- Batuk's Aero Manyelo, Manteiga and Spoek Mathambo. Source: Facebook
Today, on Freedom Day in South Africa, the collective returns with the overtly political third single off their forthcoming debut album, Musica da Terra. On the protest song “Gira” (a portuguese word meaning to change or turn around), the group calls on Africa’s younger generations to put a stop to conflict across the continent. “Addressing the constant war and fighting in Africa, the song is born of dance floor culture, but not of it’s typical hedonistic nature,” Batuk states. “There are currently fifteen African countries involved in war, or are experiencing post-war conflict and tension. The statistics are not only shocking/frightening…the time has come for CHANGE.”
The song’s unofficial visuals are an anti-war montage submitted to Batuk by a fan who, inspired by a live performance of “Gira,” dug through his trove of documentaries and stock footage to piece together a homemade music video for the band.
Watch the group’s fanmade video and stream their full Gira EP below, featuring a pair of remixes by the Durban-based Gqom trio Rudeboyz and Johannesburg’s DJ Eltonnick. Musica da Terra is out May 27th on Teka Recordings.
