"Zulu Funk Soul" by DJ Zulufunk

This up-and-coming DJ wants to put female house music producers on the map – starting with her own African rhythm-infused sound.

Track of the Week In this sweet burst of earthy sounds, DJ Zulufunk mixes some of the best vocal-infused tracks for a smooth wade through the intricacies of deep and tribal house music. Searching for typically African sounds, Zulufunk has a penchant for the polyrhythms and percussives that are unique to the varying cultures of African music, including Afrobeat and Maskandi, leading well above “four-to-the-floor” rhythm. She layers tracks such as Ane Brun's much-loved "Headphone Silence" (Henrik Schwartz remix), "UdU" by Lerandzo featuring Lady X, a splash of Black Coffee, Reggie Dokes, Brazo wa Afrika's "African Sax" and Toshi.

Up-and-coming DJ and FUSE Academy graduate Yona Vilakazi, aka DJ Zulufunk, will bring her enthusiasm for house music to Design Indaba Music 2015. She flips the genre on its head, analysing it from every angle so that she can investigate adventurous ways to experience its sounds. Zulufunk has an ear for the infusion of deep and tribal house, brimming with traditionally African drumbeats and inflections in a swirl of jazz and soul. Her primary goal is to make music with substance and meaning that speaks of her Zulu influence and her love of the African aesthetic in general.

This year sees her growing the Zulufunk brand and crossing over into the world of music production with a focus on building a strong front for female producers – a passionate interest of hers. In the works are a number of projects including Tswana singer-songwriter Khanyi Tianah Mosenki, where Zulufunk’s pro-female campaign shows itself. “There’s a shortage of female DJs and producers out there," she says. "If you look at the scene right now, especially in tribal house, the few female presences are usually alongside powerful and well-known male acts as clichéd features. I want to change that so that women can stand on their own in their own unique ways.”

Catch Zulufunk at Design Indabar on Friday 27 February, 2015, at 6pm.