The Bongo Hop

Siselabonga’s “Halo” offers a vivid entry point into the duo’s Afro-Soul-Tronic sound: a layered fusion of raw percussion, soul-inflected vocals and electronic textures. The project brings together Swiss percussionist Fabio Meier and vocalist/keyboardist Nongoma Ndlovu, whose heritage spans South Africa, Zimbabwe and Switzerland. Their music draws deeply from the Afro-diaspora while embracing a forward-thinking, genre-fluid approach that blurs the lines between tradition and experimentation.

Released via Basel’s A Tree in a Field Records, “Halo” unfolds with ambient percussion and a meditative atmosphere. Ndlovu sings in both English and Zulu, threading themes of longing, resilience and cultural reflection through a soundscape that moves between ancestral rhythms, hip-hop, soul and electronica. The result is a composition that feels both grounded and expansive—rooted in personal experience yet open to broader, borderless narratives.

Siselabonga’s live performances extend this sensibility into something more immediate and collective. With over 30 shows across Switzerland, Germany, Romania and Italy in 2024 alone, they’ve become a notable presence in Europe’s eclectic global beat circuit. Their forthcoming album Halo’s Glitter (due 3 October 2025) is set to build on this trajectory, promising a deeper dive into their evolving sound world, where groove meets texture, and memory becomes movement.

- Rhythm Passport 03/06/2025