Teno Afrika
's debut album was one of the first amapiano records to receive a physical release, and helped introduce the rapidly growing South African scene to international audiences. While the style's most pop-friendly artists have scored massive hits throughout Africa,
(
Lutendo Raduvha
) tends to produce a more stripped-down, instrumental variant of the sound, filled with shuffling, shaker-heavy rhythms and smoothly cascading synths. His second album,
Where You Are
, is along the same lines as his debut, but with an increased presence of vocals. The opening title track is just lovely, with a jazzy lilt to
Leyla
's airy vocals and a surge of wistful emotion expressed by the swelling synth pads and urgent bassline. "Fall in Love" is the set's other vocal showcase, with fluttering Auto-Tune masking
KayCee
's voice as she reminisces about her first time, and the track is taken in other directions by a weird spring-like synth and soft acoustic guitar notes. "AK Love," co-produced by
Diego Don
, also has boingy synths and well-timed vocal drops. While
Raduvha
's tracks aren't dense, complicated constructions, he manages to evoke some heavy moods with just a few elements. "Bells" is darker and more suspenseful without raising the tempo, and its hard, distorted bassline absolutely slams. "Duma ICU" balances delicate melodies, which could be played on a classical guitar, with bass that seems ready to pounce.
's music is brisk, soothing, and easy to dance or relax to, but its tense undercurrent gives it some emotional depth, and overall, it's intriguing as well as highly addictive. ~ Paul Simpson