In the 2000s, DJ Spoko, DJ Mujava, House Station, Mzo Bullet and several others pioneered bacardi house (also bacardi), popularly referred to as "
sgubhu saPitori" featuring tracks such as "
Township Funk", "
Tobetsa", "
Casablanca" and "
Mugwanti". Bacardi house is a subgenre of
kwaito and
house music that blends
percussive elements with
pop-synth melodies. Bacardi was described as "a fusion of martial military-style
snares, wobbly, disorientated
synth sounds and gruff
call-and-response vocals" by Dean Bein of True Panther Sounds. DJ Spoko is recognized for his influence on
gqom through bacardi house, however gqom's origins extend beyond bacardi.
Durban kwaito, which predated bacardi and was often conflated and confused with
Afro-house and gqom, was a major precursor to gqom, shaping its distinct sound. It was also believed that Durban kwaito ("as gqom"), influenced bacardi. The practice of sharing or blasting music via taxis, which DJ Spoko engaged in, has been a longstanding tradition in South Africa and particularly the city of
Durban for decades. Given the Zulu ethnic group's prominence and their role in the taxi industry in South Africa, although bacardi was one of the sounds which were prevalent during gqom's inception, gqom is distinct from bacardi and its roots are deeply tied to the city of Durban's music scene and cultural context long before bacardi house emerged. == Illness and death ==