African Music and Dance Wiki
  • Kwaito may be under threat from house music because house music is easy to make
  • House music electronic dance music that originated in Chicago, Illinois in the late 1970's and early 80's
    • evolution from disco music
  • Began with Larry Levan and Frankie Knuckles spinning electronic dance music that was built around drum-machines and soul vocals
  • The United States invented the style (House), but Europe has transformed it into mass hysteria
  • Has been linked with the use of ecstacy--in dancehalls
  • Chicago house used 120 beats per minute, Europe now used 140
  • Kwaito is different than house because of its slower tempo, and percussive African samples, which are looped, with deep baselines and vocals that are chanted

Our Reasonings[]

Though Kwaito originated with elements from both Hip-hop and electronic music, it has grown to become something fairly distinctive. House music, on the other hand, became an international sensation in the 1990s that has gained huge followings on nearly every populated continent. South Africa especially has caught the clubbing bug that swept Europe and Asia before it. Now it seems as if the genre is eclipsing Kwaito in popularity, with international DJs and mashup artists outselling local musicians. We will use this section in conjunction with the Kwaito vs Hip-hop page to forecast Kwaito's future survival against other forms of popular music.