Born in Chicago’s underground club scene, house music emerged as DJs and producers shaped its signature electronic sound, hypnotic, repetitive beats that would soon captivate dance floors around the world. Its global reach has given rise to countless variations, including Amapiano, South Africa’s distinctive take on house music that has exploded onto the international stage.
But the continent’s contributions to house music extend well beyond Amapiano. Afro House, another uniquely African interpretation of the genre, has found one of its most recognizable champions in Da Capo. With an extensive discography and millions of streams, he has built a devoted following that spans from his South African roots to audiences worldwide. His commanding stage presence has seen him perform at major festivals and venues including Defected Croatia, Amsterdam Dance Event (ADE), and Glass Island in Sydney.
His latest release, Indigo Child II: Love & Frequency, marks a bold new chapter in his artistic journey. Spanning over 82 minutes across 13 carefully crafted tracks, the album blends immersive house rhythms with sultry R&B influences to create a rich, layered project that is both danceable and deeply spiritual.
Culture Custodian sat down with Da Capo to discuss his house music origins, the genre’s evolution in South Africa, and what listeners can expect from this ambitious new album.
Let’s start from the beginning, you’re from Seshego in Limpopo, and you’re completely self-taught as a producer and DJ. What was it about house music that captured you as a teenager, and how did you teach yourself to produce in a small township?
House music has been a huge part of my life, shaped by the community I grew up in. In many ways, it saved us, it brought people together, kept us happy, and gave us a sense of belonging. Where I’m from, house music isn’t just entertainment; it’s a culture, and it still is today. That environment inspired me to start producing house music myself.
I’m actually self-taught, but I have to credit some people from my neighborhood who helped me along the way. One of them was Big Ben, who introduced me to the production side, teaching me how to use music software. Before that, I was primarily a writer and came from a hip-hop background as a rapper. Transitioning into production was a big step, and I learned a lot from the people around me in my community.
You’ve become synonymous with Afro House globally. How do you define your particular approach to the genre, and how has your sound evolved from your early days to what we’ll hear on Indigo Child II: Love & Frequency?
For me, growth is essential. I believe in always staying versatile because music is such a diverse art form. I don’t like to box myself in or limit my identity to just being an Afro House producer. If you listen to Indigo Part Two, you’ll hear that it’s not strictly Afro House. It’s much more diverse; it’s music in its broader sense. While I come from an Afro House background, I’ve never wanted to be confined to one style. Over the years, I’ve explored so many genres, R&B, hip-hop, house, deep house, Afro, and more. I think that range is really important to who I am as an artist.
You’ve taken Afro House from South African dance floors to international stages like Defected Croatia and ADE Amsterdam. What do you think it is about Afro House that translates so powerfully across different cultures and club scenes worldwide?
House music is powerful. I believe it’s deeply spiritual. Through my experiences traveling to so many places around the world, I’ve seen firsthand how house music can have a huge impact on people’s emotions. It brings excitement, joy, and sometimes even changes lives. I’ve received messages on social media from people saying my music changed their lives. It’s easy to take that lightly, but I don’t. I see it as a gift from God, something given to me to help heal people. I’ve met many listeners who were going through tough times, but through house music, they found healing and comfort. For me, it’s about much more than just sound; it’s about that transformative journey.
Traveling so much has also taught me about the diversity within house music. For example, I recently learned about the European take on Afro House called Afro Melodic, something I hadn’t known before. That kind of discovery shows how house music keeps evolving and uniting people around the world. It truly plays a crucial role in changing lives and making people happy.
The title Indigo Child II: Love & Frequency suggests something deeper than just club tracks. How do you balance creating music that moves people physically on the dance floor while also touching them emotionally and spiritually?
Yeah, for me it really comes from the heart. When I make music, I make sure it’s genuine and authentic. Sometimes when I’m in the studio, I completely zone out, I feel like I’m in another realm. That’s how spiritual music is to me.
It’s not just about the dance floor or releasing a song that people enjoy on a surface level. I want my music to go deeper, to touch the soul and the mind. I pour all my emotions into the production process. Everything I’m feeling gets channeled into the music. Honestly, the dance floor reaction is just a bonus. At the end of the day, it’s about spirituality for me. I’m a firm believer in that, and I believe my music carries that spiritual essence too.
As one of South Africa’s biggest ambassadors for Afro House, do you feel a responsibility to preserve certain traditional elements of the genre while pushing it forward? How do you navigate that balance?
We have to keep the rhythm and groove alive, especially the African rhythm, which plays such a crucial role. While it’s important to travel, perform overseas, and get inspired by European sounds, we can’t forget our drums and our African roots. That’s what represents us, and it’s what we want the world to know: that our music carries this rich African element.
I’m always influenced and inspired by different sounds, especially European ones, but I work hard to balance them with African elements. At the end of the day, I’m trying to accommodate both spheres. By spheres, I mean the different audiences, like Europe and Africa.
With your influence and this new album, what mark do you want to leave on the genre’s continued evolution?
This album is really a reflection of how far we’ve come musically. It represents my background and where I come from. It also shows how South African music has shaped and transformed my own musical perspective.
As someone who’s been part of the Afro House movement from early on, it’s been truly beautiful to watch my fellow South Africans and Africans in general make such a big impact on the world. Seeing them travel, explore, and share their creativity globally is inspiring.
But I believe this is just the beginning. There’s still so much more we have to offer the world. Afro House is growing rapidly, and we’re in such a good space right now. People should definitely look out for even more great music to come.
