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Distruction Boyz at Club Connect

Bongani Ndlovu, Showbiz Correspondent
The grungy deep dark bass and sound of Gqom music proved to be too much for some speakers at Club Connect on Saturday as South African duo Distruction Boyz made their mark during their debut show in Bulawayo.

The speakers could not endure the immense bass that Gqom music is grounded on, as the Durban based duo Que and Goldmax shut it down while electrifying the dance floor.

Gqom is a foot-stomping new sound of South Africa’s townships that is taking the industry by storm.

In the first half of their performance they played popular tracks such as Shut up & Groove, Madness, Memeza and Wololo which have come to be known as Gqom music. However, this was not Gqom, it’s called Sgubhu — another strain of South African dance music that shares many stylistic parallels with Gqom.

On the dance floor revellers showed off varied dance moves, Gwaragwara and Vosho were the most fashionable.

But the time came for Distruction Boyz to introduce Gqom music to Bulawayo fans. When this happened the thumping sound was too much for some of the speakers especially those which were outside the club. And this was the signal for those who know how to dance the Bhenga to demonstrate how it’s done.

So while Que and Goldmax were turning the tables, nodding their heads in rhythm to each beat, on the dance floor some looked uncoordinated with wavy arms, toe taps and wobbly knees, but captivatingly was all in sequence. Those with the discerning ear heard that there was something wrong with the sound with the resident DJs confirming that the speakers could not take the heavy sound of the beat.

The sound is described as dark with hollow drum sounds spun into jerky rhythms and droning synths and ghostly one-note samples creeping in over the top.

Gqom music seemed to make people lose their minds as some took off shirts, women danced extremely suggestively and some started dancing on speakers.

As if they were being exorcised from boredom by the heavy bass feel which Distruction Boyz channelled energetically throughout the night.

The genre, which in some circles is referred to as House music’s subgenre, is taking over as the youth are the ones who know it the most and identify with it.