Sandy B Lion's Drums Edits

Harold dons his Lion’s Drums alias for two powerful edits of South African kwaito legend Sandy B.

Originally released in Durban on cassette and limited white label in 1994, then reissued on Invisible City Editions in 2017, ‘Amajovi’ and ‘Student Night’ were two stand out tracks from a larger mini album release that brought everything that we love about the 90s together into a fiery township party fusion; European crossover house music hits, acid house, west coast hip-hop, all blended with vibrant percussion and kwaito flavour, it captured the exciting energy of post-Apartheid South Africa… Which is now brought into the 2020s with complete respect and passion by Lion’s Drums.

‘Amajovi’ takes the low-and-slow tempo of the original up a gear with a bulbous kick and layers of percussion. Bringing Sandy’s chanting vocals right to the front of the mix, and fine-tuning the original’s purring bassline, the game changes with the entrance of heavenly harmonic pipes and a sense of momentum and vibe that sits somewhere between Awesome Tapes From Africa and Hessle Audio.

Meanwhile ‘Student Night’ bubbles from the off with a very well-known bassline hook that’s peppered with flashes of 303, hand drums, pipes and Sandy’s own peppy chatter. From the moment you hear the universal sound of a can opening, this lives up to its name whether you skipped school or achieved a masters. All fully endorsed and supported by the original don Sandy himself, it’s all positive education