Monday, November 20, 2006
Skwatta Kamp - The Clap Song!
I contacted Skwatta Kamp recently for a favour - they're one of my favourite SA groups with who it is always a great pleasure to do business as they're just such a professional outfit - and they immediately sorted me out. I wanted them to perform at Desmond Tutu's 75th birthday, and they offered themselves for free without any hesitation!
Since then our plans have changed, and the concert will be much smaller than we originally wanted it - Freshlyground and Vusi Mahlasela are the only artists on the bill at Spier on 07 December.
But that's spirit of this awesome Hip Hop group continuously pumping music out of Soweto, getting the whole country foot-stomping along with their tracks that have even been embraced by the countries mainstream radio stations.
Tracks like Umoya, Skwatta Karnival and the Clap Song are all hard hitting, topical, personal and in your face; because these guys speak their minds!
Their success has seen them walk away with 2 South African Music Awards for Best Rap in 2003 and 2004; a MetroFM Award for Best Hip Hop award in 2003, Best Kwaito/Hip Hop Group at the Kidz Star Awards in 2005 and the Source Award International Artist Of The Year Nomination in 2004, Best Hip Hop Video 2005 Â Channel O Video Music Awards and nominated for Best African Hip Hop at the 2005 Kora Awards.Skwatta Kamp are Bozza, Shugasmakx, Nemza, SLIKour, Flabba, Nish and Infa make up the machine that is Skwatta Kamp, and they are accompanied by the stunning Relo, whose haunting harmonies soar over and above their catchy rhymes.
The Clap song is one of my favourites. So here it is to start off your week. Go getit!
Labels: clap song, desmond tutu, freshlyground, SAMA, skwatta kamp, soweto
Thursday, November 09, 2006
Khunjani jazz is like a homecoming
South African music styles can have such a different flavour to what the rest of the world is used to, not much is standard.
To give you a few examples, we have a choir, the Cape Town Chorus, made up of teenagers from the township of Khayelitsha, a huge sprawling suburb outside Cape Town. This choir is a Welsh Chorale Choir, and have performed to great appreciation at an eisteddfod in Wales – but of course its Welsh only in describing its name because the music is pure African!
Old slave & folk music, originating in the Cape when slaves were brought here during the 1600’s and 1700’s, has developed into a totally unique style that won’t be found anywhere else in the world, as anyone who has witnessed the annual Cape Malay choir & minstrel festival in the New Year can agree with!
We have Johnny Clegg. Even Freshlyground.
We are the Kings of Kwaito in SA.
Same with Jazz. A musical style that was started at the beginning of the 20th century in New Orleans, combining old West African musical traditions with Western influences, Blues and Ragtime, and religious influences.
Here in South Africa, Jazz became popular in the 1950’s, with Dolly Rathebe, Dorothy Masuka, and of course Miriam Makeba. From this a new style developed, Afro Jazz, and artists like Hugh Masekela used their influence while in exile to fight Apartheid.
Afro-Jazz. It’s like it belongs here, the continent where its roots are; that its gone off somewhere else, developed, only to come home again... It's nature is 'protest' music.
We have a group called Khunjani, whose core is made up of traditional musicians from famous Marimba & Percussion group Amampondo, who practise exactly that classical cross-over style of music. Jazz with all the regular instruments, the piano, guitar, bass, and trumpet, but then add in some funky African skins, some percussion and even a marimba, and we’re talking something totally different!
I managed to capture a little bit of amateur footage of them – and it shows a little of their style… their African style. Lil’ bit of protest jazz to lift you for the weekend!
To give you a few examples, we have a choir, the Cape Town Chorus, made up of teenagers from the township of Khayelitsha, a huge sprawling suburb outside Cape Town. This choir is a Welsh Chorale Choir, and have performed to great appreciation at an eisteddfod in Wales – but of course its Welsh only in describing its name because the music is pure African!Old slave & folk music, originating in the Cape when slaves were brought here during the 1600’s and 1700’s, has developed into a totally unique style that won’t be found anywhere else in the world, as anyone who has witnessed the annual Cape Malay choir & minstrel festival in the New Year can agree with!
We have Johnny Clegg. Even Freshlyground.We are the Kings of Kwaito in SA.
Same with Jazz. A musical style that was started at the beginning of the 20th century in New Orleans, combining old West African musical traditions with Western influences, Blues and Ragtime, and religious influences.
Here in South Africa, Jazz became popular in the 1950’s, with Dolly Rathebe, Dorothy Masuka, and of course Miriam Makeba. From this a new style developed, Afro Jazz, and artists like Hugh Masekela used their influence while in exile to fight Apartheid.
Afro-Jazz. It’s like it belongs here, the continent where its roots are; that its gone off somewhere else, developed, only to come home again... It's nature is 'protest' music.
We have a group called Khunjani, whose core is made up of traditional musicians from famous Marimba & Percussion group Amampondo, who practise exactly that classical cross-over style of music. Jazz with all the regular instruments, the piano, guitar, bass, and trumpet, but then add in some funky African skins, some percussion and even a marimba, and we’re talking something totally different!
I managed to capture a little bit of amateur footage of them – and it shows a little of their style… their African style. Lil’ bit of protest jazz to lift you for the weekend!
Labels: Amampondo, Cape Town Chorus, freshlyground, jazz, Johnny Clegg, Khunjani
Monday, November 06, 2006
Freshlyground win MTV Africa award!
What a beautiful Monday, after a little bit of a cold front swinging past the Cape this weekend. It also seemed to affect the internet, as we were down for most of it, which is why it was quiet from this side.But just because I am quiet doesn’t mean the world stopped turning - there was so much happening; Freshlyground becoming the first South Africans to win the MTV Award for Africa on Thursday night in Copenhagen; Australia drawing against Wales in rugby, but then utterly destroying the West Indies in India during the Champions Trophy final; Saddam Hussein being sentenced to death by hanging; and our very own shaky Shaik's having his appeal turned down! Lots to keep us entertained!
Apart from that, we are still coming to terms with the passing of P.W. and whether he deserved to have our flag flown at half-mast in his honour; we wait in anticipation to see whether the NPA will be bringing new charges against Jacob Zuma; and finally whether the Americans have finally come to their own Rubicon and will vote the Democrats in…
Ultimately – I think we should celebrate Freshlyground and what they have achieved. It’s a milestone, and one that we should all be proud of - even if Doo Bee Doo irritates the hell out of me. I like it that they beat a whole lot of Nigerian artists. Damn, they actually beat a whole lot of African artists to get there!
So today I will let you enjoy one of their newer videos – I’d like. I’d like to see more and more South African groups making it internationally, but in the meantime, groups like Freshlyground, Goldfish, Seether and Just Jinjer are paving the way!
Labels: freshlyground, goldfish, Just Jinjer, MTV, Seether
Tuesday, October 17, 2006
SA Artists shine at MTV Awards!
I have had a few days off, recovering from a bit of bronchitis & a fever, which is never easy when the summer weather starts rolling in! One isn’t sure if you’re sweating from outer or inner heat! And this is exaggerated by the wind that has been beating around our heads the last few days, not allowing windows or doors to be opened for fear of all paperwork ending in the neighbour’s garden!
It’s also been a weekend with lots of news about South African artists coming in – leaving me wondering about who and what to feature first!
Sadly, Busi Mhlongo (pictured left) was featured in a double spread article in the Sunday Times Life Style supplement; Bongani Masondo wrote a beautiful article not only as a fan but also a very concerned friend of Busi’s, who has made it known that she has been ill for awhile with breast cancer. I don’t what this means for her future, and I will be speaking to her later this week when I will have more news, but at this stage we can only wish her all the strength and love to pull herself through this obstacle in her life.
We also heard on Monday that Presely Chweneyagae was one of the artists nominated for Film Life's 2006 Black Movie Awards - A Celebration of Black Cinema: Past, Present and Future. And he won!
The young actor was up for an Outstanding Performance by an Actor award for his role in the movie Tsotsi - which also won an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film of the Year.
Chiwetel Ejiofor (Kinky Boots), Cuba Gooding Jr. (Shadowboxer), Tyrese Gibson (Waist Deep) and Denzel Washington (Inside Man) were also gunning for the same award – and so bringing more respect to his talents, but also to the SA Film industry as a whole – awesome stuff!
And it was the Channel O Spirit of Africa Music Video Awards this weekend! Most of SA’s top groups were represented there, with live performances from Freshlyground, Mzekezeke & Arthur amongst others. Zola was recognized by receiving the Special Recognition Award for work he has done for the upliftment of youth on the continent, in particular as the UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador in East Africa. You can see the winners here - pretty cool.
So in celebration of some of the awards that have been floating around here… (Floating trophy? There was also a Curry Cup that couldn’t be secured this weekend…) I wanted to feature another great South African award winning production, U-Carmen eKhayelitsha, featuring the vivacious Pauline Malefane (pictured right) as Carmen.
It’s also been a weekend with lots of news about South African artists coming in – leaving me wondering about who and what to feature first!
Sadly, Busi Mhlongo (pictured left) was featured in a double spread article in the Sunday Times Life Style supplement; Bongani Masondo wrote a beautiful article not only as a fan but also a very concerned friend of Busi’s, who has made it known that she has been ill for awhile with breast cancer. I don’t what this means for her future, and I will be speaking to her later this week when I will have more news, but at this stage we can only wish her all the strength and love to pull herself through this obstacle in her life.We also heard on Monday that Presely Chweneyagae was one of the artists nominated for Film Life's 2006 Black Movie Awards - A Celebration of Black Cinema: Past, Present and Future. And he won!
The young actor was up for an Outstanding Performance by an Actor award for his role in the movie Tsotsi - which also won an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film of the Year.
Chiwetel Ejiofor (Kinky Boots), Cuba Gooding Jr. (Shadowboxer), Tyrese Gibson (Waist Deep) and Denzel Washington (Inside Man) were also gunning for the same award – and so bringing more respect to his talents, but also to the SA Film industry as a whole – awesome stuff!
And it was the Channel O Spirit of Africa Music Video Awards this weekend! Most of SA’s top groups were represented there, with live performances from Freshlyground, Mzekezeke & Arthur amongst others. Zola was recognized by receiving the Special Recognition Award for work he has done for the upliftment of youth on the continent, in particular as the UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador in East Africa. You can see the winners here - pretty cool.So in celebration of some of the awards that have been floating around here… (Floating trophy? There was also a Curry Cup that couldn’t be secured this weekend…) I wanted to feature another great South African award winning production, U-Carmen eKhayelitsha, featuring the vivacious Pauline Malefane (pictured right) as Carmen.
Labels: Busi Mhlongo, freshlyground, Presely Chweneyagae, Zola
Monday, August 21, 2006
Hot Water - Cape Town style
I was nicely surprised this morning after meeting Donovan Copley of a new group on the Peak books - Hot Water. Especially after writing my piece about Freshlyground last night, as Aron had also heard them and thought they were very cool .Once again, a real Cape Town sound has been allowed to grow, and typical of South Africans, their music is a wonderful mix of styles, cultures and instruments. Or as Donovan says:
"It is a collaborative band drawing on the talents of a diverse group of musicians to create dynamic and entertaining acoustic groove music with its roots in Africa.
The music roams the four seasons, with the overall "sound" ranging from atmospheric world instrumentals to African Blues to Jivey-Afro Rock. There'll also likely be some instruments at any Hot Water gig which you have never seen before..."And this isn't bad press either:
"Immediately we're all going 'Hows these ous?' - that's how good this album is!? There's a very unique South African sound and flavour mixed in here that makes it stand out on its own. Hot water definitely gets our vote as a must have local album and home-grown groups that are going to go far"
ZIG-ZAG February/March 2006
So here is their video of Bushfire from their album Home (DMC021) - I'm sure you will enjoy the show as I did!
Labels: freshlyground, Hot Water
Sunday, August 20, 2006
Freshlyground's Zolani Mahola - fresh...
I first heard about Freshlyground from Aron Turest-Swartz, one of the founders and keyboard player for the Cape's new supergroup, in 2004. They were still a small varsity group who were starting out, and he wanted me to take a listen to their demo.I've known Aron all his life - his mother and my mother are childhood bosom buddies - I'll never forget the day I drove out to U.C.T. especially to pick up their demo up from him. It's not the drive there that stands-out, it was the instant love-affair I experienced on the way home!
Freshlyground's first album was called Jika Jika (FG001) and it was the freshest sounding "New South African" band I had had the pleasure of hearing.
I rushed home and forced Lenny to listen to it immediately - Zolani Mahola catching our attention straight away with Love Train, the beat bouncing along, the multi-lingual mix, the happiness and energy was everything that showed that a new younger generation of musicians were coming together and creating a new exiting sound.
Without going into all the details, we did end up managing them for about 6 weeks, but it was better for us to part with our desire for Peak to offer broader promotion, and their definite need for focused management.
I am pleased - they have just returned from their first highly successful tour of Europe, their music has been played on almost every radio show in the country, they're heard of television at sporting events, as jingles for advertisements, and I am sure they will still go a long way.
But I like to focus on what makes them so incredibly desirable, and that has to be the voice of Zolani Mahola. Sensual, sexy, sometimes playful, sometimes deeply mournful and sad, or energetic and stage-filling... This is the way I see Zolani. This short curvy lady captures her audiences soul from the moment she steps out there and take hold of the microphone. She makes love to her audience, and they lap it up with adoration.One of my favourite tracks from Jika Jika is the original Nomvula, with an emotional Zolani only accompanied by Aron on keys. Nomvula, meaning "after the rain" in Xhosa, was the name of Zolani's mother, who passed away when she was very young, and the song is a tale of 3 young girls who had to be raised by a father whose had lost his life's love.
I found this video of their new version of Nomvula, from their latest album Nomvula (INS007), which is pretty cool, but comes second to the original in terms of pulling heart-strings.
We don't promote Freshlyground any more, due to past differences, but I follow their progress with pleasure and pride - it's good seeing South African artists succeed - and I knew Aron when he was just a little snotkop!
Labels: Aron Turest-Swartz, freshlyground, Nomvula, Zolani Mahola
