Tuesday, July 10, 2007
The music keeps on playing...
I’ve had a break from blogging for awhile, and it’s been great – taking time off in the mountains (right - the Stadsaal Caves, Cedarberg), along the coast and focusing on things other than the blog. Music carries on with or without what I write, I am pleased to say, and there have been some amazing moments for South African music as a whole over the last few weeks! How about Arno Carstens and New Porn opening for the legendary Rolling stones in Spain a few weeks ago? Damn! Talk about a highlight in ones performance career! Can just imagine Arno parking off in years to come, his grandkids bouncing on his knee explaining how he’d opened for the grandfathers of rock!
New Porn was invited to fill-in for a last minute cancellation at the massive UK music festival Isle of Wight, in front of some 65 000 people. I have heard that it was the Stones manager that got them in there, and that when he registered how the audience rocked, he booked New Porn to be the main support act for The Rolling Stones on the June 23rd in San Sebastian, Spain at the Estadio De Anoeta. Frikken awesome! South African actress, poet and television personality Lebo Mashile has won the 2006 Pan African book prize, the Noma Award, for her first published collection of poems, In A Ribbon Of Rhythm, published in 2005.
There was also some wrong info that went out about SAM Award winners Lark, and their suppose break-up… “Speculation suggests it’s because lead singer, Inge Beckmann, wants to do her own thing. Semi-official sources claim she's ‘Just going overseas for a month’”, but I am glad to be able to say from an official source that: It’s rumours and lies…. The band is taking a break and that is all. Inge is going overseas for a while but she will be back. (Dominque Gawlowski - Lark's manager)
So there you have! No more lies!
On an international note, one of our sexiest groups, The Aerial Showgirls was invited, for the second year in a row, to choreograph and perform aerials with Carmen Electra and her dance group in Palm Springs – I will get some footage of this show soon!
We’ve also been invited to a couple of Coda shows in the last few weeks, and it’s always great to see how audiences are enjoying the group. Last night they appeared at Madam Zingara’s Mirror Tent on the foreshore to a packed house – and it was a pretty cool show.And if the audience knew that half the group were as sick as hell, they would’ve been even more appreciative, because its damn hard to sing ‘ting wid a blocked dnose’ and to shake it all on stage when you haven’t been able to get out of bed for three days! Respect guys!
Coda was followed by the very funky Iridium Project, with sassy Lou Chase sex’ing up the front of stage, and DJ’s Nick Mathews & Craig da Sousa laying down a bed of orgasmic beats from the back.
If there is any group in Cape Town that brings all the passion of summer to an event, even on a chilly July night, then its Iridium Project.They ooze sex appeal, getting their audience off their butts and onto the dance-floor, where they gyrate and bop right until the end of the set.
You cannot sit still.
And you cannot claim to have kept full control of your feet during the show. Every part of you wants to move; get down and funky; and in my case, my body starts to think I am as cool as John Travolta in the Pulp Fiction scene at Jack Rabbit Slim’s…
I hope everyones week is going to be as great as I am sure mine is going to be!
Labels: coda, iridium project, Lark, music, New Porn
Friday, January 26, 2007
Tinariwen - from the deserts of Mali
Yesterday was so hot, it seemed like we had all gone to hell! It was impossible for any straight thinking; crazy to even try and move a muscle in the heat; and no matter how many times the office jumped in the pool, it just didn’t make it any cooler, or easier, to think. I did find a very pleasant place to spend the previous evening – we took the boys to the Spur at West Coast Village (right), where they had an ingenious way of keeping the customers cool. With a water-pipe, and small spray nozzles, a heavy mist would be sprayed into the air above us every 15-minutes, making us all feel like we were fresh produce at Fruit & Veg City – who use a similar method of keeping the veggies looking fresh! And it really works at keeping the air cooler, and us sitting at the table longer.
Talking about hot stuff, we had a great meeting yesterday with Heidi da Sousa – Craig da Sousa’s wife and manager – who has now taken over the management of one of our firm favourites, the sexy sounding Iridium Project.
They have had a slight change in membership, seeing Mario Parmeggiani return to Italy (for love) and Craig taking his place for local, and soon, international gigs. The group is planning a tour of Europe later in the year, with another Cape musical powerhouse, Goldfish (pictured left), and we will be assisting them in finding more gigs across the continent at club’s, festivals & of course all those S.A. corporate’s that are missing home so much! I am also very excited that Iridium Project is working on their 2nd album, expected around August 2007, which is pretty impressive; if you consider that it took almost 6-years to complete their first!
So, now, as it’s a wonderfully cool Friday, I thought I would feature something very funky, and well, cool!
Tinariwen (Tamashek for ‘empty places’), a group of traditional musicians from the deserts of Mali, have been making waves on the international performing circuit with their incredibly ‘hip’ style of music, called Tishoumaren – meaning literally ‘music of the unemployed’. Tinariwen was started in 1982, in Moammar al-Qadhafi’s camps for Tuareg rebels; their music’s main theme being of their desire for independence from the government of Mali, after almost a century of clashes with governments and colonial masters, who wished to control them.
As camel riding nomads, the Tuareg differ notably from most other Moslem cultures, in that it is the men who cover their faces with a veil, or Tagelmust – an indigo blue dyed strip of cotton that can be up to 10 meters long forming both veil & turban - when they reach maturity. Their society is also matrilineal – meaning that they draw decent from their mother’s line, as opposed to a patriarchal society.
Tinariwen released many cassettes in their first 18-years, but released their first CD outside of Africa in December 2000. Since then they have appeared at a number of World Music festivals around the world, having been one of the highlights of the 2004 WOMAD Festival in Reading, U.K. (where Amampondo also appeared), and I am really looking forward to their 2007 album ‘Aman Iman’ – already being touted by BBC Radio 3’s Andy Kershaw as 2007’s album of the year (and that was in 2006!).
So enjoy this little video – Tinariwen is the only Tuareg musical group to make use of the electrical guitar – and remember that this is just another slice of the wonderful African music cake! Tinariwen - Amassakoul 'n' Tenere & Chet Boghassa
Labels: craig da sousa, goldfish, iridium project, mali, tinariwen, tuareg, world music
Friday, November 10, 2006
Sexy summer-time!
This week our politicians around the world seem to be taking a bit of a beating in popularity polls, elections and of course close friends having to go to jail for being generally corrupt.
It's tough being at the top, but I think even tougher when you're at the top, and you have to let your deputy speak on your behalf... must really give you a sinking feeling...
And with the beautiful hot summer weather here again, temperatures soaring, lil bit of sunscreen, or baby-oil, which ever tickles your fancy, we need to think very carfeully about saving water...
So well done to Western Cape inventor Willem van Rensburg & Pronto for sexing it 'up' this summer! And for keeping politics out of the bedroom!
But hey Cape Town! Talking about sexy... this evening 17h00 - 19h00 at Caprice in Camps Bay you can have yourself the sexiest sundowners with Iridium Project! They'll be getting the weekend going with some really awesome electronic vibes for the first time in almost 5 months, as some of the group has been jet-setting around the world! They are also going to be on a high, as DJ Nick told me yesterday that they have their first track being featured on the main playlist at 5FM, and at the moment you can hear it being played on average every two hours!
Its summer Cape Town, get out there and enjoy yourselves!
07/02/06 UPDATE: I was very chuffed to read that Pronto Condoms were awarded the Most BeautifulObject at the 2007 Design Indaba - Read more here!
It's tough being at the top, but I think even tougher when you're at the top, and you have to let your deputy speak on your behalf... must really give you a sinking feeling...
And with the beautiful hot summer weather here again, temperatures soaring, lil bit of sunscreen, or baby-oil, which ever tickles your fancy, we need to think very carfeully about saving water...
So well done to Western Cape inventor Willem van Rensburg & Pronto for sexing it 'up' this summer! And for keeping politics out of the bedroom!
But hey Cape Town! Talking about sexy... this evening 17h00 - 19h00 at Caprice in Camps Bay you can have yourself the sexiest sundowners with Iridium Project! They'll be getting the weekend going with some really awesome electronic vibes for the first time in almost 5 months, as some of the group has been jet-setting around the world! They are also going to be on a high, as DJ Nick told me yesterday that they have their first track being featured on the main playlist at 5FM, and at the moment you can hear it being played on average every two hours!
Its summer Cape Town, get out there and enjoy yourselves!
07/02/06 UPDATE: I was very chuffed to read that Pronto Condoms were awarded the Most BeautifulObject at the 2007 Design Indaba - Read more here!
Labels: 5fm, DJ Nick, iridium project, Pronto condoms
Thursday, September 28, 2006
Iridium Project - Cape Town summer
Last night I had a good chuckle reading Seth's blog at 2oceansvibe, a regular read of mine, where he apologies nicely to all ex-pats for missing another day of paradise in Cape Town!
Today, like yesterday, is just another glorious day! We will have to celebrate with a few drinks down at the Blue Peter later this afternoon (pictured right: Kai & Papa with a really sad view from the B.P.H.)
I even feel sorry for non-Capies living far from the Mother city. Things work differently here – we just know how important it is to take some time out to enjoy our surroundings, the view that greets you everyday!
Summer time in Cape Town, it’s something very special. Whether you’re enjoying evenings at the Kirstenbosch Sunset Concert Series, productions at the Spier Amphitheatre under open African skies, or live jazz at Mannenberg’s, this city brings an inner peace.
This is one of the reasons why a group like Iridium Project is really appealing to me. They rave about the Mother City, they understand the energy that runs through the people, and make music that is almost impossible to sit still to.
So before I go off to celebrate the setting sun, here something funky before the weekend; another snippet from the Cape Town Fashion Week, when Iridium Project (minor) was part of the Magents presentation.
Have a ‘lekka’ day!
Labels: iridium project, Mannenberg's
Saturday, September 23, 2006
Iridium Project funky party
Lenny and I went out last night and hooked up with Nick Matthews, from CODA & Iridium Project. We’d all been working like slaves and so ended up having a good night of chin-wagging and relaxing.The main reason why he came through was to drop off some footage of Iridium Project’s performance at the Cape Town Fashion Week, which we were really looking forward to viewing. But the 3 of us, being Cancerians and such social beings, only parted ways in the quiet hours of the morning.
Jasper & Kai are both on holiday as from today, so with fetching them and their buddies, treats at MacDonald’s, going down to the bay to watch the attempted rescue of the pilot of the ill-fated aerobatics plane that went down in the sea off Milnerton, writing about Iridium Project was put on hold till much later.
This group is too cool and funky! But an you ever be too cool? Don’t you want your party-guests to think that you are just way ahead of everyone else? To remember your party as the one that knocked their socks off?If Iridium Project is going to be there, then you had better wash your feet!
Miss Lou Chase has the sexy vocals, MR DJ Nick Matthews is seen bopping the beat on the decks and samplers, and Joseph adds that percussion that makes it real (This is a smaller version - but I'll come to that when I feature them all!). The models have to work hard to be as sexy as this trio!
What I really enjoy is the clear reference to Cape Town, and what a cool place this is to be – SoundsCape, Cape Town, the summer sun, sexy, sweaty, party beats…
Labels: coda, DJ Nick, iridium project
Monday, July 03, 2006
CODA - oh so hot!!
Last year we were assisting with the lovely former Miss South Africa Cindy Nel arrange the entertainment for Jacques Kallis' (that's her man in case you weren't aware) Benefit Functions in Cape Town and Johannesburg. They wanted something different to make their events a success.So we contacted Carol Thorns - she was the lead of Electro-Muse, and we were sure they would fit the bill exactly! Only problem was, she told us, she had just split from the group, and was on the N1 back to
Peak: Can you do it? Can you put a group together for us?
Carol: I'm sure I can. I've got Rayelle on Electric Violin - yes - lets do it.
And so the basis for CODA was set down. We suggested she meet with the funkiest DJ's on our database, DJ Nick Matthews from Iridium Project, and then we introduced her to Yolanda Yawa (ex Tucan Tucan), a beautiful Jazz vocalist, and now they are flying high!
Having done a number of high profile gigs in SA and abroad, CODA is currently recording their first album (I was promised that I would be the first person to receive their first recorded track which I expect any day now - excitement) and we have just heard from Carol that:
CODA has been chosen as one of the top five nominees nationwide in the musician's category of the Top Billing / Momentum lifestyle awards. We will be featured in the August issue of Top Billing magazine and be interviewed for Top Billing TV (date to follow)!
We'd like to say a huge thank you to the Top Billing team for this fantastic opportunity ...
We don't make the music. We don't own the groups, but when you see something that you helped create take-off on such a successful ride, you can only feel immense pride!
We'll bring you the CODA tracks as we get them. Which makes us the first, and you the second!
(Coda (Say ko-da) noun
Music: section of a movement added at the end to clinch matters or where all significant themes come together.)
Labels: coda, Electro-Muse, iridium project, Jacques Kallis, Tucan Tucan
