On its fourth edition, the event will see the return of South African house group, Black Motion to the local stage after many years as one of the headliners. Interestingly, Black Motion returns to Botswana following its break-up and the departure of one of its founding members, Morda Bongz, who left to begin a solo career. The group now has a new member.
The event will also feature fellow South African DJs, Darque and Tefo Foxx and Mpho.Wav. From the local shores there is Teaz, Benny T, DJ Lexx and Bo Kettle. The show organiser Fish Pabalinga said preparations are going well. “People are happy with the line-up. Black Motion for instance, hasn’t been in Botswana for a long time. Be mindful that Black Motion is a new group; it has a new member now. Patrons are excited how it is going to perform versus the old one. They are excited about the date and happy with the pricing; both normal and the VIP,” Pabalinga said. He also said patrons must expect a very well-run show of good music. “If you look at the artists that are coming this time around, these are some of the best in terms of Afro-Tech. I mean Black Motion needs no introduction. If you look at Darque, he is one of the founders of UR in SA.
Tefo Foxx, Mpho.Wav, Benny T, Teaz, these are heavyweights of Afro-Tech because we want to give people the very best of Afro-Tech performers,” he added. Furthermore, he said their consistency has been their biggest asset, adding that they have built trust with their patrons in the past nine years. He pointed out that people are always willing to come to their events because they know “what we promise is always what we offer”. He explained as a brand, they pay closer attention to patrons and give them what they want. “This show is a response to what they have been asking for; we give them what they desire," said Pabalinga.
The GIMC Afro-Tech is part of the annual multidisciplinary event, the Gaborone International Music & Culture Week, which is normally held around September. The show was added to the stable in 2021 post the COVID-19 pandemic. “Afro-Tech is one of the fastest growing music genres, as such it is a no brainer that we saw it fit to rope it in to our stable as one of the events,” he explained. Afro-Tech is a subgenre of house music and infuses tribal, deep and soulful house sounds.
