Some duos are built in a studio. Landz and Safari were built on a playground. The two have known each other since they were nine years old, growing up on the outskirts of Lisbon with Cape Verdean and Angolan roots running through everything they do. What started as a three-piece in 2010 became Afrokillerz proper in 2016, and a decade on, the duo are still finding new ways to funnel their heritage into the dancefloor.
Their latest, “West African,” lands on Sondela Recordings, the label that’s spent years building bridges between African-rooted sound and international club culture. Built around a collaboration with a South African saxophonist found online, the track channels the spirit of Fela Kuti through loose, live-feeling drums and a horn line that does most of the talking. We caught up with Afrokillerz to talk Afrobeat influences, their creative division of labour, and why Portugal’s scene still isn’t getting the global spotlight it deserves.
“West African” just landed via Sondela Recordings, a label built around pushing African electronic music into new rooms. How did the track come together and what was the creative process behind it?
We have always been inspired by the music of Fela Kuti, a pioneer of Afrobeats and one of the people who put West African music on the global stage. After some time searching for a collaborator on this project, we linked up with a saxophonist from South Africa who we discovered online. We sent him a demo of the track and he played around with it and sent loads of ideas back which we rearranged. And the rest was history. The goal was always to have that West African and Fela Kuti-esque feel, so the sax and the loose drums needed to communicate that.
Sondela has spent years positioning itself as a bridge between African-rooted sound and global dancefloors. What made this label feel like the right home for this record specifically, and what is your relationship with the label?
We had been searching for a label that identified with our sound and one that we trusted with our music. We released ‘Lost In Sukupira’ earlier this year on the label, and that had a very positive reception in the market. Sondela is creating an ecosystem and we have felt a great connection with the label for a long time, even before releasing with them.
Every duo has an origin story, the first time two people realize they hear music the same way. How did Landz and Safari actually end up in a studio together, and what was the very first thing you made?
We met each other a very long time ago, when we were about 9 or 10 years old. Separately we had always been into DJ’ing and production, but we decided to form a group in 2010 – it felt like the right thing to do at the time and we believed that we would be better together. Initially we were a group of three, but from 2016 it’s just been us two waving the Afrokillerz flag.
Two producers in one room can mean two very different instincts pulling at the same track. How do you actually divide the work between you, is there a clear line between what Landz brings and what Safari brings, or does it blur completely? What does your typical studio session look like?
We have various creative capabilities and our own respective capabilities. Safari is the ideas man and he brings initiatives to the table. Landz is more on the technical side. We bring ideas to the studio during the week and like to try them out over the weekend to see if they get a reaction.
Breaking into any scene takes more than talent… It takes timing, luck, and a few doors that happen to open. What was the first real gig or moment that made you think, “okay, this could actually be a career”?
There were many accumulative moments, but if there was one that stuck with us was the moment when we started playing outside of PALOP (an acronym for the group of African nations where Portuguese is an official language) countries. When our idols like Shimza, DJEFF & Black Coffee started playing our productions it added an extra sense of belief in ourselves.
You have Cape Verdean and Angolan roots, and are raised in Lisbon’s outskirts. That’s quite an intersection of cultures. How does your heritage come through in your music and how much has growing up in Lisbon shaped your career?
Lisbon is our home, and we are fortunate enough to have been embraced by the city. Even though we consider ourselves to be quite out the box, we’ve always been received with open arms. Angola & Cape Verde are where our roots are from, and we have always been proud of it via the edits we’ve made of old music from there, and worked with artists from there.
Lisbon’s underground has been quietly building a reputation of its own over the past few years. What does the city’s scene get right that people outside Portugal might not realize, and what’s still missing from it?
It’s not very known that the creative scene in Portugal is thriving, and that there are very talented people from here. Portugal and Portuguese talents are still put in a box. The music is marketed towards other Portuguese speaking countries, instead of globally. What’s missing could be exposure and intentional targeting of different markets. From the artistic side specifically; there is still room for more of us to release on different record labels that aren’t already targeting the Portuguese market.
What’s the one piece of advice you’d give a young producer or DJ trying to break into the electronic music scene right now?
Invest in your career and don’t rely on your talent only. Create music freely and make as much content as possible. It will help you in the long run & you won’t regret it!
Without giving too much away, what can people expect from Afrokillerz in 2026?
New music, more sets and more good vibes!