Hailing from the township of Bophelong in South Africa SNO, born Selina Nongaliphe Oliphant, has always seen music as a beacon of strength and hope to the marginalised as her formative years were in the country’s apartheid era. Currently a resident of Manchester, she is woven very tightly into the city’s dynamic music scene.
She has been a resident at the acclaimed night Banana Hill, and currently hosts a monthly show on NTS Radio Manchester. Her record collection completely annihilates any modicum of genre specifications or classifications as she has been seen to be utterly comfortable both behind the booth and on radio in a myriad of genres including Jazz, Hip Hop, Footwork, Latin, boogie and at times the electronic side of things.
Her exceptional knowledge of African Music is what endears her to the music world. SNO can travel musically from Cape to Cairo almost pedantically but certainly enthusiastically. This is evident in her presentation consistently, akin to an apt sonic depiction of the Continent that is as rich as AFRICA musically. This attribute has garnered sincere appreciation from African Music giants such as Tony Allen, Kanda Bongo Man, Ebo Taylor, Pat Thomas and the legendary Amadou and Mariam.
SNO’s meteoric rise in the scene has earned her much deserved sets throughout the festival circuit including We Out Here, Dimensions Festival, Beathearder, Meadows in the Mountains and Houghton Festival to mention but a few. She has shared diverse and decent stages with luminaries such as Mr SCRUFF, Awesome Tapes from Africa, Gilles Peterson, Midland and Azymuth – only creating fans of her peers everytime she plays.