Moonchild Sanelly on movement, ritual and reconnecting with nature

The South African artist heads to Eastbourne’s coast for a sound sampling session by the sea.

CC Co. has teamed up with On the Edge for ReRooted – a three-part video series and invitation to tune into nature. We’re following three musicians as they spend the day in one of Britain’s natural landscapes and capture sounds to use in a new track.

Having grown up in Port Elizabeth – a coastal city in the Eastern Cape of South Africa – Moonchild Sanelly identifies as a ‘beach bae’. For ReRooted, she spent the day on the Eastbourne seaside, capturing whispers from both above and beneath the sea’s surface. Forty-miles-per-hour wind and incessant rain didn’t dampen her spirits, but invigorated her as she danced rhythms into the land beneath her. 

Despite its obvious distinction from the coastal landscape she grew up in, Moonchild didn’t struggle to connect with Eastbourne’s chalky cliffs and algae-adorned stones. Her music’s fusion of gqom, hip hop and other electronic genres, which she dubs ‘future ghetto punk’, is deeply rooted in the musical traditions of her heritage. Xhosa – a culture indigenous to the Southeastern part of South Africa – is known for its strong reverence for nature, which is expressed via rituals, music and movement. For Moonchild, the ocean represents a sacred place of ancestral wisdom, spiritual power and healing; and the textural crunches of her feet rearranging shingle evoke the sound of the beaded bracelets that adorn the ankles of female Xhosa dancers.

She and producer Tom Excell sifted through the recordings and gleaned a diamond from amongst the pebbles. Little Boy is a percussive track with lyrics that centre around empowerment, as inspired by the liberation Moonchild experienced in crafting her own rhythms from Eastbourne’s soundscape. Here, she reflects on the process.

How does your Xhosa heritage influence your relationship to nature?

I come from a place where cultural ceremonies and traditions are deeply tied to nature. In Xhosa culture, for example, boys go to the mountain to be initiated into manhood. Water, too, plays a significant role in spiritual practice; river cleansings and sea rituals are common amongst traditional healers. You’ll see people collecting ocean water in plastic bottles to bring home. 

Learning to cook outside with friends was also a big part of growing up in Port Elizabeth. We’d sneak tins of food from home and go to a nearby bush to eat together.

How did that pre-existing connection manifest during your time on the beach in Eastbourne?

Instantly, the sound and feel of the beach reminded me of Port Elizabeth. The rocks reminded me of when people use imbhola (red clay) and white clay to paint their faces, both to moisturise their skin and to connect with their ancestors. 

The rocks also made it feel like a scene straight out of South African gospel music videos. On TikTok, people joke about how gospel videos always feature beaches and rocks in an exaggerated way to symbolise going to heaven. Look it up and you will see what I mean! Back home, we see the beach as an escape. In Eastbourne, I got a sense of that same relaxing, no-pressure, no-rush feeling. 

This was your first time doing field recording. What were your thoughts and expectations going into it?

I live in my own delusions, so I never anticipate challenges. I just dive straight in like ‘fuck it, let’s get it’. Experimenting this way actually comes quite naturally to me. I see my voice as an instrument with no limits. I never went to music school, and sometimes session musicians struggle with the way I work, because they’re so caught up in these rigid rules. I find it so boring, like, did studying make you forget how to think freely? That’s wild to me. Sometimes I’ll use my voice to imitate a bird. You don’t have to manipulate or process the vocals, I have the bird within me, and the bird’s back-up singer!

Dance and movement are intrinsic to your music and creative energy. Did the landscape in Eastbourne inspire you physically?

Movement is exactly how I communicate to a producer how I want something to sound. I’ll say ‘I want to move this way in this part, and this way in another part’. It was so liberating to capture rhythms as I felt them in my body, instead of having to translate them to someone else. I knew straight away that the rocks would give it rhythm and bounce. They’re what would make my ass clap, you know? It felt effortless.

Reflecting on this field recording experience, what was your main takeaway?

Honestly, this was one of the most exciting projects I’ve worked on this year. It was so freeing: no overthinking, just moving and going with the flow – literally! Liberation and joy are central themes in my music, so it all made sense.

Feel ready to Tune into Nature? Episode three of ReRooted with Moonchild Sanelly is out now. Watch the mini documentary above and access a free download of the loops and samples Moonchild Sanelly used on ‘Little Boy’ here.

Don’t keep your creation to yourself. Tag On the Edge so they can share it with a community of music and nature lovers. On the Edge is a not-for-profit creative studio connecting people with the joy of nature.