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Music

Palm Wine Draws Entrancing Cross-Connections Between Gqom and Afro House on New Mix

"No more parties in SA," marks the special occasion of Sonido Classics​, an upcoming Milan soundsystem festival.
"No more parties in SA" artwork by Cheick Ahmadou Ouattara

Palm Wine—Italian rennaissance man affiliated with the Hundebiss label also home to Dracula Lewis—has blended South African gqom, an intensely dark house music variant, and Afro-Portuguese afro house on a bracing new mix. Working with a wide range of producers, from Durban collective's Rudeboyz, to Lisbon crew Tia Maria Produções, "No more parties in SA" uncovers unexpected common ground, composing a narrative betwixt and between the two genres' respective forward thinking, rhythm-heavy sounds.

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Palm Wine, real name Simone Bertuzzi, shared the mix ahead of Sonido Classics, an upcoming Milan soundsystem festival he co-curated as one half of music and art organization, Invernomuto. "No more parties…" pays tribute to three of the other billed acts, specifically Nan Kolé from the Gqom Oh! label as well as Dj Firmeza and Dj Noroña from Príncipe Discos.

For over five years, Bertuzzi has dedicated himself to Palm Wine, a project for which he surveys "post-global panorama with a specific eye for the movement of sounds and related imaginaries," as he told THUMP via email. A big part of Bertuzzi's involvement with music has been a monthly party called Bunker Sonidero, which has hosted the likes of GHE20G0TH1K founder Venus X, Brooklyn producer, Dubbel Dutch, and Lisbon artist Dj Marfox.

Explaining the title of his mix for THUMP via email, Bertuzzi said, "'No more parties in SA' is what Yasiin Bey/Mos Def declared at the beginning of a video message when he was arrested in Cape Town using a World Passport while he was trying to leave the country."

He added: "The same day I recorded the mix we got the sad news that [gqom artist] Dj Lakhe's visa (who was supposed to come in EU from Durban to play at CTM/Berlin and at our event Sonido Classics in Milan) got denied by the government and he couldn't travel to EU. So 'No more parties in SA' sounded like a perfect comment for this crazy international situation and since my mix contains many Gqom tracks from Durban, SA – I decided to use this quote."

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Check out the flyer and tracklist below, and listen to the mix after the jump. Sonido Classics will be coordinated by cultural organization Elita, in collaboration with performance venue BUKA, music and art program S/V/N, Terraforma festival, and night club Le Cannibale.

Tracklist:

Rudeboyz, Black Sun
18+, OIXU (Tia Maria Produções remix)
Dj Lilocox [C.D.M.], La Party
Puto Marcio, Improooooo
Uhuro & Maphorisa feat. Mafikizolo, Khona (Freddy da Stupid & Dj Dilson remix)
Mafiaboyz, Shabba
Rudeboyz, Trip To London
Citizen Boy, Hometown Glory
Dominowe, Africa's Cry
Dj Firmeza, Start Go
Dotorado Pro, African Scream (Marimbas)
Dj Joker, Dj Kolt, Dj Noroña, Dj Perigroso, We Send This
Dj Znobia, Facebook Vocal
Formation Boyz, Jungle Anthem
Dj Babaz Fox feat. Dj Nigga Fox, Dupla Foxunto
Bhejane feat. Thando & Madubul, Baba KaGirl
U-ZET, Ithunzi

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