Afro House stalwarts Black Motion and Prince Kaybee unveiled masterful remixes of San Fransiscan duo Karmacoda’s ‘Time’, released via Sola Musa Music. South African Afro House legend Prince Kaybee dropped his remix on 13 February, which received acclaim from globally renowned electronic music platform YourEDM, as well as tastemaker publications MusicInAfrica, SlikourOnLife and Vicious Magazine, while Black Motion’s remix which was released on 6 March, garnered support from YourEDM, National Irish radio station RTÉ 2FM, and was championed by outlets like Music In Africa and SIX AM.
Prince Kaybee is a platinum selling Afro House producer, DJ and television personality, who boasts multiple South African Music Awards (SAMAs), including Male Artist of the Year, Best Dance Album, andAlbum of the Year, alongside a Best Dance Album win at the Metro FM Music Awards. He has worked with the likes of Shimza, Black Motion, Busiswa, Lady Zama and Ami Faku, while he was included inTIME Magazine’s feature 10 Best Songs of 2020 for his track ‘Uwrongo’.
Formed in 2010, Black Motion, which comprises of Thabo Mabogwane and Kabelo “Problem Child Ten83” Koma, are highly revered for their gripping percussion and gloriously immersive Afro House soundscapes. The pair have released music on Defected Records, and boast multiple wins at the South African Music Awards, including Best Duo/Group and Best Dance Album. Additionally, they’ve received Gold- and Platinum certifications, and they’ve performed on the esteemed platform NPR Tiny Desk.
Karmacoda is a genre-defying duo with a two-decade career spanning electronica, trip-hop, R&B, ballads, and dream pop. With a reputation for blending soulful R&B with jazz lounge influences, Karmacoda’s work has been remixed by renowned electronic producers and DJs like Krono, Birds of The West, Extrawelt, Tobias Bergson, Oliver Schories and Prince Kaybee.
The original version of ‘Time’ was lifted off their 2022 Lessons In Time LP. Featuring Jessica Ford(vocals), Brett Crockett (vocals/producer), and Eric Matsuno (bass/multi-instrumentalist), the track touches on themes of regret and introspection. It features subtle, autotuned vocals, interwoven into a symphony of piano chords, a steady shaker and mesmerising melody. With effortless finesse, Black Motion and Prince Kaybee’s remixes transform the original into a commanding Afro House anthem sure to ensnare fans of Zakes Bantwini, Caiiro, Culoe De Song, Sun El Musician and Black Coffee.
Prince Kaybee’s reimagining sees him inject the original with a super-charged, Afro House bassline which forms the backbone of the remix. The sublime piano arpeggios induce a striking emotional resonance, hypnotising the listener into a kaleidoscope of emotions from introspection to joy and even hints of melancholy. Black Motion add a steady, yet kinetic Afro House beat which anchors the song while a hypnotic arpeggio weaves its way around layers of rhythms and atmospherics, drawing the listener in as the vocals soar around the mix, retaining the emotional charge of the original while injecting it with renewed rhythmic life.
Black Motion told us: “The ‘Time’ remix was born from a conversation with the ancestors, a reminder that time is not just counted, it is felt in the drum and carried in the spirit. We approached it as a ritual in sound, where rhythm becomes memory and melody becomes prayer. It is our offering to the eternal pulse that guides us beyond the clock.”
Prince Kaybee revealed: “When I make music I see color, so the vocals on the original remind me of blue and I usually associate blue with a mild cold or a subtle fresh breeze. So before I did the remix I needed to find its color that’s how it started.”