Black Motion – Ubumnandi Ft. Spice Drums, LivinSz, Thabo Roy Mabogwane, Mpho Thobejane and Bongumenzi Kevin Mkhonta

Ubumnandi is Zulu for sweetness, enjoyment or pleasure. Anyone who has tasted a good meal, had a night out with friends or laughed until their stomach hurt knows the feeling it describes. In Nigeria we have our own way of saying it, with phrases like “e sweet me” and “enjoyment don come”. The idea travels well across languages because everybody understands wanting more of what feels good.

What I find interesting is that sweetness can be physical or emotional. It can be about food and drinks, or about the comfort of being around someone you love. It can even be the quiet sweetness of finally resting after a hard week. A title this wide gives the record plenty of room to mean different things to different people, depending on the mood they bring.

The record sits on Pula le Maatla, with Spice Drums, LivinSz, Thabo Roy Mabogwane, Mpho Thobejane and Bongumenzi Kevin Mkhonta on the credit beside the South African duo. A project that carries a word for rain and strength in its name also finds space for a word about enjoyment, which makes the album feel balanced between seriousness and celebration.

Ubumnandi suits a Friday evening, when the work is done, the weekend is ahead and nobody has anywhere important to be.

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