Culoe De Song’s remix gives BandaBanda and Zoë Modiga’s meditative original a new Afro-house pulse without losing the feeling that made it special.The first thing you notice about “Thula” is that it is in no hurry.
The beat is patient, the low end is warm and steady, and the melody carries a spiritual feeling that is difficult to explain but easy to recognise. The song settles into the body. You feel the bass in your chest and Zoë Modiga’s voice higher up, almost in your throat.
Originally released on BandaBanda’s 2025 album ZINZA, “Thula” brings together two artists who already understand each other well. BandaBanda has worked closely with Modiga as a producer, bassist and creative partner, and that familiarity comes through in the music. Nothing sounds like it is fighting for space.
The title itself tells us how to approach the song. “Thula” can be understood as “be quiet” or “be still,” while the repeated line “Thula, ulalele” asks us to quieten down and listen. The song follows that same instruction. It takes its time, using repetition and space to slowly pull you in.
BandaBanda gives “Thula” its foundation. As a bassist, producer and musical director, he has a strong understanding of what a song needs underneath it. Here, the low end feels grounded without becoming heavy. The bass does not compete with the melody or the vocals; it holds them in place.
That grounded quality runs through much of BandaBanda’s work. He draws from South African musical traditions, jazz and contemporary production without making those influences feel separate from one another. On “Thula,” they come together naturally. The song feels rooted in something familiar, but it does not sound stuck in the past.
Zoë Modiga’s vocal is what opens the track up emotionally. She has a powerful voice, but power does not always mean singing at full force. Her performance is controlled and deeply expressive. She knows when to stretch a phrase, when to hold back and when to let her voice rise above the production.
There is weight in the way she sings here. Her voice can sound comforting one moment and commanding the next. It gives the repeated words a different meaning each time they return. What begins as an invitation to listen starts to feel like reassurance, prayer and instruction all at once.
Culoe De Song clearly understood what was already working in the original.
His remix gives “Thula” a stronger Afro-house pulse, lifting it to 115 BPM and placing it in a club setting. But he does not rush the song or crowd Modiga’s vocal. The beat still has patience. The bassline remains deep and steady, and the percussion moves around the vocal instead of trying to dominate it.
That restraint is important. Culoe could easily have turned “Thula” into a much bigger, more dramatic record. Instead, he focuses on the atmosphere that was already there. He brings the rhythm forward, adds movement and gives the song another way to breathe.
The spiritual melody remains at the heart of the remix. Now, though, it sits inside a beat that can carry it onto a dancefloor. It is still reflective, but it also moves. That balance is where Culoe De Song does some of his best work: creating electronic music that feels deep without becoming cold or distant.
The collaboration works because each artist adds something recognisable without pulling the song away from its centre. BandaBanda brings the musical grounding. Modiga brings the voice and emotional force. Culoe De Song brings a rhythm that allows the original idea to travel somewhere new.
Together, they have made a remix that feels unmistakably African, but never forced or over-explained. Its identity is already present in the language, the rhythm, the vocal phrasing and the way the music makes room for feeling.
“Thula” does not need to shout to make an impact. It asks you to listen – and once you do, it stays with you.