Sun-EL Musician
South African producer, DJ, and songwriter Sun-El Musician has achieved commercial success and international recognition with his warm, uplifting blend of deep house, kwaito, and pop. He is one of the primary artists associated with the amapiano (Zulu for "pianos") style, which originated in Johannesburg during the mid-2010s and became highly popular throughout South Africa by the end of the decade. After breaking through with his simmering 2017 single "Akanamali" (featuring Samthing Soweto), he became an in-demand producer, frequently working with vocalists such as Simmy, Ami Faku, and Mthunzi, all of whom appear on the second Sun-El Musician full-length, 2020's To the World & Beyond.
Sanele Sithole was born in a small town called Mooi River in 1989. He briefly attended the University of KwaZulu-Natal in 2007, but dropped out. He moved to Johannesburg in 2015, and began pursuing his career as a musician. In 2016, he recorded "Akanamali," a song about being broke, with singer/songwriter Samthing Soweto in a makeshift studio using donated equipment. Being a perfectionist, he wasn't satisfied with the song at first, and it sat unreleased for several months before his brother urged him to work on it further. It was released as his debut single in May 2017 and quickly became a huge hit, earning a platinum certification and opening the doors for numerous collaborations, both at home and abroad. Alicia Keys and Swizz Beatz heard the song on a trip to South Africa, and flew Sithole out to the United States to work on music together.
Sun-El Musician's debut album, Africa to the World, was released in 2018, including further hit collaborations with Simmy and S-Tone as well as a remix of Oumou Sangaré's "Yere Faga." Sun-El Musician won several awards for "Akanamali" at the 2018 South African Music Awards, and "Sonini" (with Simmy and Lelo Kamau) was named Record of the Year at the 2019 ceremony. Sithole founded his own label, El World Music, and produced singles and album cuts for vocalists such as Ami Faku, Sino Msolo, and Azana. His second full-length, the double album To the World & Beyond, arrived in 2020, featuring many of his regular collaborators as well as Claudio x Kenza, Julia Church, Kenyan band Sauti Sol, and numerous others. Additionally, Sun-El Musician co-produced Afro-house legend Black Coffee's single "You Need Me" (featuring Maxine Ashley), which appeared at the end of 2020 and was subsequently included on the 2021 album Subconsciously.
© Paul Simpson /TiVo
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Portia's Chant
Electronic - Released by EL World Music on Jul 9, 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Africa to the World
Electronic - Released by EL World Music on Apr 20, 2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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African Electronic Dance Music
Electronic - Released by EL World Music on Oct 29, 2021
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Into Ingawe
Electronic - Released by EL World Music on Jun 7, 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Bamthathile
Electronic - Released by EL World Music on Feb 23, 2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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I.C.U
Thakzin, Sun-EL Musician, Thandazo
House - Released by Memories on Dec 10, 2021
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Uhuru (with Azana) (Remixes)
Electronic - Released by EL World Music on Aug 6, 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Bloody Samaritan (Sun-El Musician Remix)
World - Released by Mavin Records on Jun 15, 2022
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Ubomi Abumanga (Radio Edit)
Dance - Released by EL World Music on Jun 12, 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Control (Radio Edit)
Dance - Released by Universal Music (Pty) Ltd. on Oct 21, 2022
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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