Dubai-based South African artiste records music album whilst in lockdown

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Flip Side contains 11 tracks; the album is a mix of poetry, with with reggae, hip hop, R & B, etc.
Flip Side contains 11 tracks; the album is a mix of poetry, with with reggae, hip hop, R & B, etc.

Khufu converted his phone into a sound system to record songs of comfort, love and hope

By Purva Grover

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Published: Sun 16 Aug 2020, 2:58 PM

Last updated: Mon 17 Aug 2020, 1:09 PM

The lockdown days were tough on all of us and we all attempted to turn to elements that brought us comfort. A few took to reading, many took to baking, and Xolisile W. Dolo aka Great Khufu, took to music. He recorded his first music album called Flipside, with the aid of technology, support from artists from all across the globe, and released it this month.
An artiste, originally from Cape Town, South Africa, Khufu has been in Dubai since 2017. "I had to cancel my trip to home, South Africa, and was missing my friends and family," he recalls. He bought himself a mobile studio, Izotope Spire. "It converts (mobile studio) your phone into a sound system, promising a studio recording experience," he says.
Khufu, who was also the winner of the best director award at Short & Sweet Theatre UAE, 2020, started to record and create uplifting music on May 15.He would record a song or two, every two days.  All the 11 tracks in the album speak of comfort, love, and hope. "I was in lockdown and was myself looking and holding on these emotions," he says. The album gets its name from The Flip Side, the independent record shop in Dubai, where Khufu has hosted a couple of open mic nights, played a DJ and more. "I dedicated it to them to express my gratitude towards Shadi Megallaa, the owner of shop, who inspired me to create music." Whilst he is looking for a distributor for the same, the album can be purchased at the store for Dh50. Khufu in his day job works as a sound & light technician at The Junction, a performing arts space in the city, and shares he did some of the recordings in the space, as there were no events happening during the lockdown.  
The album is a mix of poetry, with reggae, hip hop, R & B, etc. "You will hear a lot of guitar and other instruments, courtesy of friends like Steine Beats (Nigerian, based in Dubai), Ryini Beats (LA), OP Beats (US), The First entertainment and Vhmusic (South Africa), who all connected with me in the virtual world and made this album happen."
 
 


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