Lance Stehr brings decades of South African music to ‘Spinners’ Season 2 soundtrack

The project features Mlindo The Vocalist, Danya Dev, Zola 7, Kabelo Mabalane, Ben Major, DJ Sneja, Miiss Makoti, Ishmael, Seshmoola, Thando Jay, Vilane and Cantona James, who plays Ethan in the series. Its music spans gqom, hip hop, Afro-soul, lekompo, Bacardi, 3-step, Afro-tech, amapiano, maskandi, deep house and Afro-house.

Stehr’s career began in 1990 with Prophets of Da City’s album Our World, which won Best Rap Album at the South African Music Awards (SAMAs). The group’s track ‘Neva Again’ featured in UK music magazine NME’s Top 10 Singles of the Year in 1995, when the group also won Best Rap/Hip Hop Group at the SAMAs.

In 1997, Stehr won Best Director at the Cannes Film Festival for his work on Prophets of Da City’s ‘Understand Where I’m Coming From’. The following year, he joined Polygram Music to manage its local division, overseeing more than 200 artist releases.

Between 2000 and 2005, artists whose projects were associated with Stehr included Ishmael, Kyllex, Ghetto Luv, Zola 7, Mapaputsi, Mzekezeke, Pitch Black Afro, da L.E.S, Brickz and Tuks. Their work received recognition at the SAMAs and Metro Awards during a period when South African hip hop and kwaito were reaching wider audiences.

Stehr also worked as music supervisor on the first two seasons of the television drama Yizo Yizo in 2001. In 2006, he served as music consultant on Tsotsi, which won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. The film brought South African music to a wider international audience.

His subsequent work included co-producing JOZI’s SkyRoom Live CD in 2012 and executive producing three seasons of the live music series. He also executive produced Fly Chix for VUZU TV and Jozi Moving the City for the SABC. The latter received nominations at the Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards and the South African Film and Television Awards.

In artist development, Stehr has been associated with SAMA-winning albums by Vusi Nova, Nathi Mankayi, Malik and 047. These include Nathi’s Buyelekhaya, an Afro-soul album. Stehr received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the SA Hip Hop Awards in 2013 and was inducted into the SA Hip Hop Museum Wall of Fame in 2019 alongside Prophets of Da City.

His work has also extended beyond South Africa. He guided Malawian artist Onesimus, who received awards and recognition at the All Africa Music Awards (AFRIMA) and the Hollywood African Prestigious Awards between 2019 and 2025.

Stehr said the new soundtrack reflects his long-standing focus on bringing South African music into film and television.

“I’ve spent my career trying to put South African music where it belongs, at the centre of the story,” he said.

“With Born In iGusheshe, we’ve brought together the full spectrum of our sound, from the pioneers to the new generation, for a series that will be seen in 56 countries. That’s the journey. It’s exciting to be breaking new artists in this incredibly shot series.”

Spinners Season 2 premieres on 25 October at 8a.m. on Mzansi Magic, DStv channel 161. The series is scheduled to receive a French-language premiere on Canal+ on 26 October.