Delta Twins

the delta twins

By Nonhlanhla Makhubo

Born and bred in the township of Soweto in Johannesburg, Eric and Petrus Mangwe have had a passion for music since a young age. As they put it, it is something that feeds their souls and keeps them sane on a day to day basis. During their school days they would join different musical groups and perform at different schools and in front of various audiences.

During their teenage years, the Delta Twins joined a group called Delta Ware House which consisted of five members. Without a studio or fixed location to work in, the group would meet on different days after school and write and record music together. Their first song was titled Fire Emoji, a song that describes a mischievous girl and her troublesome ways.

During the 2020 lockdown, the twins decided to start learning how to DJ which ultimately led to them understanding and appreciating music in a different way. The process of them learning how to craft their own music enabled them to better understand their own sound. Growing up the Delta Twins had a strong liking for Afro music. Their drip and vibe are closely linked and infused with the Afro influence. Perhaps the most important thing that drives them in music production is simply the passion to make good music that people can connect with.

The Delta Twins don’t categorise themselves as rappers but view themselves as all round musicians. Since delta means change, their mission is to change people’s perspectives in terms of how they listen to music. Their sound is essentially about storytelling, using beats, words and flows to bring the imagination to life. Eric and Petrus believe that music will change their lives not only by obtaining recognition but they hope to inspire the people around them to follow their own dreams.

In 2021, they have embarked on a journey that saw them exposing themselves and becoming more comfortable in the entertainment space of Makhanda. They found themselves sharing stages with the likes of the xhosa Hip Hop artist Yanga Chief as well as amaPiano artist known as Musa Keys. Apart from their growing success in securing gigs, they worked on their latest E.P titled Manifesto Infusion which released on the 20th of November on all digital music platforms.

This E.P was produced, composed and mixed by both Eric and Petrus. Manifesto Infusion means manifesting the infusion of the work of two different minds that become one.

Music to them is a form of creative expression to the world about how they feel and hope it communicates how those listening feel about different situations. Continuing down their journey they hope their music will be used to heal and make people happy. They believe that music is the key to unlocking all doors of success and hopefully one day it will.

WRITTEN BY NONHLANHLA MAKHUBO COURTESY OF THE DELTA TWINS @deltatwins_sa PHOTOGRAPHED BY CHAMAELEON Q CLASS OF 2021

Petrus & Eric Mangwe, 16/11/2021