Between the golden era of kwaito and the emergence of South Africa's greatest musical export, amapiano, there was a pulsating, bass-heavy sound that electrified Pretoria’s nightlife — Bacardi. Not to be confused with the rum (although that’s where the name came from), Bacardi music was the sound of taverns, clubs, underground bars, and street parties in Pretoria.

Emerging in the early 1990s in Mamelodi West in Tshwane (now Pretoria), Bacardi was originally known as Kwaito House, a subgenre of Kwaito. But while kwaito leaned mid-tempo and mellow, Bacardi upped the pace. The genre incorporated heavy basslines, repetitive rhythms, minimalist beats, electronic synths, and a faster tempo.

As for who created Bacardi? That’s still up for debate. Afropop worldwide once spoke to top Bacardi artists to get a definitive answer, but no one could pin it down. Two names always came up though: DJ Spoko and DJ Mujava.

Some say it was Spoko, the Pheli sound wizard who studied under Nozinja, the godfather of Shangaan Electro. Others say Mujava. But many agree that Bacardi wasn’t built by one person — it was a sound born out of the streets, shaped by DJs and producers with a similar hunger for innovation and to shake things up.

In the early days of the genre, it was difficult to market, making it somewhat of a regional genre of music. A hidden gem mostly confined to Pretoria, but with the advent of the internet, the music went nationwide.

Fast forward to 2008–2010, Bacardi began to fade from the spotlight. Gqom, with its Durban roots and fast pace, started dominating the scene. Bacardi looked like it was done, but as you could already tell, music, especially one born in the hood, doesn’t just disappear.

By 2021, Bacardi started creeping back—this time through amapiano, South Africa's greatest music export. Producers like the Pretoria-born Mellow & Sleazy began experimenting, blending the hard snares and hi-hats of Bacardi with the smooth log drums and soulful rhythms of the piano.

There’s a new age Bacardi that the young producers are doing, by blending it with elements of amapiano,” said DJ Maphorisa, during his conversation with Kabza De Small on Crowning Moments With The Kings of Amapiano.

For many people in Pretoria, Bacardi is a music for celebration and a lifestyle. As Blaqnick of Blaqnick & MasterBlaq puts it, “When Bacardi was introduced in the hood, it captured the excessive celebration spirit… the clubs, taverns, and gatherings all dominated by Bacardi.”

Today, Bacardi is experiencing a second life and a resuscitation, not just as a nostalgia trip, but as a core influence in South Africa’s current music landscape. Amapiano producers continue to borrow its bounce, structure, and spirit.

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Bacardi music is a derivative of South African kwaito that incorporated heavy basslines, repetitive rhythms, minimalist beats, electronic synths, and a faster tempo.

Bacardi: The Sound of Pretoria that Refused to Die

Bacardi music is a derivative of South African kwaito that incorporated heavy basslines, repetitive rhythms, minimalist beats, electronic synths, and a faster tempo.

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