SUB BASS AS THE SOUL OF MUSIC - A TRIBUTE TO MABI GABRIEL THOBEJANE
by Obakeng Kekana aka Dazz-B MusiQ
"Deep low-end frequencies aren't just felt but lived - they move through the body, connect emotion to rhythm, and give a track its heartbeat. Especially in Afro House, the sub isn't just a frequency range - it's the spirit and groove, the invisible force that carries the dance floor."
When I first listened to Malombo sideman and master drummer Mabi Gabriel Thobejane's song Shapedi with its ceremonial drums and rhythms, I felt deeply connected. I grew up in Soshanguve, the neighbouring Township where the Pedi drummer used to live.
In his childhood Mabi watched and learned from the Balobedu tribe drummers gathering in his neighbourhood. He learned not just how to hit the drum, but more importantly where to hit it to evoke the Spirit of the Drum. Mabi Gabriel Thobejane became known as the man who "did not so much play the drums, but became The Drum"
Mabi went on to revolutionise South African percussion and collaborate with artists worldwide, from Dr Philip Tabane (Malombo), Mandala Kunene, Sakhile, Sipho Gumede, Amampondo, Jose Luis Quintana aka Changuito to Miles Davis and to British psytrance and electronic group Juno Reactor.
Juno Reactor's founder Ben Watkins was there at the time when (South) African traditional- or World Music influenced tribal rhythms and global percussion burst on the international dance scene. Right at the forefront were Mabi Gabriel Thobejane and members of Amampondo who regularly toured with Juno Reactor. Little did we know back home of his involvement with the making of some of the legendary soundtracks for the Matrix Trilogy, Animatrix or for the Mortal Combat game - showing off Ben Watkins and Mabi's cinematic sound quality.
His pre-performance ritual wasn't performative - his meditation with a smoke before a gig was a time for getting in tune with music, the ancestors and the universe.
The Legend of Zwara and Meropa are my tributes to the late Bra Biza.
MEROPA LE MAIKUTO
(The English translation for the phrase is "Drums and Emotions/Feelings)
I think the 3 tracks on the "Meropa" EP (The Legend of Zwara, Meropa Ya Bra Biza and Sanou with Tarang Cissokho) relate to the phrase quite well because when you listen to the composition of the music you will notice there is a lot of emphasis on African Tribal Drums and percussions which form part of "Meropa". If you listen even more carefully you will hear and feel the sub bass playing right where the "gwababa" (subconscious) resides in your chest, which represents "maikutlo" (emotions/feelings).
Short bass notes with different velocities (like heartbeats) - some so low that they seem like illusions and lead you to seek deeply within the soul of the music.
Simply breaking down the composition in High, Mid and Low frequency ranges, the Meropa (small and large percussion) play in the mid and high ranges while the maikutlo (emotions) play in the sub bass ranges of the frequency spectrum.
November 2025
by Obakeng Kekana aka Dazz-B MusiQ
"Deep low-end frequencies aren't just felt but lived - they move through the body, connect emotion to rhythm, and give a track its heartbeat. Especially in Afro House, the sub isn't just a frequency range - it's the spirit and groove, the invisible force that carries the dance floor."
When I first listened to Malombo sideman and master drummer Mabi Gabriel Thobejane's song Shapedi with its ceremonial drums and rhythms, I felt deeply connected. I grew up in Soshanguve, the neighbouring Township where the Pedi drummer used to live.
In his childhood Mabi watched and learned from the Balobedu tribe drummers gathering in his neighbourhood. He learned not just how to hit the drum, but more importantly where to hit it to evoke the Spirit of the Drum. Mabi Gabriel Thobejane became known as the man who "did not so much play the drums, but became The Drum"
Mabi went on to revolutionise South African percussion and collaborate with artists worldwide, from Dr Philip Tabane (Malombo), Mandala Kunene, Sakhile, Sipho Gumede, Amampondo, Jose Luis Quintana aka Changuito to Miles Davis and to British psytrance and electronic group Juno Reactor.
Juno Reactor's founder Ben Watkins was there at the time when (South) African traditional- or World Music influenced tribal rhythms and global percussion burst on the international dance scene. Right at the forefront were Mabi Gabriel Thobejane and members of Amampondo who regularly toured with Juno Reactor. Little did we know back home of his involvement with the making of some of the legendary soundtracks for the Matrix Trilogy, Animatrix or for the Mortal Combat game - showing off Ben Watkins and Mabi's cinematic sound quality.
His pre-performance ritual wasn't performative - his meditation with a smoke before a gig was a time for getting in tune with music, the ancestors and the universe.
The Legend of Zwara and Meropa are my tributes to the late Bra Biza.
MEROPA LE MAIKUTO
(The English translation for the phrase is "Drums and Emotions/Feelings)
I think the 3 tracks on the "Meropa" EP (The Legend of Zwara, Meropa Ya Bra Biza and Sanou with Tarang Cissokho) relate to the phrase quite well because when you listen to the composition of the music you will notice there is a lot of emphasis on African Tribal Drums and percussions which form part of "Meropa". If you listen even more carefully you will hear and feel the sub bass playing right where the "gwababa" (subconscious) resides in your chest, which represents "maikutlo" (emotions/feelings).
Short bass notes with different velocities (like heartbeats) - some so low that they seem like illusions and lead you to seek deeply within the soul of the music.
Simply breaking down the composition in High, Mid and Low frequency ranges, the Meropa (small and large percussion) play in the mid and high ranges while the maikutlo (emotions) play in the sub bass ranges of the frequency spectrum.
November 2025
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