As a PhD student studying indigenous healing music and Ngoma culture at the University of Cape Town, Nkosenathi Koela—who performs as Mntana.Wexhwele—understands the effects of sound on the human psyche. Couple that with years spent training with the elders and masters in the African traditional healing space, then the sonic alchemy performed by Mntana.Wexhwele is put into perspective. Whereas his 2020 debut project Embo Ethongweni was about finding sounds that correspond with different parts of the body, inGuqu merges the natural sounds of South Africa with traditional instrumentation and vocals. Bees buzzing, birds chirping and crashing waves literally give life to indigenous instruments such as uhadi, isitolotolo and umrhubhe, which are sporadically infused with Mntana.Wexhele’s haunting vocals.