23 Jan 2024

Young Batswana creatives continue to make a mark on the international Afro Tech stage, proving that local talent has what it takes to make an impact on the global space.

Botswana’s afro tech sensation, Hamza Tajbhai, known in the music circles as Tau.Bw, has been sending shock waves across the world with his amazing dynamic skills on set. 

Based in South Africa, and unknown to many in his home country, Tau.BW continues to make significant contributions to the Afro Tech music scene. 

2023 was a busy year for him with gig after the other, both regionally and internationally. He toured Europe, Berlin, Amsterdam, South Korea among other countries. 

Tau.BW featured at the Hey Neighbour Festival in Pretoria rubbing shoulders with other internationally admired artists. 

Born and bred in Molepolole, Tau.BW’s story is similar to any other aspiring entertainer whose parents wanted something else for them.

 In 2017, he moved to South Africa for further studies. 

“I needed space from home and start my life. I went to South Africa and I was so lost, with no direction of what to do with my life because I did not even enjoy my degree which I was failing,” Tau.BW explained adding that music was a calling for him because he tried to stay in school but ‘this thing was pulling me that I dropped out of two courses and wasted my parents’ money’. 

Frustrated with his life at the University of Pretoria, he pursued music and started Deejaying. 

“I used to play in Botswana and I love music,” he said adding that he found a record label, Multi-Racial Records in Pretoria where South Africa’s internationally acclaimed Black Coffee recorded his most loved tune, Set Your Mind Free.

It is at Multi Racial Records that he met Sisko Mlambo who became his mentor. After Pretoria, Tau.BW then moved to Johannesburg, ‘where things picked up’ because Jozi was abound with opportunities. 

“At this point I had dropped from university and studied music for a year before my move to Johannesburg, learning to compose and write music nicely,” he said. In Johannesburg, Tau.BW interned at a famous artist place, Ryan Murgatroyd, where he was able to release his first song ever, After Life. 

“I played my song and he loved it and chose it. But while he was walking past me playing a WhatsApp video of ShiversBW working in studio, Ryan heard the song and instantly wanted the song. ShiversBW’s song was then released together with my song, on a German record label, Get Physical,” he excitedly said about not only him but his fellow Motswana breaking such grounds at a go. 

“I was already global by my first song,” he added. Following this big achievement, Tau.BW continued working on his music and released a song called People of Shaam in 2020. 

The song was for the people of Palestine in awareness for the massacre that was going on at the time. The song topped charts in the United States, going on number one for six weeks on Tracksource music platform. 

Not believing the impact of the song and its success, Tau.BW then made a move to now start working with his idols. “I started working with South African artists I used to listen and looked up to; Da Capo, Shimza, Black Motion, Euphonik and gave them my music,” said Tau.BW. 

He did not only get to work with his idols, but Black Coffee got hold of People of Shaam at some point and played it on his sets. 

“He would start his sets with it, and this got me a lot of exposure and kept me moving on, to realise that a genius whom I look up to is actually a fan of my music,” he said adding that this alone kept him going and he worked hard. 

He climbed the South African music ladder through this genre, ‘and it was not easy because I am not from there and also the colour of my skin’. Tau.BW adding that the genre they play, afro tech, was taking over the big stages all over the world. 

Fused with old and new culture and drums in a modern context, the genre is played in big stages such as Afrochella, Tomorrow Land, and Ibiza among others. 

“The genre is a special platform for African culture to be on the global stage. We are on the top of our genre globally and this gives me wings to push my music,” said Tau.BW whose music is played in over 140 countries. 

He said the Afro Tech genre was made special by the fusion of old African sounds with new sounds of electronic. Some artistes, in Botswana such as ShiversBW use  Sesarwa cultural vocals, others like Black Motion use Masai. 

“It is like a platform for African culture to come through in a modern way globally especially in Europe,” said Tau.BW. 

Going through Tau.BW’s projects, one cannot ignore the remarkable progress he has made. In December 2022, Universal Music, the South African division, gave him an opportunity to revive the story of the iconic Brenda Fassie’s Vulindlela song. 

“I was shaking, they asked me to do the official remix of the song. A young boy from Molepolole trusted by the biggest record label in the world with such a high level of competition,” he said. 

Major League DJs from South Africa and Major Laser were also doing the remix. He was given two weeks to work and submit his work. 

“That year I came home in December and was told if I miss the two weeks deadline, I will lose the opportunity. I did not have any studio to work in Botswana, and I asked ShiversBW to assist. We used Brenda Fassie’s old vocals and original recordings to work on the remix song, it was a huge task but we delivered,” he said. 

The label loved my work, and my masterpiece Vulindlela remix was released in February 2023. And more came, Tau.BW also reimagined Mango Groove’s Home Talk moving the song from afro-pop to Afro Tech. 

“It was released through Gallo Records in 2023 and it went global. It was amazing doing back to back remixes of South African icons; it was amazing, even more so that I met with Mango Groove and sat with them in studio reviving their hit song,” said Tau.BW. 

Having a nine to five job have not stopped Tau.BW from his first love of music. He even gets to work indirectly with everything music. He makes music for big brands, with a company called Grid. 

“The company builds brands; we work with big brands such as FNB, and Springbok Rugby team among others,” he added. And last September, Tau.BW composed a song in honour of Women’s Day, called Abafazi. Currently, he is collaborating with the cream of South Africa’s artistes and pushing boundaries. 

Tau.BW’s collaborations include with NaakMusiq, and Da Africa Deep as well as Black Coffee’s son among others. A record producer and music composer as well, Tau.BW said young Batswana creatives have world-class talent and the talent only needs cultivating. 

“We are competing at world class level,” he said. Tau.BW said Batswana creatives need to explore the world for opportunities. “It pains me to see some of my fellow creatives here at home not realising their potential. They are talented, they look good, they can dance, they can produce, they can sing but they cannot sing because the opportunities are not here,” he said adding that because of their talent they always break grounds whenever they cross over to the South African market. 

Tau.BW said there is need to cultivate talent here at home and get government funding to be able to also compete globally. 

“We need to create stages and studios here to celebrate them and be able to send our artists globally,” he said. He further said Batswana needed to start believing in their own, and artistes need to make use of technology. 

“The global world of the internet is no more confining you to where you are, but connects you to artists all over the world, and you can send your work on the Internet and the world will recognise you,” Tau.BW said to the artists in Botswana who want to break ground.  BOPA