Inside Mayonie Productions, Durban Roots, Artist Led Vision, And A Global Afro House Future

Lucky Mbeta

Few labels have shaped South African Afro house from the inside out quite like Mayonie Productions. Founded in Durban by Grammy Award-winning, multi-platinum-selling artist Zakes Bantwini, the imprint has long operated as both a label and a talent development platform, built to serve artists at home while opening pathways to the global stage.

According to A&R lead Lucky Mbeta, Durban was not simply a convenient starting point. It was fundamental to the label’s identity. “Durban is the birth home of label head Zakes Bantwini,” he explains, pointing to the early years when Zakes was studying jazz and popular music while simultaneously helping shape the Durban Kwaito movement. Mayonie, he argues, did not follow the local scene so much as help define it, developing artists such as L’vovo Derrango at a time when few structures existed for long-term growth.

That absence of structure was the original gap Mayonie set out to fill. “There was no home, no direction or strategy for African talent to have a global career while in their own country and a label DNA that understood them,” Zakes Bantwini explains. The label’s mission from the outset was not only to release records but also to create a system that allowed artists to build sustainable careers without leaving South Africa behind.

Sonically, Mayonie’s output resists rigid definition. Lucky Mbeta describes it as a bridge between domestic and international worlds, rooted firmly in South Africa while remaining fluent in global electronic language. “We are really about electronic dance music as a whole and pushing a strong narrative of what the sound is and sounds like from its origins, South Africa,” he says, stressing that feeling matters more than formula when deciding what belongs on the label.

That sense of authenticity is what Lucky feels separates South African Afro house from many interpretations heard elsewhere. “It sounds more pure, soulful and authentic really. When you hear it, you just know that THIS IS THE ONE.”

Curation at Mayonie is guided less by process than instinct. Lucky admits the decision-making can be difficult to articulate. “It’s really a feeling,” he says. “Sometimes that feeling can be doubtful, and when that happens, Zakes’ ear is always a source I trust.” Having an artist-led vision at the top of the label gives those instincts weight, grounded in lived experience rather than theory.

Long-term creative relationships sit at the heart of that approach. Artist development is not treated as a side project, but as the core of the label’s purpose. One-off releases have their place, but sustained collaboration is what allows Mayonie to turn artists into recognised names in South Africa before amplifying them internationally.

That philosophy informs the label’s latest compilation, a wide-ranging statement that introduces new artists while reaffirming Mayonie’s core sound. Lucky describes it as both a reintroduction and a declaration of intent. “The intention was to bring Mayonie to the forefront and slightly introduce new artists we will be working with over the next year,” he explains. “Creatively, the label is at a space where we want to play globally with the big boys, and this album says exactly that.”

In an era dominated by singles, Mayonie still sees albums as essential. They offer something more expansive. “Albums will always have their place because they really allow an artist to tell a story with an intro, body and conclusion,” Lucky says. For a label built on narrative and development, that format remains vital.

Beyond music, Mayonie positions itself as a home. Artists are supported creatively and professionally, taught to navigate the business, and given space to create freely. It is a model rooted in trust, protection, and shared ambition.

Looking ahead, the direction is clear. Mayonie intends to remain deeply South African while operating confidently on a global stage. As Lucky puts it, listeners and industry alike should expect the label to continue raising the bar. “Expect Mayonie to be the best Dance Music in the World.”

Mayonie Productions

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