Sje Konka

South African DJ, producer, and keyboardist Sje Konka refines the unvarnished Pretoria barcardi house style that emerged in the late 2000s by blending it with jazz and lounge-infused amapiano of the 2020s, thereby tempering its sharper contours.

Born Khutso Oscar Sewela in 1998, he grew up in Atteridgeville, the sizable suburb bordering Pretoria. By his early twenties he had developed into a skilled and nimble pianist. Joining forces with local producer Freddy K, the duo released the Shapa Munne EP, Vol. 1 in January 2020. Tracks such as "Playstore" and "Lalela" took sparse, barcardi-esque militaristic rhythms and warped keyboards as their foundation, then layered in jazzy flourishes together with catchy vocal chants to broaden the music’s reach. The February 2021 single "Location," a playful yet brooding and driving cut recorded with Robot Boii, marked Sje Konka’s breakthrough in South Africa. He issued his own Let Go EP later that year, where Mandy ZA’s soulful vocals lent certain tracks a smoother, R&B-tinged dimension. The next month’s "Oksalayo," again cut with Freddy K and Robot Boii, shifted back toward a direct, dancefloor-oriented stance. March 2022’s Ghetto Hero EP let the collaborators work with an expanded sonic range and included appearances by Mt D Kota and Busta 929.