Friday, July 28, 2006
Kalahari Surfers - Kicked by the ball
While at Milestone Studio's last week with Robert Trunz, we bumped into Warrick of the Kalahari Surfers. He is the sole remaining member of the group that started making music as a string of studio projects in 1982, and is still on the fore-front of electronic music today.The Kalahari Surfers have been pushing the limits of South African music for over two decades pioneering the use of filtered beats, tape loops, exotic samples and old school electronica in SA music at a time when everyone still thought the electric guitar was cool.
Warrick says,"Being a white English South African means being schizophrenic. It means not having a firm foot in any culture, but it also means being privileged to be exposed to many wildly diverse aspects of social life. A tapestry of influences."He's established a massive reputation as film scorer, sound designer, african music dj, album producer and collaborater with the likes of Massive Attack, MELT 2000 and Greg Hunter.
In 2000 Warrick produced Akasic Record (ADOPECD004) through African Dope Records, and he once again set the standards so high that a whole new generation of musicians are looking to him for inspiration. (Kicked by the ball was produced by Inka Kendzia @ MEME - always amazing stuff)
Labels: African Dope Records, Inka, Kalahari Surfers, MELT, Milestone Studios
Monday, July 17, 2006
Busi Mhlongo - Yapheli'mali Yami
As I promised before, I have edited down a small video of Busi Mhlongo in anticpation of going to Milestone with Robert Trunz to look-in on the editing of a Live DVD this week.
This track is a live performance of the track Yapheli' mali yami (My money is gone) from Urbanzulu that Robert gave to me a few months back to add to the African Music Collective's database - but only through trial and error have I been able to get my iomega Super DVD player to work recently... so it is delayed.
Back to Busi.
She is tiny, yet she fills the stage with her voice and towering personality, taking the audience on a vocal journey. To keep this movie small I have had to reduce the quality of the sound - so just wait until you hear the power of the Live DVD! Watch this space - I'm sure there will be more to tell.
This track is a live performance of the track Yapheli' mali yami (My money is gone) from Urbanzulu that Robert gave to me a few months back to add to the African Music Collective's database - but only through trial and error have I been able to get my iomega Super DVD player to work recently... so it is delayed.
Back to Busi.
She is tiny, yet she fills the stage with her voice and towering personality, taking the audience on a vocal journey. To keep this movie small I have had to reduce the quality of the sound - so just wait until you hear the power of the Live DVD! Watch this space - I'm sure there will be more to tell.
Labels: Busi Mhlongo, Milestone Studios
Monday, July 10, 2006
M.E.L.T. making Busi Mhlongo Live DVD
I just had a some great news, my music guru Robert Trunz from M.E.L.T. is coming to Cape Town next week with Nico, his son, and so they'll be spending a few nights with us as Robert normally does.Robert has spent most of the last 12-years working closely with many of the most important traditional and cultural musicians from South Africa, and so he has so many stories to tell.
He is coming down from Cullinan to work with Murray Anderson from Milestone Studios on the final edits of a DVD of Busi Mhlongo Live, and I will definitely be joining them in the studio for that!
Busi has been one of the few artists that I have ever heard that brought me to tears during a sound check. She was part of the final presentation evening, in November 2003, to FIFA in South Africa's bid for the 2010 World Cup. We had a big marquee stretched out on the front lawn of the main house, at Vergelegen Wine Estate in Somerset West, and I was the only person there to witness her.
She was performing songs from her internationally acclaimed album Urban Zulu, and the power and beauty with which she expressed herself was just too much for me!Produced by former Soul II Soul producer Will Mowat, this album was just one of the many many successful recordings to be released under Roberts label, as it is still considered to be one of the most exciting World Music CD's to be released from South Africa. Busi spent 2 months on the # 1 spot of the Billboard's World Music charts...
This is why I am so excited - being able to watch some of the process, watch the masters at work.
I will definitely get some footage for Peak, so keep an eye out here!
Labels: Busi Mhlongo, FIFA, maskanda, MELT, Milestone Studios
