TuneLab
The mysterious Hyenah with a powerful afro house set in The Lab Johannesburg
The mysterious Hyenah bringing an afro house set to The Lab Johannesburg is like a chef cooking in their hometown kitchen; you know the ingredients will be authentic and the flavors profound. The room feels connected, a shared heartbeat to the earthy, melodic rhythms. This is afro house in its purest, most driving form, locked into a hypnotic 122-125 BPM range and deeply rooted in the spiritual, open-sounding 12A key. The energy is masterfully balanced, with the mid-range—dominated by organic percussion, chants, and haunting melodic phrases—carrying the emotional weight over a solid, four-to-the-floor foundation.
Hyenah's mixing is trance-inducing, using long, layered blends to create a seamless, rolling tapestry of sound that feels both ancient and futuristic. The track selection is impeccable. Lemon & Herb's 'Serengeti' is an instant classic, its evocative flute and rhythms painting a vast, sun-drenched landscape. Bawrut's 'Pronto Arpeggio' adds a touch of sleek, European tech-house sensibility, while Joy Marquez & Chriss Lerman's 'Movement' is pure, uplifting soul.
The local flavor of Blacks Jnr's 'Shona phansi' is a powerful, celebratory moment, and the inclusion of Turkish star Sezen Aksu's 'Aşktan Ne Haber' is a breathtaking left-field dig. The set builds from its mysterious opening, reaches an emotive peak with the panoramic beauty of 'Serengeti,' and closes on the elegant, fluttering melodies of Soldera's 'Butterfly,' leaving a sense of peaceful, communal uplift.