Mudanisi’s Soteria launch finds salvation in sound and community

From sets by music curators Billion and Dark Dindie to live performances from vocalist Ndumiso Beloved, the event moved comfortably between alternative jazz, Afrocentric sounds and more experimental territory. The audience responded enthusiastically throughout, with some attendees describing the experience as emotionally moving and even healing.

At the heart of the event was Mudanisi’s personal journey towards faith and the creative process behind Soteria. The album explores his relationship with Christianity and the sense of grounding and healing he says he found through his faith. His wife and long-time collaborator, Ndumiso Beloved, was closely involved in both the project and its launch.

“What inspired the album was me seeking God and finding salvation in Christ. Afterwards I felt called to create something that reflects what I’m going through as an artist,” Mudanisi said.

The title Soteria, derived from the Greek word for salvation, also speaks to the album's wider emphasis on collective experience. For Beloved, community was central to both the making of the album and the launch event.

“The inception of this project was made primarily from the fact that there is power in community,” she said. “Soteria, being derived from the Greek word ‘salvation’, reflects that you cannot be saved on your own. Although it’s a personal journey, there has to be a community around you to help you through whatever you may be going through.”

That philosophy was evident in the range of artists involved. Mudanisi brought together Luyandusapho, AraSoul Sax, Hlogii Sehowa, Yoyo Sitar, Tomer Yihleli and Beloved, creating a collaborative environment rather than presenting the album as an isolated artistic statement.

Musically, Soteria connects Mudanisi’s new-found faith with elements of traditional African music and alternative jazz. AraSoul Sax added percussion to much of the project and the live performances, introducing a distinctly Afrocentric texture to the arrangements. The result is a sound that moves between jazz, alternative music and African musical traditions without becoming confined to any one genre.

The event's DJ programme provided a fitting introduction to that sonic landscape. Billion opened with a bossa nova-influenced set that recalled Mudanisi’s debut album, Point of View, establishing a connection between his earlier work and the musical direction of S Soteria.

Ndumiso Beloved followed with an abstract, atmospheric performance that gradually shifted the room towards Mudanisi's main set. Despite Soteria having been released only a day earlier, sections of the audience were already singing along during the listening session, suggesting an immediate connection with the new material.

Dark Dindie brought the evening towards its conclusion with a set drawing from Asian, East and West African influences. Rather than keeping the audience at a distance, she invited people to dance, turning the listening environment into a more communal celebration.

Neno Stunner and Castro followed with bossa nova-inspired selections, bringing the event to a lively close.

What made the Soteria launch particularly compelling was its refusal to separate the music from the community that produced and received it. The event functioned as both an introduction to Mudanisi's new body of work and a gathering point for Johannesburg's alternative music community.

The album's themes of faith, healing and belonging were therefore not confined to its lyrics or arrangements; they were reflected in the atmosphere of the launch itself. Mudanisi’s ambition to release a full-length project annually could provide further opportunities to develop this approach, particularly if future projects continue to create spaces where alternative music, African influences and personal storytelling intersect.

For now, Soteria marks a significant new chapter in Mudanisi’s artistic journey, one in which salvation is explored not only as a personal experience, but as something that can also be found in music and community.