Dazz-B MusiQ dedicated this release to the many deeply spiritually connected artists on the MELT 2000 label, a number of whom have sadly left us.
!Gubi Teitei – Bushmen of The Kalahari
!Gubi Teitei, the tribal elder and traditional healer at the head of the Khoi-San family, appears alongside Pops Mohamed on Bushmen of The Kalahari. The project was initiated by Pops Mohamed in 1995, driven by his commitment to protecting and preserving the indigenous tribal music of Southern Africa's oldest inhabitants, the San people. MELT 2000 released three albums drawing mainly from the Tietie San family, recorded at the edge of the Kalahari desert in Namibia. !Gubi, who plays the handheld zuma and mouth bow, gathered with his clan around the fire where chanting, clapping, and healing through trance dance took place under a star-filled night sky. The San Trance Dance is the oldest known form of meditation, enabling participants to enter a state of !kia – a spiritual connection with their ancestors that binds the whole community together.
Mabi Gabriel Thobejane & Robert ‘Doc' Mthalane
Mabi Gabriel Thobejane's song Naledi was delivered in a powerful rendition by Robert ‘Doc' Mthalane during a late night recording session at the remote Brownhill Farm Studios in West Sussex. Doc Mthalane (1953–1998) was a fixture in the South African pantheon of virtuoso guitarists from the late 1960s onwards, earning the nickname "the Jimi Hendrix of South Africa" for his ability to fuse African musical traditions with rock. He worked closely with Busi Mhlongo, Madala Kunene, and Mabi Thobejane, and it was through those collaborations that he first connected with MELT 2000. Dazz-B MusiQ, who grew up in Soshanguve – the neighbouring township where Malombo drummer Mabi Thobejane used to live – had already explored this territory on his EP MEROPA.
Madosini & Mantombi Matotiyana
Recorded during a late night session by Chris Lewis at Brownhill Farm Studios in 1997, with Madosini and Mantombi Matotiyana who were touring with Amampondo at the time. Mantombi is a spiritual musician, composer, and master of traditional Xhosa instruments – the umrhubhe (mouth-resonated bow), uhadi (gourd-resonated bow), and isitolotolo (Jew's harp). The late Madosini was a singer, storyteller, and cultural custodian celebrated for her mastery of traditional Xhosa musical instruments. Both artists are deeply rooted in Xhosa musical traditions, and their presence in that session carried a spiritual weight that runs through the fabric of this release.
The Seeds of Shaman's Promise
The seeds for Shaman's Promise were planted when label boss Robert Trunz played Dazz-B MusiQ the album Shaman featuring Boris Salchak and Christy Doran. The shamanic sessions were recorded in London in the mid-90s with Brazilian percussionist Airto Moreira. Boris Salchak is a Tuvan overtone throatsinger from the southern Siberian republic of Tuva, whose extraordinary technique connects him to one of music's rarest and most ancient traditions. Boris and Airto share a deep empathy through their shamanic backgrounds, which allowed them both to get closer to the heart and soul of the music.

Dazz-B MusiQ

Obakeng Kekana, known as Dazz-B MusiQ, is a multi-instrumentalist and composer from Soshanguve, outside Pretoria. He began DJing in 2010 at a young age and was producing original work by 2012. His sound blends deep-rooted African rhythms with a genre-challenging approach that draws from across the musical spectrum, reflecting both his township roots and his engagement with the wider world of sound. Through his ongoing work with M2KR, Dazz-B MusiQ has brought a fresh and contemporary perspective to MELT 2000's catalogue of South African musical heritage. His remix projects for M2KR span some of the label's most revered names – Busi Mhlongo, Madala Kunene, and Mabi Gabriel Thobejane – demonstrating both his range and his feel for the source material. In 2025 alone he delivered a string of releases including reimaginings of Busi Mhlongo's "Webaba Omncane" and "Thin' Izizwe", and an Amapiano version of Madala Kunene's spiritual classic "Ubombo" in collaboration with French-Tunisian oud master Smadj. His December 2025 EP MEROPA, featuring collaborations with Mabi Gabriel Thobejane and Tarang Cissokho, confirmed his position as one of the most inventive and culturally connected voices working in the M2KR universe.