Gemini

For his fifth studio album, the South African house heavyweight embarks on a sonic adventure. On Gemini, house music is a vehicle for a variation of genres and production styles. A violin solo harmonises with Ami Faku’s ethereal vocals on the lush “Zimbali”, while “Jazz According to House” lives up to its name as trumpet solos cruise through a stream of smooth pads and rattling percussion. “Thixo Wethu” is a contemporary worship song carried by the suaveness of soul. Heavy on expressive lyrics, Prince Kaybee ropes in a line-up of vocalists—a majority of them emerging ones—to verbalise emotion and tell stories; “Sbindi Uyabulala”, which features Nkosazana Daughter and Masuda, reflects on life’s tendency to make 180-degree turns based on a widely used Zulu idiom. “Milani” shares its name with Prince Kaybee’s son and elaborates on its meaning: nature’s encouragement to grow.