Written by Pat Moran
The rhythmic spine of Afro Tech meets the soaring heart and soul of Afro House in the eclectic and heartfelt “Isimanga,” but there is far more happening in Belgian producer Aytiwan’s and South African vocal virtuoso Lizwi’s dance floor sensation than the synergistic melding of two electronic music genres.
Springing and recoiling beats kick off the pulsating, variegated track, but “Isimanga” is propelled by Lizwi’s soaring vocal, a bold blend of Grace Jones’ stentorian command and the caressing tuneful croon on Zap Mama’s Marie Daulne.
True to her name, which means “voice” in her native tongue, Lizwi enfolds the track’s shape-shifting melody line with the warmth of a proffered hand. Her authoritative alto ascends to an exhilarant shout that dovetails into a chorus where Lizwi puts the tune’s title, which means “Surprise” or “God's surprising grace,” on mesmerizing repeat.
Meanwhile, Aytiwan launches into diverging iterations of stuttering beats and melodic invention that suggest a deep House take on the trance-inducing vibes of Fela Kuti’s “Lady” interspersed with New Order’s icy synths.
Like an aural alchemist, Aytiwan spins his strands of rhythmic sounds into a Gordian knot of charging percussion, dagger-sharp syncopated beats and Lizwi’s ululating trill. She unleashes a counterintuitive battle cry for empathy that brings this uplifting, hard-charging, and hair raising odyssey to a close.
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