Faculty of Music - a Dr Duda magic!

Faculty of Music - Dr Duda.

Award-winning Dr Duda’s new album, Faculty of Music , is finally out.

The 51-minute-long album is a raw, unapologetic sweet-storm that sounds like a relentless exposition in momentum, a tour de force that refuses to let your feet stay still.

Supremely inventive and recurrently delightful, this album sees Dr Duda wielding his musical dexterity like a device of happiness so compelling you’ll find yourself grooving while doing the dishes. Faculty of Music is a caffeinating and beautifully persistent moment of dancefloor architecture that balances deep, soulful house chords with the kind of unforgiving bassline thud that shakes your being.

My wife, for instance, adores “Makoti” in ways that make me believe that the song will soon morph into a hit in the realm of “Jerusalema”, maybe even better. Have a listen to “Makoti”, “Sana Lwam'” too I’d say, especially if there’s a wedding (or such like happy moment) you are going to be involved in.

In his remix of “Uganga Nge Ngane”, Dr Duda brings the legendary Busi Mhlongo to the here and now, re-immortalising her merrily.

In “Bambelela”, Buxie and Goitse Levati inspire indomitable will to stay on your feet and keep going, no matter the difficulties - as if to amplify “Isimo”, where Dr Duda teams up with Teddy Moloi, Sboniso Mbhele, and Mlindo The Vocalist to bring tears to your eyes while your head moves to the beat of hope. “Khiph' Imali” sees Da'Luk and Mthunzi singing about how money and love intersect and disband. 

Further beauty awaits in tracks like “Chelete”, “Vuma”, “God Belongs To Africa.”

Like its opening track, “Mesiya”, Faculty of Music is so beautiful an album that you might find yourself believing, as you should, that it is the anointed one. The album also contains an instrumental version of this majestic song which - if you listened with your heart, becomes a proper prayer for different seasons. “Mesiya” is, in my view, criminally short for such a beautiful song. But then again that is probably its strength - its brevity enjoins repetition.

In Faculty of Music, Dr Duda flexes his exceptional dexterity, effortlessly proving why he remains a premier musical architect. The album is a brilliant exercise in sonic catharsis. It’s a jewel in rhythm, class, and pure joy. It’s an album replete with soul, timeless arrangement, and a vibrant energy that demands you get up and dance.

Widely respected within the (South) African music scene, Dr Duda’s authentic workflow syndicates live keys, jazz feelings, and grooves that are simply remarkable.

His extensive discography leaves no doubt that Dr Duda - whose real name is Sipho Mphahlaza, is a visionary musical ground-breaker and multi-instrumentalists who leads in shaping the sonic backbone of the contemporary African sound-space.

Faculty of Music is already timeless. It’s mouthwatering. It's elegant. It's dazzling. With this album, Dr Duda has - sin duda, delivered us to the future.

Visit any of the leading digital music platforms to find and enjoy Dr Duda’s Faculty of Music. Go now. Better still, book him here: bookings@borninsoweto.co.za or dr.duda@ymail.com.

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