Hyperdub / UK / 2015 / 12"
Dumela 113 is an experimental house EP by Okzharp, the project of South African-born, London-based producer Gervase Gordon, featuring vocals by multidisciplinary South African artist Manthe Ribane. Rooted in Gordon’s ongoing connection to Cape Town and Johannesburg, the EP blends electronic music with personal and cultural themes.
Named after Ribane’s creative studio Studio113, Dumela 113 emerged from a collaboration sparked by director Chris Saunders, who introduced Ribane to Gordon during work on the film Ghost Diamond. Two tracks, "Fede" and "Sizzr", are from the film’s soundtrack.
Ribane's lyrics, sung in both Tshwana and English, explore identity, beauty standards, creativity, and resilience. The EP features minimal, genre-blurring production—ranging from stripped-back beats and vocoder effects to house rhythms and dubstep-influenced instrumentals—culminating in the closing track "Glonet", a melodic, tempo-shifting instrumental. The result is a deeply textured and culturally rich audio-visual collaboration.