Untitled Basement presents: Mpumi Dhlamini TOTAL ECLIPSE: The First Hearing

Untitled Basement presents:

Mpumi Dhlamini

TOTAL ECLIPSE: The First Hearing

Friday, 18 September 2026 | Doors 18H00 | Show 20H00 | Quicket R300 | Door R350

On his birthday, Mpumi Dhlamini does what Mpumi does best: he turns a performance into an experience.

Untitled Basement presents TOTAL ECLIPSE: The First Hearing, a special live presentation marking the first public hearing of a brand-new body of music from the composer, pianist, vocalist and producer as he begins the journey towards his ambitious Total Eclipse album series.

Mpumi Dhlamini is not an artist who simply gets on stage and performs. Everything is conceptual. His performances are carefully considered experiences, where sound, composition, improvisation and performance become part of a larger idea. Audiences can always expect musicianship matched by great showmanship—the kind of performance that demands to be experienced live.

For The First Hearing, Dhlamini takes audiences into a particularly rare space: the music before the record.

These are newly composed works that have not yet become studio recordings. Rather than hearing a finished album, audiences will encounter the music at the threshold between imagination, composition, live performance and recording. This is neither a rehearsal nor a demonstration, but a formal first encounter with compositions that are about to enter the recording process.

At the centre of the evening is the act of hearing—being present for the moment when new musical ideas leave the realm of composition and take on a life of their own in performance.

Dhlamini leads a five-piece ensemble featuring piano and vocals, alongside electric bass, trumpet, alto saxophone and drums:

Mpumi Dhlamini — Piano & Vocals

Sibusiso “Phura” Sibanyoni — Electric Bass

Michael Nkuna — Trumpet

Kagiso Ramela — Alto Saxophone

Siniwe Mabaso — Drums

Together, the ensemble explores a musical landscape shaped by Dhlamini’s engagement with jazz, African musical traditions, contemporary composition and improvisation.

And because this is Mpumi Dhlamini, expect more than simply a great set. Expect an idea brought to life.

18 September is both a birthday and a musical birth—a moment in which a new body of work is introduced to the world before it becomes the definitive recording.

The music you hear on the night will evolve. It will enter the studio. It will become part of the Total Eclipse catalogue.

But you will have heard it first.

This is the music before the record.

This is The First Hearing.

This is Total Eclipse.

Show info:

This series offers reserved seating only.

Doors Open 6pm

Performance 8pm

Expect two sets of approximately 45-60 minutes each with a 15 minute interval.

This series offers reserved seating only.

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