Music In My Life is a genre-conforming studio album from a seasoned veteran. It’s a four-to-the-floor, instrumentally driven, moderately soulful, and undeniably groovy House album with slight variations, offering few surprises.
By Yinoluwa Olowofoyeku
House music and its myriad variants have seen a recent uptick in popularity on the continent as the prominence of Amapiano has shone a light on African electronica. What was once confined to niche radio stations and underground club scenes is now breaking into the mainstream, resonating with broader audiences.
As this wave of prominence grows, it has brought with it several acts that have firmly rooted themselves in the culture over time, becoming stalwarts of the genre in their own right. Echo Deep is one such act.
Tshepo Molefe, professionally known as Echo Deep, is a Soweto-born DJ and producer who has earned significant local and international acclaim for his consistently polished mixing and keen ear for music. By the age of 20, he had already begun making waves in dance music circles.
He captured the attention of many through his feature on Hit Refresh, a popular DJ TV show on South Africa’s Vuzu TV. In 2015, buoyed by his growing repertoire, Echo Deep released his solo debut album, The Music City. Propelled by the powerhouse House Afrika Records, it wasn’t long before the album amassed a decent audience and thrust Echo Deep into the spotlight as more than simply an on-air DJ.
Echo Deep’s momentum has shown no signs of slowing. In the years since his debut, he has remained in high demand, consistently securing bookings across various platforms. He has DJ’d numerous times on radio stations and shows both at home and abroad, including Vinny Da Vinci’s popular The Urban Beat on Metro FM.
A regular fixture at renowned South African venues, such as Zone 6 Venue—owned by South African superstar DJ Black Coffee—Echo Deep has also graced the stage at major events, performing alongside industry heavyweights like DJ Christos, MoFlava, Lars Behrenroth, and DJ Strat3gy.
His accolades include several genre-specific nominations, and he holds a residency on the UK-based radio station, Drums Radio, further cementing his status as a leading figure in the scene.
With all this going on, it’s no surprise that Echo Deep’s studio output is spread out over time. Thankfully, early into 2025, Echo Deep released Music In My Life, his 4th studio album.
Music In My Life opens with an extended mix of “Journey”, a single that preceded the project. Right from the start, the pulsating four-to-the-floor kick drums and rattling percussion establish a signature house groove. Reverberated brass synths and pianos, paired with brief vocal samples, create a dreamy atmosphere that builds steadily.
The track reaches its peak with a smooth side-chained bassline, evolving synth plucks, and sharp percussive elements that punctuate the otherwise straightforward syncopation. Near the midpoint, the song takes a breath, stripping away the drums and relying on ethereal vocal samples to draw the listener back in before building towards its second peak.
“Ways of Life” lines up next, perfectly taking up the sonic baton from “Journey” as the drums line up almost seamlessly. Soulful pianos combine with spacey vocal samples to set the melodic thrust over a deep rumbling bassline. Bright cinematic synthesisers cement the grandiosity of the song as it climaxes.
The song also features a spoken vocal sample that, while directly stating the song’s theme, detracts from the sonic cohesiveness, sticking out like a sore thumb in the otherwise sweeping symphony of sounds.
“Best For Us” jumps in with loose open hi-hats giving it a European house feel. The combination of summery chords, tinny mallets and bright string synths imbue the song with catchy positivity.
The strong female vocals perfectly complement the instrumental palette, riding the energy of the synths and filling the pockets with delightful ad-libs and backing vocals. This track would be right at home blasting through the speakers at an Ibiza beach house in the peak of the summer months.
“You Are” ups the pace and sets the tone with smooth sine-wave synths. Two or three bass instruments work in tandem with saturated pad sounds to create a richly layered sonic tapestry for sultry lead vocals and sharp saw synths to drive the melodic heart of the song.
Unlike many of the others, this song feels its length. While energetic and upbeat, there isn’t enough variation or progression to mask the repetition and the song overstays its welcome by a minute or two.
RoneeDeep joins the fray on “Things Will Be Different”. Together, they pair a bubbly bassline with expressively played pianos and warm pads over straightforward drums. The track progresses with the introduction of organs, mallets, and some percussive elements but remains largely unchanged. The saving grace is the improvisational nature of the lead melodies.
“Sunset Paradise” immediately aligns with the AfroHouse movement considering the prominent African percussion in the drum patterns. Jazzy e-piano chords pair well with simulated woodwinds and more improvised mallet solos. Pulsing synths and subtle log drums hint at Amapiano influences in the breakdown, lending the track a unique twist.
“Amazing Grace” starts very differently from the other songs, beginning with ambient texture and angelic pianos. Choral vocals chant the song’s central theme as the track builds with wild electric guitars and swarming synthesisers. Sadly, there’s not much more beyond these elements. The guitars are a great touch and the pianos get interesting solo moments but by time the drums kick in, the song has already played most of its cards.
“Come Around” is an odd one. The instrumental elements are fun enough; delayed chord progressions, deep log drums, and buzzy synth filling. The vocal elements are also decent; the lead male and soulful group chorus vocals are well-performed and adequately sticky.
However, they don’t come together well. They don’t feel as congruous as one song. The keys feel slightly mismatched and the peaks and valleys don’t align well. The whole disappointingly falls short of the potential of the comprising parts.
Painfully, the next song is also a bit of a dud. Echo Deep enlists Khanya De Vocalist, Scrooge KmoA, and Takue SBT for “Nguwe.” Off the bat, there’s a plasticity to the instrumental palette. There is little movement and resolution with the chords, the chosen instrument sounds hollow, and the bass sounds flat.
The vocal delivery atop this sounds earnest and captivating as Khanya hits soaring notes with clear emotion. Thankfully, as the song progresses, the melange is rescued somewhat by the additional elements in the bridge but the track ultimately falls flat despite Khanya’s best efforts.
“Funi Mali” rounds out the tracklist with a colossal 10-minute runtime. The Bongo-laden drums bounce in with a strong piano progression. The trance-like vocal line is introduced early with wailing strings and backing vocals. A pumped-up bassline ushers in a herd of synths and scattered melodic ideas that keep the track from monotony.
The improvisational mallet solos return almost as a crutch here but their purpose is served effectively enough. As the song concludes, it is evident that it did not justify its runtime. While serving up a serviceable groove and hook, it lacked the progressive driving force that carries active listeners attentively through a track of this size. A passive listener may have no complaints though and the listening context is something to consider.
Music In My Life is a genre-conforming studio album from a seasoned veteran. It’s a four-to-the-floor, instrumentally driven, moderately soulful, and undeniably groovy House album with slight variations, offering few surprises. At this stage in his storied career, the qualitative baseline of Echo Deep’s work is firmly established. While the album delivers on its promises, I had hoped it would push boundaries and explore the heights of his creative potential, offering a glimpse of where his ceiling might truly lie.
Music In My Life started with a bang but lost that creative steam along the way. Technically, Echo Deep is too experienced to slip up catastrophically. The compositions are unilaterally solid, with lively chord progressions, thumping basslines, expressive synth work, and groovy drums.
A few songs relied on improvised solos where more thought-out melody work might have been better suited. The majority of the engineering was good to very good. There were a couple of rough spots where frequencies clashed and vocals got muddled but given the sheer sonic breadth of some songs at their zeniths, that can be excused.
Besides “Nguwe,” the songs with vocalists were pretty enjoyable. “Best For Us” and “You Are” emerge as favourites from Music In My Life. Perhaps a project of tracks like this could be a way to go for Echo Deep? I would personally love that.
Given the nature of House music and the contexts it is typically enjoyed in, there is a lot in Music In My Life for the avid genre partaker to enjoy. I expect to hear parts of the songs used in mixes and played at clubs to the pleasure of most.
For those less versed in the genre’s conventions, the album offers a few universal high points, not many missteps, and a serviceable look into slightly above-average fare for the genre.
Lyricism – 1.2
Tracklisting – 1.1
Sound Engineering – 1.5
Vocalisation – 1.7
Listening Experience – 1.1
Rating – 6.6/10
Yinoluwa “Yinoluu” Olowofoyeku is a multi-disciplinary artist and creative who finds expression in various media. His music can be found across all platforms and he welcomes interaction on his social media @Yinoluu.