Mabína (Nenzima's Floem)

In Lingala, Mabína means ‘to dance’ and on his newest offering South East London’s Bzerk grooves effortlessly, proving his versatility over an instrumental that leaves us feeling ready for warmer days. The vibe of the track, the layered voices, the Spanish style guitar over drums that blend hip hop and jazz gives Mabína a broad summertime appeal.

Yet its sonic diversity makes Bzerk stand out as an artist whose appeal doesn’t compromise his individuality. It’s got an imaginative flair that’s reminiscent of fellow London eclecticist Auntie Flo. Speaking about his craft Bzerk says  ‘I’m a proud Congolese man and with artists in the UK representing their African heritage more, I would love to represent mine as artistically as I can’.

We hear his vision in the blend of genre and language  - the track includes Lingala, Spanish, English, Japanese. We hear personality in Mabína’s quirky details like the drum and bass breakdown at the end of the tune and in the intimacy of the song’s narrative. We find Bzerk fantasising about the one he loves and we share the joy of imagining a future with someone you care about, ‘I love the fact we’re both equal in this/ future stepping’s got me seeing our young sequels and shit’. But Bzerk doesn’t get lost in the fantasy, staying grounded and seeking commitment before he makes the leap, he asks ‘Are you with me?’ 

With new project ‘Elysium’ set for release in July, we’ll definitely be sticking around to hear more from this true original.