Gumba Fire: Bubblegum Soul & Synth-Boogie in 1980s South Africa
Recorded
1980-1989
Released
With its joyous township harmonies, bright synths and drum-machine rhythms, bubblegum soundtracked a pivotal era for South Africa, and crossed racial devides when the country’s apartheid government was willing to do anything to prevent that. With a selection of 18 tracks chosen by Soundway’s Miles Cleret and DJ Okapi of Afrosynth Records (the heir of afrosynth, the blog dedicated to the discovery of South African bubblegum/disco from the 80s & early 90s), Gumba Fire: Bubblegum Soul & Synth offers a snapshot of this particular, if fleeting, moment in the evolution of South African dance music.