There is something quietly remarkable about watching a sound travel further than the people who first imagined it. Not so long ago, JazzWRLD, Thukuthela and GL_Ceejay were making music in a small studio in South Africa, chasing an idea that was still taking shape. Thukuthela remembers sleeping beneath the studio table, with the studio doubling as both workplace and bedroom. On 10 October, that same musical journey brought the trio to Outernet Live, London’s 2,000 capacity underground music and events venue, where they took to the stage for a headline performance. From those modest beginnings to an international audience, the rise of 3-Step has become a story of ambition, persistence and the growing reach of South African dance music.
For the trio, the London appearance was another milestone in a journey that has taken their music beyond the local scenes in which it first developed. Their records are now finding audiences in cities including New York, Brooklyn, London, Dallas and Houston, connecting with listeners who may not necessarily understand the lyrics but respond to the rhythms, melodies and emotion.
In an interview with Mudiwa Jani ahead of the London performance, the artists reflected on their beginnings, the evolution of their sound and the sacrifices behind their growing recognition. Their conversation offered a glimpse into a musical partnership that has developed through shared ambition, individual experience and a commitment to creating music.
JazzWRLD, born Kamohelo Monese in Carletonville, South Africa, grew up in a household where house music was part of everyday life. His early connection to the genre eventually developed into a career in DJing and production. He began DJing in 2011 before turning his attention to music production in 2016, teaching himself the craft and learning to play the piano. The work of deep house producer Nastee Nev was among the influences that encouraged him to move from listening to creating. Thukuthela, from Daveyton on Johannesburg’s East Rand, came to music through a different route. Raised in a family where singing was central to everyday life, he grew up singing in church choirs before recording music around 2016. He describes himself as a vocalist, songwriter and melody maker, bringing a strong emphasis on lyrical expression and storytelling to the group’s work. GL_Ceejay also began making music around 2016, initially exploring Afropop before becoming part of the collaboration. JazzWRLD explained that he and Thukuthela first connected through NEO in 2024, working together on several songs before GL_Ceejay joined them.
Their collaboration has since become associated with the rise of 3-Step, a developing strand of South African dance music rooted in Afro-house. The name describes a rhythmic structure built around three kicks, with percussion, shakers or other sounds occupying the space where a conventional fourth kick might fall. The result is a distinctive rhythmic pattern that retains the foundations of house music while creating room for a different kind of movement and expression.
As Thukuthela explained during the interview, South African house music has evolved through several related forms, including Afro-house, Afro-tech and Afro-fusion. 3-Step sits within this wider musical landscape rather than existing in isolation. Its growing popularity is also helping introduce international listeners to the range and continuing evolution of South African electronic music. The trio’s rise has been built on a succession of releases and performances. JazzWRLD’s collaboration with Thukuthela and Oscar Mbo on Vuka helped establish their creative direction, while his album The Most Wanted further strengthened his profile. Their work has also taken them to festivals including Luju, Kunye and Balcony Mix.
The international reach of their music became particularly visible through Ciza’s Isaka (6am), produced by JazzWRLD and featuring Thukuthela. The record gained further global attention when Tems and Omah Lay joined the project for Isaka II, extending its reach and bringing the production to an even wider audience. The collaboration demonstrated how a sound developed within South Africa’s dance music culture could connect with prominent artists and listeners across different markets without losing its identity. Yet the trio’s account of their progress is less concerned with the language of international success than with the work that preceded it. Thukuthela described the experience of moving from a small studio to international stages as something that had happened so quickly that the artists themselves had not always had time to appreciate its significance.
“We even used to sleep in the studio. The studio was our bedroom,” he recalled. “Then all of a sudden, everybody knows you. Everybody knows your songs. Everybody’s singing your music.”
The remark captures the less visible side of an increasingly familiar story in African music: the long periods of experimentation, financial uncertainty and personal sacrifice that often precede international recognition. For JazzWRLD, the opportunity to travel and perform around the world is especially meaningful given the backgrounds from which the artists emerged. Their understanding of success also extends beyond the music itself. During the interview, Thukuthela made a point of recognising the role women have played in building the trio’s audience. He observed that women have been particularly important in discovering, sharing and supporting their music, often purchasing tickets and encouraging others to attend performances.
“When women love a song, especially when they’re playing it around the guys, eventually the guys are going to love it too,” he said, describing the influence of female listeners on the group’s growing popularity.
It was a moment that moved the conversation beyond the mechanics of producing a hit record to acknowledge the communities that sustain an artist’s career. For the trio, the women who support their music are part of a wider network of family, friendship and encouragement that has helped them remain grounded as their profile grows. That sense of perspective is reflected in the advice they would give their younger selves. JazzWRLD spoke of persistence, belief in one’s craft and humility. GL_Ceejay encouraged his younger self to enjoy the journey rather than place unnecessary pressure on the future. Thukuthela offered a more personal reflection, recalling the insecurities of youth and the importance of continuing to sing even when others might dismiss the effort as noise.
Their ambitions, however, remain firmly international. JazzWRLD has spoken of wanting the sound to travel further beyond South Africa, while the group’s growing catalogue and collaborations continue to create opportunities for new audiences to encounter 3-Step. The performance at Outernet Live on 10 October was therefore more than another international date on a touring calendar. It represented the movement of a distinctly South African musical expression into a wider cultural conversation, carried by artists whose individual journeys have converged around a shared sound.
From Carletonville and Daveyton to London and beyond, JazzWRLD, Thukuthela and GL_Ceejay are part of a generation demonstrating that African dance music does not need to dilute its identity to travel. Their story is still unfolding, but the distance between the small studio where they once worked and the international stages they now occupy offers a measure of how far the sound has already come.
