressed fans but has also earned him cosigns from South African house veterans such as Vinny Da Vinci and DJ Christos. After struggling to make a living as a musician in his small hometown Carolina in the Mpumalanga province, he relocated to Johannesburg, where his life changed in 2018. There, his music reached influential DJ/producer Kid Fonque. Fonque mentored the then-emerging producer but released his music through his label Stay True Sounds, home to a vanguard of progressive South African dance music artists. Fitting right in, the prolific producers churned out a few EPs, his 2020 debut album Colours, and was tasked with remixing 13 songs from the label’s Remixes Stay True Sounds, STS’s 100th release. Pulling off different tricks for each remix, China Charmeleon proved his versatility is unmatched.