Maski x Tubatsi – a new project formed by fast-rising South African solo star Msaki (a double winner at the 2022 South African Music Awards) and Tubatsi Mpho Moloi of Johannesburg band Urban Village (also a member of the Keleketla! collective alongside Tony Allen, Shabaka Hutchings and Joe Armon-Jones) – today release a new single, ‘Zibonakalise’. It’s the latest track to be lifted from their upcoming joint debut album ‘Synthetic Hearts’ out March 10, 2023 through Nø Førmat! records (Ballaké Sissoko, Oumou Sangaré).
The record also features French cellist Clément Petit (who’s previously collaborated with Aloe Blacc, Ballaké Sissoko, and Blick Bassy) – the 3 artists originally encountered each other when Msaki & Petit guested on Urban Village’s critically acclaimed 2021 debut ‘Udondolo’ (praised by Uncut, Loud & Quiet, The Quietus, Sunday Times), which examined both the contemporary experience of black South Africans and the horrors of Apartheid. ‘Zibonakalise’ is now streaming on all platforms from here, with a new video directed by Sanaa and Lunga “Steezus” Mthombeni available here.
New track ‘Zibonakalise’ was written by Tubatsi as a response to the COVID epidemic, but resonates far beyond. Translating as “show yourself”, the track plays out a prayer to ancestors, asking them to rise up and seeking solutions to all that feels unclear. These themes are brought to life in the striking new video for ‘Zibonakalise’, shot by up & coming South African director Sanaa (who in between commercial commissions shoots Instagram reels of Johannesburg’s townships on iPhone, capturing the everyday South African experience with candour and warmth). Speaking about the video, Sanaa says;
Msaki x Tubatsi – Zibonakalise
