OFF THE RECORD BY AFRICA HOUSE
There’s nothing more alluring than a secret afterparty. As DStv’s Delicious International Food & Music Festival wrapped up this past weekend, the city’s real after-hours energy slipped into something more intimate and way less predictable. ‘Off The Record’ by Africa House is a secret session, invite-only, where the agenda is no agenda.
The timing is intentional, creating a natural meeting point for artists who are already in town and setting the stage for something that can’t be planned. ‘Off The Record’ is about pure spontaneity, an unscripted energy where music unfolds in real time.
The event is built around improvisation and genuine musical connection, and there’s no better act to embody that ethos than Kujenga, the Cape Town collective whose name means “to build” in Swahili. Their live sets are less performance, more process — starting with jazz and mutating into mbaqanga, gospel, funk, Afrobeat, and whatever else felt right in the moment. It’s the same exploratory spirit that shaped their 2024 album In the Wake, exploring ancestry and collective memory through extended jams.
The night played out at Artistry, in an intimate space, no more than a hundred people inside, when the energy shifted. Kujenga started vibing, Wyclef Jean walked in — no announcement, no buildup — and slipped straight into the jam with his branded electric guitar. As the night continued, the energy became electric when the stage opened up to the likes of Lia Butler, Langa Mavuso, Phila Dlozi and Nanette who took turns to share their vocal prowess with the audience, whilst friends of Kujenga also took to the stage, creating an explosive musical exchange.
A hundred people in a small Joburg room, a legendary artist with a rare and intimate performance, and KUJENGA reflecting the spirit of improvisation. That’s Off The Record.
