Johannesburg

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Johannesburg is a five‑track collaborative EP rather than a full‑length album, released on June 17, 2016 and recorded during Mumford & Sons’ whirlwind tour of South Africa earlier that year. Conceived over just two intensive days of studio sessions, it pairs the band’s folk‑rock intensity with the voices and styles of Senegalese singer Baaba Maal, South African pop band Beatenberg, and Malawian‑British duo The Very Best, creating a compact “mini‑album” that leans into groove, rhythm, and cross‑cultural dialogue. The tracklist—There Will Be Time, Wona, Fool You’ve Landed, Ngamila, and Si Tu Veux—runs a little over 20 minutes and is available on CD and digital formats, often sitting in their catalog alongside Delta and Wilder Mind as a distinct side‑project.Musically, Johannesburg is described by Apple Music as a “bubbly, groove‑heavy affair” in which Mumford & Sons’ folk‑y passion is set against African rhythms, house‑style beats, and bright guitar lines that evoke a Kruger Park sunset. There Will Be Time marries Mumford’s English‑language vocals with Baaba Maal’s Pulaar singing over swelling drums and call‑and‑response chants; Wona and Fool You’ve Landed foreground Beatenberg and The Very Best, bringing in dance‑pop, jazz fusion, and highlife‑tinged guitars; Ngamila and Si Tu Veux lean more heavily into Baaba Maal’s melodic and rhythmic world, with Mumford & Sons acting as supportive collaborators. One song reportedly features lyrics in four different languages, underscoring the EP’s commitment to genuine collaboration rather than simple stylistic borrowing, and reviewers note that while the mix occasionally feels like “oil and water,” more often it reveals how naturally the band’s songwriting can mesh with African artists when given space and mutual respect. Show more