Lakuti is one of the fundamental people in house music, she keeps pushing the genre’s boundaries both musically and politically, on and offside the dance floor. An experienced music curator and producer, Uzuri artist agency and label head, a sought-after educator on dance music’s history and a critical voice of the scene, Lakuti takes on many roles. A DJ and musician first and foremost, the Panorama Bar resident draws from a deep understanding of house music.

Born and raised in Soweto, South Africa, real name Lerato Khathi, Lakuti’s passion for music came early on in life, inspired by her mother’s in-depth record collection, housing some of the best in soul, funk, disco, pop and some home-brewed South African pop, bubblegum, jazz and beyond. Her grandfather, a jazz aficionado also nurtured and fired up some of her musical interests by schooling her in the art of jazz. Whilst other kids would be out in the street playing, Lakuti would obsessively be recording tapes and writing lyrics to her favourite songs.

Her own musical taste soon expanded and chartered territories beyond her family’s influence. The biggest impact was to discover Johannesburg’s best nightclubs at the time, from a goth / ebm / wave weekday venue to a LGBTIQ+ club playing a cross-section of proto house records to Factory Records-affiliated bands, to warehouse parties and beyond. The phenomenal records coming out of New York City, Chicago and later Detroit completely captured her imagination and would prove to be transformative. After completing stints in law school and film school, she traveled to Toronto further immersing herself into electronic music.