The ‘De La…’ series asks artists to choose a certain provenance - be it a country, community, town, artist, or label - and make a 1 hour mix highlighting what they love about the music.

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“I’ve chosen to record a mix to reflect the iconic South African Gumba/Synth Pop sound of the 80s and 90s. The term derives from ‘gumba gumba’ and later became ‘gumba fire’, referring to the boom of speakers during parties in South African townships. Not only do I adore of this style of music but I think it’s important to step out of what you know and to research, celebrate and appreciate music from across the globe.

In essence it’s a window into different cultures and times, and more often than not it’s a great way to grow and expand your taste, while gaining insight into new and interesting scenes that deserve more recognition. The fact South Africa was able to produce such great music during a time as suppressive and horrible as apartheid is a real credit to their people.

The first Gumba track I heard was ‘stages’ by Don Laka, which has gained much deserved recognition after its success featuring on Hunee’s “Hunchin’ All Night’ put out by Rush Hour. It was actually a friend of mine (Diogo/Caldo Verde) who is a selector in Portugal who first showed me the track and the ‘Gumba Fire’ compilation album while I was working there a couple years back. 

The contribution of black artists to the music industry is so significant I can’t even begin to try to explain it. This is a drop in the ocean, but I think the (mostly) black south African artists that built this genre deserve more recognition, especially in the UK, maybe this can help…”

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Tracklist:
Listen to Me – Peter Maringa 
Smile – Satari
I don’t wanna leave Africa – Thembi Mtshali
Wayawaya – Zoom
One hot night – Margino
Taxi dube station – Little Lenny
Mphemphe – Jazino
Iseqedakoma – Vumani
Gorilla Man – Condry Ziqubu
Shaka Bundu – Penny Penny
Sikhathele – The New Boyfriends 
Professor 3 – Professor Rhythm 
Indaba Kabani – Kamuzu
I wanna Be myself – Don Laka 
Cost of living (too high) – William Mthethwa
Spotlight – Ruben Beewa 
You can Do it – Chess
I Love you More – Image 
Azali – Sammy Masamba 
Hlabalaza – The Bees
Stages – Don Laka

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MBE #16: Josh FB - De La Gumba d’Afrique du Sud

Record loving selector DJ based in London (and formerly Edinburgh). I love sticking my head in crates and learning more about the amazing music that can be found across the world. 

I'm a bit of retro zouk specialist (checkout my zouk show on My Analog Journal for more) but also have a great interest in soca, highlife, makossa, PALOP music, bubblegum, kwaito, latin freestyle and beyond - I enjoy celebrating globally sourced groovy records to fill dancefloors, and deliver an experience that makes club goers smile while they move

My mission is to spread this wonderful music and the talented artists that contributed to its creation with as many as people as possible! 

I run a clubnight and reissue / edits label along with a few friends called “Discothèque Tropicale”. Music to bring the boogie, fill the floors and put smiles on faces! 

I do the programming for London based radio station LOOSE FM where I also run the radio shows ‘The Listening Bar’ & 'Musical Backpacking' focussing each show and the record digging on a specific genre, theme or area. 

Pls ask for IDs I’ll always give them! Don't be a stranger, drop me a DM on Instagram anytime I always love to connect with fellow music lovers from around the world. Send me music pls 🙌

Music is a universal language with the power to break barriers and bring people together ❤️ 

jtsfryerbloom@gmail.com for bookings or probs faster to whack me a message on insta (@joshffb). Much Love, JOSH FB xx

𝗠𝗕𝗘. Founded and engineered in Asia.

Blasting electronic transmissions from South East Asia and beyond with productions, mixes, and events. We aim to shine some light on the music scene and give talents a platform to share their creativity. We have our club side (MBE) and kitchen groovers (SLOWLY) to reach each corner. Enjoy!

MBE #16: Josh FB - De La Gumba d’Afrique du Sud

Magic Box Engine