Zinja Hlungwani - Nwa Gezani My Love

And now for some modern African dance tunes: Nwa Gezani My Love by Zinja Hlungwani.

Shangaan dance music originates from South Africa and is built on of synthetic, sped-up rhythms, call-and-response vocals, and incessant repetition. The tracks from scene leading light Nozinja are so mind-meldingly fast that, to borrow a phrase from Andy Battaglia in his review of the compilation Shangaan Electro: New Wave Dance Music From South Africa, the music begins to sound almost psychedelically slow. This stuff can be hard to listen to straight through in one sitting-- it's so relentless, it might have you reaching for the Excedrin midway through-- which makes Zinja Hlungwani's compilation standout "Nwa Gezani My Love" the perfect sample of this sound. Hlungwani handles his sensual sentiments ("You're my desire") with a buttery croon, pleading, "What can I do, my baby/ I wanna make you mine," and giving the cut a smooth, almost-midtempo feel. Then, you watch the video, with footage of dancers doing their thing over the intoxicatingly busy rhythm that lies below "Nwa Gezani My Love", and you realize: this shit is addictive. If Shangaan doesn't make you want to dance, you should quickly check your pulse.