Episode recorded 31st Aug 2025 at EXT Radio.

As you know I came back from South Africa a week ago after three months out there. Whilst I was across Cape Town, Johannesburg, Pretoria and Durban, I learned more about the deep house scene and got to meet the greats.

It was on this trip that I learned about House Victimz, the duo that Poizen was originally part of. Going through the House Victimz discography has been nothing short of an education for me, as someone who hasn't grown up around the SA House Scene and is relatively new to it. In Durban when Poizen played at House Warming Sessions in July, I was front row with my new dancefloor friends soaking in the atmosphere and energy - that king of bassline title made so much sense to me.

Afterwards we spent the rest of the evening together with producer friends at the second location. I got to see how much charisma, humour and kindness he exuded, and it felt like I was laughing for hours.

Then, at Chymamusiques listening party in Centurion, 26th July, Poizen played another beautiful set before I got on the decks for my B2B with Jukes.

There's not a single song Poizen has touched where you can't hear his production and signature sound.

Hearing about the fatal car crash on Saturday left me and the whole deep house community heartbroken and shocked. Poizen was 35 years old, with an enormous catalogue and the latest project Ngiphe (released 8th Aug) has been widely received and praised. It is so beautiful. Every time I was on the roads across South Africa felt like an extreme sport, especially on weekends and especially on the last weekend of the month.

Even in an uber, even driving with friends. Loss of life due to recklessness is far too common, and when it has impacts our music scene we are of course more devastated because we love and admire these producers for their immeasurable contribution to the culture. The overall heartbreak is the higher risk as artists on the move to and from gigs that feels so high risk.

I am keeping Poizen's family, the 4 others who passed on and Chymamusique who's in ICU in my prayers. Playing their music with deep house comrades on the Live session felt like we were grieving and holding space together. It's a crucial time in our community and sitting with that grief together is so so important.

Chymamusique has been a steady thread of support to me through the whole trip. I went B2B with him in Katlegong and he invited me to play his listening session, moving the lineup around to make space for me. He's just 35 years old and behaved like a professional elder gent with so much expertise, compassion and encouragement. His famous words to me 'Keep pushing until people know your craft' have lit a fire in my music journey that I'll always owe to him. I trust he'll pull through and continue to bless us with more of his catalogue, after the incredibly successful Musique Collaborated Part 1 album just dropped on the 21st of Aug, with Part 2 releasing in October. Let's be there for each other during this utterly devastating time and stay hopeful. With love, Asanda