Gallo Remixed releases “Khombo Ra Mina” by Theo Kgosinkwe featuring De Mogul SA, Friday 8th April 2022.
Khombo Ra Mina is the 5th single off the Gallo Remixed series, reimagining iconic hits for a new generation.
Theo Kgosinkwe, singer, songwriter and member of the band Mafikizolo and afro house DJ/Producer Da Mogul have teamed up to remake the Paul Ndlovu classic “Khombo Ra Mina”, the collaboration marks the 5th Gallo Remixed single in the series to be released, adding an Amapiano feel to the Tsonga disco hit.
Gallo Remixed, celebrates the record label’s 95th birthday by reimagining treasured African songs from Gallo’s catalogue for a new generation; with executive producer by Grammy award-winning DJ/Artist, Black Coffee. Kgosinkwe has always been inspired by Paul Ndlovu, and grew up listening to the “Tsonga disco” hit Khombora Mina. When Gallo Records approached him to be part of Gallo Remixed he could not think of a better song to rework into an Amapiano track with the help of “Oe Batla Kae” creator De Mogul SA. “I am honoured to be part of the Gallo remix catalogue, reviving the songs that our fathers, uncles, sisters and brothers used to listen to,” said Theo Kgoniswe. “As a songwriter, singer and producer I found this project exciting, as well as challenging to work on. I can’t wait to hear the other reworked songs in the Gallo catalogue”.
De Mogul SA added, “It came as a surprise to me that Theo suggested us to work on Gallo Remixed and I feel honoured as it could have been any other producer of Theo’s choice. Expectations are high for the remix because the original song by Paul Ndlovu is one of those timeless South African hits. We always kept in mind that we did not want to lose the original nature of the song but to reflect the current youthful sound, hence we made it Amapiano”.
“Khombo Ra Mina” was originally released by RPM/Gallo Records in 1985 and reached Gold status in its year of release. There are three generations of music that have indulged in the experience of this sound. Paul Ndlovu laid the foundation with the classic hit which moved music fans within that era. Theo Kgosinkwe and De Mogul took up the challenge to bring this song into a new era bridging Tsonga Disco, AfroPop and Amapiano.
The Amapiano remix pays homage to Ndlovu, giving new life to the classic hit and simultaneously reminding people about the Tsonga legend’s story through music.
Since Music is Forever, the first Gallo Remixed EP dropped in December 2021, the tracks have been creating waves across the country. Tracks on the EP include Mpho Sebina “Too Late For Mama” (Brenda Fassie), Da Capo’s “Imbizo” (Phuzikhemisi), Sun El Musician and Nobuhle’s “Vulindlela” (Brenda Fassie).
“Khombo Ra Mina” releases on 8 April 2022, across global streaming platforms including Spotify, Apple Music, Deezer, Tidal, Youtube Music as well as Beatport and Traxsource for DJs.
Theo Kgosinkwe biography
For over two decades, Theo Kgosinkwe as one half of superstar band Mafikizolo and a solo act, has proved to be a mainstay of South African music. It’s little wonder that when Gallo Record Company curated a list of music stars to work on Gallo Remixed project, breathing new life on hits of yesteryear, his name was on top. Theo’s enduring star power and prowess as a songwriter, composer and producer shine brightest on Khombo Ra Mina, a cover of the Paul Ndlovu 1980s classic hit on which he collaborated with DJ DeMogul. “This has been such a special and exciting project to work on, honouring our forebears in music. I was thrilled to sing Khombo Ra Mina because I have never sung a song in Tsonga. It challenged me and I relished the opportunity of bringing Paul Ndlovu’s musicality back to life,” Theo shares.
Theo and DeMogul spruced up the mid-tempo Tsonga disco hit which was first released in 1985 and peppered it with Amapiano beats of today resulting in an
exceptionally fresh and thumping tune.
“Khombo Ra Mina reminded me of the olden days when people used to singalong and it was one of the biggest songs of that time. I liked its melody and working with DeMogul was a chance to revive it. We are introducing it to the Amapiano market. It is well produced and sounds amazing. We did a good job on this one. I’m honoured to be on the Gallo Remixed project,” says Theo.
Khomo Ra Mina is the first single from the Gallo Remixed project for this year and most significantly, the first Amapiano song to be released by Gallo Record Company. The Gallo Remixed concept is inspired by experiences encountered by South African international DJ legend Black Coffee when he was still an upcoming musician. He got into trouble for remixing a song owned by Gallo without permission.
Fast forward to 2022, he is a major shareholder at Gallo and has now embarked on a mission to make the extensive Gallo music catalogue widely available to the current crop of musicians. Some 50 songs were shortlisted for the Gallo Remixed recordings and are released in batches, the first having been released last year.
Gallo Remixed uses music to build bridges between generations. It will spark conversations as the older generations groove to songs they grew up on and the
youngsters jam to the beats of today. It is a masterclass on the origins of South African pop and bubblegum music of the 1980s and 1990s and beyond that will keep
the names of old musicians alive and relevant.
As a member of Mafikizolo, Theo has dazzled audiences with his remarkable voice and dance moves, from Johannesburg to Lagos, Nairobi to Dakar and outside the
borders of Africa. Mafikizolo, made up of Theo, Nhlanhla Mafu and Tebogo Madingoane released their self-titled debut album in 1997, followed up by Music Revolution.
It was with their 2000 release, Gate Crashers, with the smash single Lotto, that the group hit the big time. They solidified their place with the album Sibongile in 2002.
Tragedy befell the group when Tebogo passed away in 2004.
Theo and Nhlanhla continued to sing as a duo and released multi-platinum albums such as Six Mabone, Kwela and Van Toeka Af. Theo embarked on a solo project
titled I Am in 2008 with hit singles Umphathe Kahle and Ndihambela Phezulu. He reunited with Nhlanhla in 2012 and the album Reunited with the megahit Khona (featuring Uhuru and Mapiano) took them international as it was played across the African continent and the world. In 2017 they released 20 in celebration of two
decades in music.
The highly acclaimed Mafikizolo has won an armful of awards ranging from the SA Music Awards (SAMAs) and MetroFM Music Awards to MTV Africa Music
Awards. They were nominated as Best African Act at the MTV Europe Music Awards in 2013. Theo and DeMogul spruced up the mid-tempo Tsonga disco hit which was first released in 1985 and peppered it with Amapiano beats of today resulting in an exceptionally fresh and thumping tune.
“Khombo Ra Mina reminded me of the olden days when people used to singalong and it was one of the biggest songs of that time. I liked its melody and working with DeMogul was a chance to revive it. We are introducing it to the Amapiano market. It is well produced and sounds amazing. We did a good job on this one. I’m honoured to be on the Gallo Remixed project,” says Theo.
Khomo Ra Mina is the first single from the Gallo Remixed project for this year and most significantly, the first Amapiano song to be released by Gallo Record Company.
The Gallo Remixed concept is inspired by experiences encountered by South African international DJ legend Black Coffee when he was still an upcoming musician. He got into trouble for remixing a song owned by Gallo without permission.
Fast forward to 2022, he is a major shareholder at Gallo and has now embarked on a mission to make the extensive Gallo music catalogue widely available to the current crop of musicians. Some 50 songs were shortlisted for the Gallo Remixed recordings and are released in batches, the first having been released last year.
Gallo Remixed uses music to build bridges between generations. It will spark conversations as the older generations groove to songs they grew up on and the youngsters jam to the beats of today. It is a masterclass on the origins of South African pop and bubblegum music of the 1980s and 1990s and beyond that will keep
the names of old musicians alive and relevant.
As a member of Mafikizolo, Theo has dazzled audiences with his remarkable voice and dance moves, from Johannesburg to Lagos, Nairobi to Dakar and outside the
borders of Africa.
Mafikizolo, made up of Theo, Nhlanhla Mafu and Tebogo Madingoane released their self-titled debut album in 1997, followed up by Music Revolution. It was with their 2000 release, Gate Crashers, with the smash single Lotto, that the group hit the big time. They solidified their place with the album Sibongile in 2002. Tragedy befell the group when Tebogo passed away in 2004.
Theo and Nhlanhla continued to sing as a duo and released multi-platinum albums such as Six Mabone, Kwela and Van Toeka Af. Theo embarked on a solo project
titled I Am in 2008 with hit singles Umphathe Kahle and Ndihambela Phezulu. He reunited with Nhlanhla in 2012 and the album Reunited with the megahit Khona
(featuring Uhuru and Mapiano) took them international as it was played across the African continent and the world. In 2017 they released 20 in celebration of two
decades in music.
The highly acclaimed Mafikizolo has won an armful of awards ranging from the SA Music Awards (SAMAs) and MetroFM Music Awards to MTV Africa Music Awards. They were nominated as Best African Act at the MTV Europe Music Awards in 2013