Nineteen years after composing the song Dimbaza My Home, producer, sound engineer, musician and educator Sinethemba Bili finally released it as a single on Sunday.
The song is Bili’s first jazz release.
He composed Dimbaza My Home in 2007, but life and other commitments got in the way of him releasing it.
“After some time, I got busy with other music projects and work,” Bili said.
“Last year, I got back to the composition and reworked it and released it.
“I felt it was the correct time, as my sound had developed as well.”
Bili said the song carried the spirit and memories of his hometown and was a deeply personal reflection on the place where he was raised and the experiences that shaped his life.
“The song is a tribute to my hometown Dimbaza.
“It’s a homage to memories and to the landscapes and escarpments that make up Dimbaza,” he said.
“From the terrains and slopes of Intaba kaNdoda, the sonic influences of home and the shared culture of community.”
The contemporary jazz single forms part of an upcoming EP that will feature five tracks.
While many fans may know him for his gospel music, Bili said his latest project reflected another side of his musical identity.
“I come from a gospel background, so I have a few gospel songs I have released over the years,” he said.
“For my gospel music I go by the name of Sine Bili, and for jazz I use the name Bili Master.”
He said the Bili Master moniker was given to him by his mentor, jazz pianist Dr Nduduzo Makhathini, while he was still a student.
“It grew on me as I learnt to embrace it,” he said.
Bili’s musical journey dates back nearly three decades.
He started out in 1997 as part of the Masonwabe Gospel Group in Cape Town, an experience he credits with shaping his foundation as a musician.
“Sabelo Goba played a very crucial role in shaping my career, together with Siyabulela Sithela, who was my secondary keyboard coach,” he said.
He later returned home to Dimbaza, where he started his own recording studio before deciding to further his studies.
In 2016, he enrolled at the University of Fort Hare, where he studied music under Makhathini and Prof Zoliswa Twani, graduating with an honours degree in 2022.
Over the years, his sound has been influenced by some of the country’s leading jazz pianists, including Abdullah Ibrahim, Andile Yenana and Sibusiso Mashiloane.
“The inspiration of the song was the memories of growing up as a young boy playing in the streets of Dimbaza,” Bili said.
“The curiosity of childhood as we walked and played, taking in and learning about the culture and different music of the community.”
He remembers the local musicians who helped shape his early understanding of music.
“The rehearsals were a way of learning and sharing. We would also talk about the history of Dimbaza and places like Intaba kaNdoda.
“Back then music was also a platform of mobilisation, and we would talk about what was happening in the country at the time,” he said.
Bili recorded, mixed and mastered the track himself under his label, Izwilombono Music and Creatives.
He worked with saxophonist Phakamile “Parker” Msizi on the project while programming the rest of the instrumentation.
“My music is for an intergenerational audience who can relate to my message of home and all its aspects and memories,” he said.
“I want people to remember home when they listen to it.”
Though the single is already out, Bili is planning an official launch alongside the release of the EP.
“I’ve received positive responses that evoke memories of South African jazz rhythm and culture,” he said.
Bili said the release was more than just putting out a song but about finally telling a story he had carried with him for years.
Daily Dispatch