Major League DJz Open Up About Their Performance In Tulum And Collaboration With Murumba Pitch. Fusing deep Kwaito house with lounge and jazz sounds, the bubbling genre derives its name from “the pianos” in Zulu and less than a decade ago, had yet to exist. In the short time since amapiano first surfaced in South Africa in the mid-2010s, Major League DJz – the musical duo of twin brothers Banele and Bandile Mbere – have established themselves as not only maestros of the multifaceted genre, but a central force in introducing it to a global listenership.
The identical twin brothers and DJ partners Banele and Bandile Mbere speak on the origins of their sound, ‘New Beginnings’ EP and recent set at Tulum’s Day Zero festival. “We have worked with Murumba Pitch since we started making music. It’s been a few years now, so we wanted to drop a full project with them to showcase on our platform Balcony Mix. They’re the next best thing in music and just need the right push.”
Early last month, the DJs took the stage of Day Zero, a Tulum-set music festival first launched in 2012 by DJ Damian Lazarus to celebrate the end of the Mayan calendar year. The brothers delivered a jazzy, rave-style mix, going back-to-back with a set from another “major” house music authority, Major Lazer, the electronic trio of Diplo and DJs Walshy Fire and Ape Drums.
Coming off of the festival, the Major League DJz are already plotting out new mixes for the upcoming summer. The duo spoke to Hypebeast about amapiano, the making of their latest musical project New Beginnings and their Day Zero festival experience.
