Jazzwrld, Thukuthela & Babalwa M ft. Dlala Thukzin – uValo

Dipping in to South African 3-step…

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Julian Axelrod: In the same way traveling abroad will make you realize how shitty the food is in your home country, listening to African electronic music always makes me depressed about America’s meager contributions to the form. “uValo” eschews the histrionic vocals, obvious samples and punishing drops that have become de rigeur in Western EDM, instead granting unknown-to-me vocalists Thukuthela and Babalwa M the space and patience they need to deliver star turns. Even with their voices buried under effects, they convey more personality than most of the big-name pop features you’ll find on a Marshmello album. I was going to make a joke about Jazzwrld’s name being an odd fit for his music, but then I realized his unhurried approach to collaboration gives each contributor their moment in the sun, like a good bandleader guiding each player through a solo. Great, now I’m depressed about the state of American jazz.
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Katherine St. Asaph: Pleasant but tensionless.
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Nortey Dowuona: There’s a sweet slumber aspect to this song, so soft and pillowy. Jazzwrld and Dlala Thukzinn never try to ramp into a louder or abrasive musical moment but instead carry you along gently but firmly, each loop of the keyboard progression allowing Thukuthela and Babalwa M to either simmer or sear their words onto your eardrums, then ebb away once you pass their curve in the river. 
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Ian Mathers: Like it was designed in a lab to delight me. Those papery percussion splashes against the smoothly revolving background and gentle singing! Sublime.
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Dave Moore: Love geeking out on the slightest new technical permutation of a South African house subgenre (in this case, incorporation of what sounds like novel syncopation on the 3step drum pattern) while mostly just appreciating a song as another drop in a warm, relaxing bath.
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Jacob Sujin Kuppermann: One of the great joys of wandering around a city at night is the sound — songs sneaking out from behind walls, sirening in from passing cars, emanating from nowhere in particular. The songs are always sweeter when they’re not quite placeable, filtered through distance and cool air. “uValo” sounds like what I want those songs to sound like, a complete and engrossing groove that remains mysterious even as it gradually comes into focus.
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