Africa is the next big thing, says Zambian DJ El Mukuka

Speaking to Music In Africa from his Lusaka base, the 24-year-old El Mukuka, who earlier this year toured Tanzania and Zanzibar, said the musical talent in Africa would lure more European artists to the continent to learn about music and collaborate with local musicians.

“I think Africa is the next big thing and I strongly believe in the African dream. In a few years we’re going to have European musicians moving to Africa,” he said.

But El Mukuka, who featured US singer Kayla Jacobs on ‘Something’s Coming’, deplored the lack of interaction among African artists. “My concern is that I don’t see enough synergy amongst the African countries. The general music scene in Africa seems to be dominated by a handful of countries who seem to be after their own interests. There is so much talent on this continent but we really need to work together if we want the African music industry to reach its full potential.”

Asked if his music has been well-received in Europe, El Mukuka said: “My biggest fan base at the moment is in Zambia. However, interestingly enough, 90% of my music has been signed to European record labels and then sub-licensed in Africa in some cases. Overall there has been great progress on the European front, in particular Spain and Germany, but I still have a lot of work to do and definitely need to spend more time there physically.”

El Mukuka, who is of Greek descent, said he liked how the music industry in Europe was functioning. “I am currently back and forth between Berlin and Lusaka. However, my main base at the moment is Lusaka. This will gradually change over time as I see myself spending longer and longer periods in Europe. One of the key attractions for me in Europe, other than the fact that I am half-European, is the size, diversity and functionality of the music industry there, especially for dance music.”

New project with German producer

El Mukuka, whose song ‘Bottle of Loneliness’ scored peak positions on Spanish and Argentinian Spotify viral charts, released a new single titled ‘Amor Mio’ on 8 September. The song was produced by German producer Shaun Bate and features Zambian songstress Marocco.

Asked why he chose the German producer, El Mukuka said: “The initial idea came from Sony Music Germany – the label that released the song – and so I began to listen to a lot of Shaun’s past works and indeed realised what a good fit he would be for the project.”

Co-written by El Mukuka and Marocco, ‘Amor Mio’ is a love song meant to entice partygoers during the European summer. “We simply wanted to write a song that was light-hearted, witty, romantic and good for summer. The majority of the song was produced in Zambia and finalised in Germany. The collaboration with Shaun Bate was done remotely.

“It was very interesting to see Shaun take ideas that I had created and express them in a totally new way. It really reinforced the fact that production possibilities are always endless and that sometimes it is only key subtle changes that mark the difference between a weak and strong idea,” El Mukuka said.