Baainar is mostly a house/electronica label, with subgenres ranging from African-influenced percussion to deep tech and beyond. The Baainar movement evolved out of friendships amongst music enthusiasts, DJs, and musicians in and around Port Elizabeth (PE); over time, it expanded to surrounding provinces and even beyond South Africa’s borders.

Friendships and the sharing of ideas and techniques while DJing inspired the movement’s founder, Lunga Nombewu, to launch his own label, which began as an idea to sell hard-to-find music, particularly to those Dj’s who wanted to stand out and play good music that wasn’t limited to the over-the-counter offerings at the few vinyl shops at the time.

From PE to Johannesburg, South Africa to Botswana, Baainar now has producers and artists. These various individuals create a sound that is as varied and soulful as the sounds that PE is known for producing. We’ve been publishing since 2009.