South African DJ and producer Culolethu Zulu, popularly known as Culoe De Song, has never been interested in making noise for the sake of it.
From Afro-house in Durban to sacred sound in Berlin and Brazil, he has redefined what it means to make African electronic music.
His sound, rich with traditional rhythm and spiritual resonance. It feels less like entertainment and more like healing.
Listening to him puts you into a trance, and takes you to a place you have never been. An “otherworldly” place.
Different house music genre
“The genre that I am most famous for is something called tribal house. Something I twisted and discovered through our compilations and dance back then,” he said during the Castle Milk Stout intimate event on Sunday.
“It was more on the recreational side, but it became spiritual over time.”
For Culoe, whose passport tells a story of global stages and far-flung festivals, the journey has been as inward as it has been outward.
“Music is the ultimate connector. It carries our ancestors’ voices while bringing people together in the present. When artists share songs with honesty, they become part of a bigger story of healing and social change.”
He calls it an international music sound that speaks beyond borders and beyond language.
“I used to think spirit was an African thing,” he said. “Until I started travelling and realised it’s a universal thing. It’s bigger; you entertain everything.”
Grounded in his craft
Despite his global success, Culoe remains grounded in something deeper than fame or fortune. His upcoming unreleased track, Tool Land, captures that philosophy: a meditation on stillness amid the chaos.
“The message of the song is about our stillness and groundedness,” he explained.
“As much as we are high-vibrational people, stillness allows us to receive messages from behind.”
That reflective tone marks a shift in his artistry. Where others chase trends and algorithms, Culoe chases alignment. Tuning into frequencies that speak to spirit rather than charts.
“I’m still in the journey of finding myself,” he said. “Now I’m trying to make the noise a bit more meaningful.”
Those close to him describe Culoe as deeply introspective, not withdrawn, but intentionally inward.
Fusion of different consciousnesses
“I spend most of my time downloading and listening for different types of consciousness,” he said.
“Travelling, talking, being around fire, and love that grounds all of us.”
It’s that balance of inner quiet and global rhythm that makes his work timeless. From the hypnotic energy of Webaba to the transcendence of Y.O.U.D., Culoe’s music blurs the line between dance floor and divinity.
“I think I’m here to represent the conflicted and confused generation trying to find themselves,” he said, his tone steady and certain.
