Pan-African collective debuts with visuals shot in the Mozambican savannah

Batuk, a Pan-African collective pioneering a new tribal and electronic sound has debuted with a music video shot in the sparse Mozambican savannah.

Batuk is a Pan-African creative collective founded by South African electronic music producers Aero Manyelo, Spoek Mathambo, Nandi Ndlovu and poet Carla Fonseca.

The collective was formed to bridge the gap between different African countries using language, rhythm and culture. Shot on location in Mozambique by acclaimed, young photographer Kent Andreasen, the track, titled “Daniel”, sees members of the collective clad in African prints dancing among oxen, sparse trees and an abandoned building in the savannah.

Inspired by different sounds from South Africa, Angola, Mozambique, Brazil and Portugal, the collective reinvents the texture of African electronic music. Bringing together the diverse musical cultures of the continent and the diaspora, Batuk combines tribal and electronic music.

Batuk, which is the name for a drum, are currently completing work on their debut album. The collective release an EP, also titled Daniel, and it sees the group collaborate with Mozambicans Grupo Zore and Grupo Makarita and Ugandan artists Giovanni Kiyingi, Annet Nandujja and Nilotica.

Spoek Mathambo, the Prince of Township Tech, has also directed the documentary Future Sound of Mzanzi, a travelogue through the South African electronic dance music landscape. He is also the founding member of five-piece group Fantasma, which combines traditional Zulu maskandi with, electronica, Shangaan electro, hip-hop and punk.