Listen to DESIREE’s Funky Interpretation of Selaelo Selota’s Classic “Thrrr… Phaaa!”
“I’m a big fan of live music and jazz, and I was determined to find a way to fuse that organic energy with my own electronic style,” says South African DJ and producer DESIREE.
Cover artwork for DESIREE’s “Thrrr… Phaaa!” remix.
In 2001, South African singer Selaelo Selota began playing a languid, jazzy record during his live sets. He would release an official version shortly after, its chorus characterized by the “thrrr phaaa!” chant which the song takes its title from. Due to the audience reactions whenever he played the song, Selota convinced his label to include the live version in his sophomore album Enchanted Gardens, which was already in the works by then.
During her youth, DESIREE felt connected to the record due to the linguistic background she shared with Selota. During her teen years the song was omnipresent around her Sepedi-speaking household, and now the DJ and producer has paid tribute to its luminous energy.
DESIREE has now shared her remix of the song, the first official re-interpretation of its kind. She speaks glowingly about the creative process: “[It] started out as an edit, meant for appeasing my childhood love of the original song and having something unique purely for my DJ sets [and] developed into a rendition which touched me deeply,” she shared in a press statement.
DESIREE connects generations through her remix by taking its original jazzy sound into electronic music. Her version swells with the conventions of the genre; frenetic loops, melancholic notes, while maintaining the rural-evoking brilliance of the original recording. This process was quite challenging. “Unlike most electronic music,” she says, “where producers have access to isolated tracks, the song is a complete live recording. This meant everything — drums, vocals, instruments — was all on one track, making it difficult to isolate and manipulate individual elements. However, this only fuelled my creativity. I’m a big fan of live music and jazz, and I was determined to find a way to fuse that organic energy with my own electronic style.”
It’s audible how DESIREE succeeds in that artistic motivation. Her remix of “Thrrr… Paaa!” seems certain to excite listeners throughout the world, as she has been getting onto the storied platforms which champion live music. From DJ Mag North America (which named her their Future Star) to BBC Radio 1 and Boiler Room, where she played a memorable set, this nod to her Sepedi roots continues her beautiful run to the zenith of live music.
Listen to “Thrrr… Phaaa! (DESIREE Remix)” below.
The Best West African Songs of 2024
This year’s list features emerging talents and an uptick in artists reaching to the past to create new sounds.
With “Sade,” Adekunle Gold Challenged The Nigerian Music Industry
As “Sade” turns 10, we take a look at how Adekunle Gold provided an alternative template to being a Nigerian superstar by making music with soul and commercial merits.