Hypoestes

Mandy Alexander aka Hypoestes is a writer and DJ currently residing in Johannesburg, South Africa. Hypoestes aims to look at music as a function for healing through movement. Her use of house and techno music unpacks the roots of these genres attributed by black musicians during the 1980’s. As a writer and DJ, Hypoestes engages in critical conversations surrounding marginalisation and inequalities within the electronic dance music scene as well as the lived realities of people of colour in South Africa.

These conversations extend to the dancefloor by use of dominant percussive elements which are found in many nguni and bantu cultures. As a writer of South African electronic dance music and the experiences of those who engage with the genre, Hypostes has published work on Dweller, Beatportal and Resident Advisor.

Since her debut in 2020, Hypoestes has appeared both locally and internationally, including performances in Berlin at Whole Festival and Tresor in 2023, as well as in São Paulo at Matiz Bar and Rádio Na Manteiga in 2024. Appearances on home soil include curated DJ sets at One Park, ZEITZ MOCAA - Museum of Contempary Art of Africa,Search Festival, Smalltown Beat and Truth.