Summer 2022 in New York City has been nothing short of phenomenal. After 2 years of pandemic restrictions, this summer the city showed up and showed out, to dance and get free!
We kicked off the summer with a Descendants boat ride on June 10th. The party featured South African heavy weight Caiiro, who played to a packed audience of Afro house and Afro tech lovers.
The event marked Descendants entry into the NYC Afro/electronic music scene. You may be thinking, what makes these parties different from what already exists? The difference is, Descendants is focused on the electronic dance sounds of Africa.
On August 27, Descendants will return with a sunset boat ride that will close out the summer season with rhythm and views. The lineup this time around is local and will showcase sets covering the best of Afrohouse, Amapiano and Afro Latin House. On the decks will be an almost all female crew of heavy weights, including Sabine Blaizin, AQ, Zandy Shejay, Dre Ngozi and Meedy. With this all star lineup, the evening is sure to be one that will keep you moving and swaying.
Sabine Blaizin hails from Brooklyn via Haiti and brings an eclectic variety of African diasporic sounds. Her house sets are heavily influenced by her Haitian roots, her spirituality, Afro Cuban and Latin sounds, as well as the banging beats of New York and Southern African house. Judging from the sets we have heard, we are sure she will take us to a higher level with her syncretism of sounds. Check out oyasound.com for more on Sabine and the many projects she is working on.
AQ has been a staple throughout summer 2022. If it’s one name we have seen consistently on fliers this summer it’s AQ (Afrikan Queen) Her versatility means, she plays for the audience, delivering exactly what they need, when they need it. Versed in House, Afro house, Amapiano and Gqom, she covers the full spectrum of pulsating African electronic music. AQ plays some of the hardest Amapiano sets we have heard in NYC.
Zandy Shejay is a South African American DJ and entrepreneur who has become the biggest promoter of South African culture in the New York tristate area. She is the founder of Shisanyama, South African Youth day event, which features live acts directly from South Africa. Her sound covers the many evolving popular electronic beats out of South Africa: Gqom, Afro Tech, Afro House, Amapiano and more. We cannot wait to hear her set, because we know it will be a South African musical journey.
Dre Ngozi, continues the theme of sound versatility. Known for effortlessly crossing genres, her sets are a potpourri of the many Afrocentric rhythms and vibes happening globally. We previewed many of her mixes, and each is a surprise. What stands out is how easily she weaves across genres, while maintaining the flow and energy of the mix. From soca into Afrobeats, into Afro House, we like that she doesn’t really play in blocks of a genre. Rather, she blends genres as if she is highlighting the similarities of rhythms across afro cultures. Check out https://drengozi.com/ for more.
Meedy is a man of many talents, which often means he wears many hats. He’s the founder of Descendants records, and the brains behind the Afrohouse boat ride party. One of his many hats is djing and he will be on the decks on August 27. Meedy has a unique take on Afrohouse, his sound is influenced by South African Afro tech and Portuguese/Angolan Afro house. The fact that we will get some Angolan flavor on August 27th, is definitely rare for New York City!
Get your tickets to the August 27 Afro House sunset boatride now before they sell out
Some pics from the last Descendants boat ride.
And to get you hype for the upcoming party here are some standout mixes from the featured Djs
Sabine Blaizin
AQ
Dre Ngozi