Gqom innovator Griffit Vigo has a new album on the way
TweetTitled ‘I Am Gqom’, the forthcoming album seeks to highlight Griffit’s position as a pioneer of the Gqom sound.
Griffit Vigo has been responsible for inspiring a whole generation of producers in Durban, South Africa. In 2004, he started making his own tracks coining the sound we all know today as Gqom. A style of dancefloor music centred around intensive and highly rhythmic loops, Gqom was a completely new and infectious concept.
The work of Griffit in the world of Gqom has gained him legendary status, not only among his local community but also across the globe. Over the last 16 years, he has made a platform for Gqom that only continues to grow. Back in 2017, his ‘Gqom 5!’ soundtracked a documentary with MTV, whilst his track from the following year ‘Rees Vibe’ is now widely regarded as a classic; the video teaser below pays homage to its energy.
On new album ‘I Am Gqom’, Griffit carries the train of thought from his self-released ‘Gqom Will Never Die’ EP earlier this year. Diving into his ancestral past whilst also exploring his vision for the future of Gqom, this new body of work is an essential artefact in the genre’s history.
Containing nine tracks equipped for the dancefloor, the ‘I Am Gqom’ LP also features a special remastered version of the classic ‘Rees Vibe’. Artist, Mikael Calandra Achode has taken care of the cover art. As a whole package, both the music and cover reference the Zulu concept of ‘Kraals’; an enclosed space often forming the site for ritual worship or defensive vantage points. Griffit aims to create a metaphorical ‘Kraal’ within the new album.
Griffit Vigo’s ‘I Am Gqom’ LP is out 20th October via Gqom Oh!.
Listen to the snips here.
Photo Credit: Alex Lambert
