When Cape Town-bred DJ Okapi began heavily immersing himself in the search for '80s and '90s South African vinyl some years back, he realized that there was little or no documentation of the sounds he was fast becoming enamored with. So began his blog Afrosynth – an online celebration of classic and obscure South African “bubblegum” (as the prevailing dance/pop sound of the day was called) that was rarely heard outside the nation during apartheid. The blog rapidly amassed a global following amongst inquisitive DJs and listeners. And Afrosynth has since evolved from a virtual destination to a physical one, occupying an intimate storefront in the midst of busy downtown Johannesburg. Okapi stocks the shop with plenty of rediscovered gems, including an impressive amount of sealed vintage back stock for the collector crowd. But Afrosynth’s primary goal is far more populist in nature: to make African music of all styles and regions readily available and affordable for Africans.
