Soweto Soul is a tribute to the musical heart of the South African townships. Together with South African artists, Dutch producer/guitarist Joep Pelt combines musical styles such as Amapiano, Maskandi, Gqom and Mbaqanga into a catchy danceable blend. So get on your dancing shoes and join us at GROUNDS!

Soweto Soul was born when Joep visited South Africa in 2010 to make a radio documentary on local music culture. During recording, it became clear to him that the various musical generations rarely interacted. In the process, many musical legends of the old days, such as South Africa’s first electric bassist Joseph Makwela (Makgona Tsohle Band) or Pennywhistle legend Lemmy “Special” Mambaso, often appeared to be sitting idly at home.

For Soweto Soul, Joep collaborates with musicians from all over South Africa’s musical landscape. The songs they wrote together connect the different musical styles and generations from the townships. The result is a new sound based on South Africa’s rich musical tradition. With a new album to be released later this year and after performing at the WOMAD Festival in South Africa, they are all set to get you dancing at GROUNDS.

Watch the documentary about the creation of the first Soweto Soul album here.