A reference to its originator (Paul Ndlovu), who was of Tsonga descent and sang in this language (Tsonga and Shangaan are often used interchangeably to denote to the same people, though there is some controversy as to whether this is accurate).

The ‘Shangaan, Tsonga’ namesakes are references to ethnic groups, while Xitsonga is their respective language.

‘Shangaan’ is technically a subset of the ‘Tsonga’ group, though it carriers a derogatory historical connotation; and so while the terms were used interchangeably for years, today “Tsonga” is considered more appropriate and therefore more widely used.  

Other names: Xitsonga Disco, Shangaan Disco

Drum machines, synthesizers and male vocals backed by a female choir, singing in a call and response style. 

American disco and soul (Marvin Gaye, Booker T and Johnny ‘Hammond’ Smith), township soul, Tsonga neo-traditional music, maskanda, mbaqanga ¹.

Tsonga electro

Tsonga disco emerged in tangential fashion to ‘bubblegum’ township pop, beginning in the early 1980s, as the initially localized response to regional social interest in preserving Tsonga culture combined with a more mainstream interest in Western music culture. Like bubblegum, Tsonga Disco emerged at a time when apartheid-dictated radio censorship laws exerted nearly impenetrable control over radio airwave access, such that artists were forced to deprive their works of any social or political content in order to receive airplay. The choice to craft a form of apolitical dance or ‘body’ music, while at first glance might raise scrutiny as a misdirected desire to ‘sell-out,’ was in reality also a choice made by musicians who wanted to keep making music without facing the possibility of harassment, imprisonment or even death at the hands of National-Party-appointed officials and police officers.

Prior to the influx of American disco and soul imports beginning in the 1970s, Tsonga music usually fell into one of three categories: choral music, indigenous music, and a type of neo-traditional music pioneered by Daniel Shirinda (‘General MD Shirinda’) and Obed Ngobeni  ¹. This neo-traditional music, like Zulu maskanda, centered around a male lead guitarist, and (as in most mbaqanga arrangements) was backed by an all-female choir. Instrumentation aside, the most distinctive feature of neo-traditional Tsonga (as well as Tsonga Disco and Electro) music was the use of Xitsonga lyrics.

The legacy of Daniel Shirinda, Obed Ngobeni and Tsonga music in general illustrates a paradoxical example of an indirectly beneficial outcome of the Separate Development propaganda agenda, which mandated that radio stations run separate programming schedules for South African tribes and racial demographics in order to prevent cultural mixing. As such, Ngobeni’s music gained significant exposure via Radio Bantu-assigned programming intended for the Tsonga peoples, perhaps paving the way for popular interest in the blend of American disco and Tsonga neo-traditional music that would culminate in Tsonga Disco ¹.  

Though neo-traditional Tsonga music placed the guitar front and center, Tsonga Disco (like 70s and 80s-era mbaqanga) changed the style by making the bass line, soul and jive-inspired keyboard and four-on-the-floor drums the center piece, while the guitar fell to the background and eventually disappeared by the 1980s. This transition occurred largely impart to the creative agenda of Paul Ndlovu, who – inspired by a particular song by Obed Ngobeni featuring a prominent four- on- the- floor kick and bassline – decided to approach approach Peter Moticoce (Ngobeni’s producer) for production input. Together, they crafted a new style that integrated American disco and soul elements with Moticoce’s electrified neo-traditional sound to create Tsonga Disco. The typical work up for a Tsonga Disco track consists of vocals sung in Xitsonga, a continuous ostinato electric or synth bassline (which would change stylistically throughout the 80s) and repeated synth keyboard riffs. The Tsonga Disco lyrical style, like other South African genres, angled towards a call and response format between a lead male vocalist and the female backing singers, and – like American soul and disco – usually featured a thematic focus on romance. The genre possessed a lot of aesthetic similarities to early bubblegum music of the same era, with the most notable differences being the use of Xitsonga over English lyrics and a greater guitar presence ¹.     

Tsonga Disco, like the neo-traditional Tsonga music that preceded it, gained initial exposure through Radio Bantu programming. Considering the popularity of American imported music at the time, it is possible that in the absence of Radio Bantu programming, airtime reserved for what was then considered ‘tribal’ music (like that of Paul Ndlovu) might have otherwise gone to playing American pop or western-influenced South African bubblegum, and Tsonga Disco might not have achieved notoriety beyond the Tsonga community. Other producers and artists would continue to build on the genre throughout the 80s and early 90s: Peta Teanet pioneered an arrangement style utilizing children’s choir singing for backing vocals, progressed a faster-paced, house-influenced version of the genre that sometimes included Kurtis Blow-esque rapping delivery of lyrics, and added increasingly political and social commentary into his lyrical content throughout the 1980s; while Eric Nkovane of Penny Penny and his producer Joe Shirimani would radically change the Tsonga Disco sound by adding a UK deep -house-emulating synth bassline ¹.   

Obed Ngobeni – “Ku Hluvukile Eka “Zete” (1983) – An example of transitional song that inspired Tsonga Disco; the bass and drums are the center focus rather to the guitar, which takes the backseat:

Paul Ndlovu – “Khombora Mina” (1985) – Ndlovu is recognized as the “King of Tsonga Disco”:

Peta Teanet – “Matswele” (1989) – A more politicized version of Tsonga Disco (the lyrical theme concerns sexual harassment); also an example of a faster-paced and more upbeat style of the genre:

Peta Teanet – “I’m a Dancer” (1992) – An example of a rap-influenced lyrical delivery (with lyrics in English); potentially kwaito-influenced as indicated by the repeating call-and-response lyrics:

Penny Penny – “Shichangani” (1994) – The addition of slowed-down house elements and synthesized steel drums made Penny Penny’s style a rapid departure from the preceding Tsonga Disco style:

Madalane, Ignatia. 2015. “From Paul to Penny: The Emergence and Development of Tsonga Disco 1985-1990s.” Journal of International Library of African Music 10:1: 150-179. Print. ¹