We get chatting to Shangaan electro as they prepare for the Body and Soul festival . . .

Who are you and please tell us a little bit about what you do

My name is Richard, my stage name is Nozinja, from Nozinja Music Productions. I'm from Giyani in Limpopo. I'm an engineer, I'm a producer, I'm a composer. It's my record label. I'm the marketing manager. I transport them — I've got a micro-bus. I do everything on my own. I've got manufacturing. I buy CDs, I will silk-screen myself. I sing, too. I'm a scout for talent. When you look at the person, you must see the artist. He or she must be able to dance. If you can dance, you can sell. Shangaan dancers, they dance, they can go on for almost an hour with that speed, without getting tired. When you see them dance you feel like they have got no bones. It's similar to the Zulus, but faster and we put a lot of style inside. There's disco in there, we use Pantsula moves. We don't use the sounds of the hip-hop guys, or the afro-pop, or whatever, we're using Shangaan sounds. The traditional Shangaan music is fast. You play it slow, they won't dance.

Tell us more about Shangaan Electro

Firstly it was played with bass and lead guitar. I'm the one revolutionized it, because when I came I didn't use any guitar or any bass, I just used marimba and the organs. We are not using the live bass, we are using the marimba bass which is played from the organ. A small sample of voices, that's what I specialize in. We use them in English. Those are the new aspects they never had before. At first people thought I was mad, and now it's the in-thing. You can play that music with bass, that's the old-timer music. Shangaan is fast. While others play at 110, we are at 180, 182, 183. And when you hear those marimba beats and that live guitar through the keyboard, you know it's Shangaan. You hear those toms, then you know, this is Shangaan music.

Tell us about the Shangaan people

Shangaans don't typically love Joburg. They work in Joburg, but their heart is in Limpopo. People want to go back to the country and to their families. Limpopo is rural. It's hot, very hot and vibey. Shangaan music is about love. It's about a wife and a husband. We are family-oriented musicians. Now Shangaan music is both, rural and urban. We jumped the boundaries by changing that bass into playing with the marimba, that's when we touched the nerves, and now it's all over.

First record bought...

Milly Jackson

Last record I listened to was ...

Zahara and Thomas Chauke

The record I pretend I don't love is ...

My competitors

The record I always go back to…

The new Shangaan Electro album... not yet released!

My biggest musical inspiration is...

Lucky Dube

My first gigging experience was…

Not clubbing but Shangaan traditional dance

My worst gigging experience was…

Not having good sound

My best gigging experience was…

When my team won the best dancers

The person I would least like to share a stage with would be…

Hype Williams

If I wasn’t a musician I would be a…

Maybe at home feeding my cattle

Body & Soul Festival happens from June 22-24 at Ballinlough Castle, Co. Westmeath. More info on the website here