Listening Session Scratched Grooves

Scratched Grooves DJ Collab, a collaboration between South African artists DJ Something Black and Ra-Mava Scratched Grooves is a listening session, archive, and portable exhibition that explores South African vinyl records censored during apartheid. Many of these records were banned, and some were deliberately scratched to prevent them from being broadcast on radio. Through careful research and vinyl playback, we revisit these recordings and share the music, stories, and histories that survived attempts at erasure. The project invites audiences to engage with sound as memory, resistance, and living archive. We call this collection "The Beats That Beat Apartheid!"—a celebration of the artists and communities whose voices endured despite censorship.