UZONDI – HARDWARE

It is one of the few English titles on a project where the other names are in isiZulu, and that makes it stand out right away. The word itself carries a few pictures. It can be the physical stuff that holds a building together, the machinery behind a computer, or a way of describing something tough that does not bend.

That range is the fun part. A person from Idumota or Ladipo will think of heavy lifting and rough hands, a student will think of laptops and phones, and somebody else will hear a statement about strength. A title with that many readings gives the listener something to chew on before pressing play.

There is also a nice contrast in putting a blunt English word beside titles that sound so personal and spoken. It shows a project that moves between different kinds of language and different kinds of ideas. It also suggests that the record may deal with solidity, endurance or things that are built to last, though that is only a reading of the name.

Whatever angle you take, HARDWARE is easy to remember. A strong title is half of what makes a record find a place in someone’s memory, and this one has that quality.

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