ABOUT


Afrosynth Records is a Johannesburg-based record label specialising in South African bubblegum and kwaito from the 1980s and ‘90s. 

It began in 2009 as a blog dedicated to preserving SA pop music from the 1980s and early 1990s, the vast majority of which was never digitised and remains largely inaccessible. Beyond bubblegum, the Afrosynth online archive also covers other genres from the same time and place, including jazz and traditional music, as well as vinyl releases from other Southern African countries such Zimbabwe and DR Congo. 

Curated from the collection of DJ Okapi, the aim of the blog has been to provide an online presence to the music and musicians of a vibrant yet largely forgotten era before their legacy is lost forever. 

Increasing interest in recent years has led to the Afrosynth record store and label. Selling online since 2015, in 2016 a physical store was opened in Maboneng, downtown Johannesburg. In 2017 the label was born with the reissue of Burnin’ Beat (AFS034). 

email: djokapi@gmail.com