Sibusile Xaba

Charismatic guitar savant Sibusile Xaba reframes maskandi and the avant garde into his own humanist manifesto. With a vocal style that is part dreamscaping and part ancestral invocation, Xaba divines as opposed to plainly singing. Combined with a guitar style that is rooted in expressive picking, Xaba's music shatters the confines of genre, taking only the fundamentals from mentors such as Madala Kunene and Dr Philip Tabane and imbuing these with a mythology and improvisational intensity all of his own. His debut double album – „Unlearning‟ & „Open Letter to Adoniah‟ - was released internationally on 4 August 2017 to critical acclaim. 2017 saw Sibusile promote South African arts and culture and facilitate cultural exchanges by touring through various countries in Africa, United kingdom and Europe, where he performed at a number of prestigious music festivals (e.g. Shambala and Jazz ala Villette), music venues (e.g. Ronnie Scotts) , radio stations (e.g. Worldwide FM & Radio France) as well as facilitate South African music workshops in numerous schools (e.g Lusaka, Maputo, Accra, Paris, Brussels & Berlin to name a few).

In 2019 Sibusile collaborated with the legendary French label Komos to release his next record/album titled 'Ngiwu Shwabada'. The album was recorded at the historical 'Studio Pigalle' in Paris July 2019. The record was international released on the 14 February 2020. In 2019 Sibusile Xaba was endorsed by the popular guitar brand (factory) called Kremona. Kremona Guitars/Factory was deeply touched by Sibusile's music / guitar style of playing they proposed to make him a costumed guitar giving him the opportunity to play a one of its kind guitar, specifically made for him. Sibusile Xaba is currently a proud ambassador of Kremona Guitars.

Sibusile Xaba has also seen growth in his music career working with the legendary group Cold Cut and together with other local musicians released a phenomenal record called Keleketla. Up to date Sibusile Xaba has worked with the prominent record label called Brownswood and has just recently released a compilation album called Indaba Is which also features Sibusile Xaba as part of the musicians from South Africa to be part of this great initiative.

Maskandi, malombo, the desert blues and jazz all figure in Sibusile Xaba's expansive vocabulary, albeit through a magnetic individual filter.

His work has since received good reviews both nationally and internationally; “The guitar genius” - City Press (RSA) "This music is extraordinary" - Gilles Peterson (BBC Radio) (from the UK) "Unworldly and haunting...a great tradition stirs" - The Observer (from the UK) "An astonishing debut from a unique talent" - The Guardian (from the UK) "...His utterances may paint him as a channel for supernatural dialogue" - Mail & Guardian (RSA) “He meshes his acoustic guitar and intense free-style scats to produce a subversive sonic world that defiantly transcends genre.” - Paul Bradshaw (Straight No Chaser #98) (from the UK) "Xaba's intricately fingerpicked patterns produce emotional warmth and rich texture, and he brings an abundance of heart and complete spirit commitment as he sings, laughs,...