Haunting South African nomadic future folk

Behind dumama (SA/DE) – lowercase please – you will find South African Berlin-based musician, composer, sonic poet and creative producer Gugulethu Duma. She made her first appearance on the international scene with her duo dumama + kechou and the acclaimed album buffering juju (which featured the likes of BRDCST favourite Angel Bat Dawid).

The Guardian described it as: “A bewitching musical odyssey”. Afropunk called it “an electronic folk masterwork,” and Gilles Peterson declared, “This is absolutely brilliant!” 

dumama was linked to the South African label Mushroom Hour Half Hour, which The Guardian says has released “some of the more ear-tickling sounds from the country’s experimental scene” over recent years. Think: (free) jazz by Spaza, folk releases by Sibusile Xaba, as well as Turbulance and Pulse by masterful drummer Asher Gamedze. 

dumama’s solo debut Towards an Expanse (via Soundway Records), that is to be released in 2026, certainly sounds disarming and haunting, with her stunning vocals as the driving force. In her shows, she mainly works with vocals, the uhadi (a traditional Xhosa bowed instrument), vocal effects loops, and field recordings. 

This is a Liveurope concert: the first European initiative to support concert venues in promoting up-and-coming musical talent across Europe.