Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Private Stash - an Indian mix
Private Stash is a truly classical Indian collaboration from South Africa (take that Bollywood!). No, no, I didn't mean a hashish mix either - its music. Music for the soul!Private Stash was founded in 2006 by tabla player Ashish Joshi who gathered a group of young South African born Indian musicians together to create a unique group. Off the top of my head, I can’t think of another group that represents the Indian culture in South Africa as this one does.
So Ashish got together with Ravi Lalloo, Bharat Gordhan, Premal Bhana and Dillen Ramjee plus guests Greg Georgiades and Maynard van der Walt, and they were recorded at The Studio With No Name, the MELT farm just outside Cullinan; a feast of sound and colour.
The whole session will be coming out soon on DVD, and I think that anyone can feel part of the relaxed ambiance of the MELT farm, & this amazing group of musicians that recorded there.Recorded by well-known sound engineer Chris Lewis, who has been an integral part of most of MELT’s vast catalogue of South African & international collaborations.
The filming was done by Lianne Cox, who was recently nominated for a SAMA for Best Music Video for her work on the late Lebo Mathosa’s video Brand New Day.
(Ok, it's not the smallest of files, but I didn't want you to listen to kak sound... so its worth it!)
UPDATE 07/05/03: Ashish sent me the names of all the artists in the above clip - so you know who they are - and can say you saw them here first! So here is the group that collborates on the project known as Sur Banditz:
Premal Bhana – Sitar
Greg Georgiades – Sarod, Oud
Ashish Joshi – Santoor, Tabla
Bharat Gordhon – Vocals, Harmonium
Dillen Ramjee – Mridungum
Wynand van der Walt – Drums, Percussion
Ravi Lalloo – Tabla, Manjira
Enjoy it again! Because you can!
Labels: Ashish Joshi, Greg Georgiades, Indian, music, Private Stash, south africa, traditional
World music in Langa
I have spoken many times about one of Cape Town’s most interesting son’s, Dizu Plaatjies, African music lecturer & traditional instrument specialist at U.C.T., composer, story-teller & musician. But I can never say enough!I am fortunate to work closely with Dizu, and so asked him if he would like to present a number of short clips, in the next few weeks, in which he plays some of the instruments that he specializes in.
In this first piece, Dizu chose to play the Nyungwe, a member of the Mbira or thumb-piano family from Mozambique, but most well known from Zimbabwe.
Dizu’s career started with Amampondo, right in the early days of the group’s formation, where he was the charismatic leader and front-man on stage. Dizu’s persona is regal, and one flash of his smile warms the hearts of his audience – until he starts performing that is, when one feels flashes of ancient history wash over you with his masterful domination of your senses.
He has been hugely successful since he and the group parted ways some years ago, but his teaching projects in Langa, where he mentors the community’s youth, have provided him with an array of talented musicians to form part of his group titled Ibuyambo. If you are into rhythmical traditional music, I can highly recommend MELT 2000’s Dizu Plaatjies & Mzwandile Qotoyi Ethno Trance Live (BNETCD002) – makes me want to get all Johnny Clegg, but I’m afraid I’d pull a hamstring! (Dizu & daughter @ my place)Dizu has a firm grip on his roots, and by keeping the knowledge of this continents musical history alive, I feel he is a national treasure that needs to be nurtured and respected.
Apart from all the above – he’s a hell of a nice guy too!
Labels: Dizu Plaatjies, Langa, music, shout-out, traditional
Wednesday, March 07, 2007
Pops Mohamed arrives in Cape Town
I am just on my way to the airport to fetch Pops Mohamed, who will be coming to stay with us for a night or two.Pops is feeling a burst of creativity, and is wanting to collaborate on a new album with Dizu Plaatjies from Ibuyambo (and ex-Amampondo), and so Dizu and his wife will be coming to supper tonight - yes, Lenny enjoys cooking up a storm for as many people as she can, and if there is music involved, all the better!
Pops is bringing me lots of new marketing material, which you can be sure that I will be featuring here over the coming days!
I am also going to be getting some DVD's now, before the airport, from one of our VJ's Inka Kenzia, who recently appeared with the Kalahari Surfers, Dizu, Lungiswa & Friends at Red Bull's Hangar 7, in Austria - so lots more live footage to get excited about!
Labels: Amampondo, Dizu Plaatjies, Ibuyambo, Inka, Kalahari Surfers, Lungiswa Plaatjies, music, Pops Mohamed, traditional
Tuesday, March 06, 2007
Peak is a 2007 Best SA Music Blog finalist!
We are very excited at Peak, due to the announcement that Peak People has been nominated as a finalist for the 2007 SA Blog Awards in the category of Best SA Music Blog! Now it comes down to votes! Go to the 2007 SA Blog Awards and vote for us!
Only one vote is allowed per email address, with a minimum of 3 votes in different categories, after which a confirmation email will be sent for you to reconfirm that you are real...
So send this link through to as many people as you can, and we will look forward to bringing you lots more stories about the exciting artists that come through our doors!
And, finally, thank you to all those who nominated us - it was totally unexpected, but thoroughly appreciated!
14h41 UPDATE: OK... it seems I have moved from Best SA Music Blog to Best SA Entertainment Blog - am still trying to confirm, but that shouldn't stop the votes from rolling in! Hmmm - always did want to stand for some kind of election! LET THERE BE MUSIC (and ENTERTAINMENT) for the MASSES!
15h52 UPDATE: OK... I am back on Best SA Music Blog folks! So feel free to vote - or have I already said that?!
Labels: classical, electronica, finalist, jazz, music, SA Blog Awards, Soweto Gospel Choir, traditional, world music
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
Kalahari Surfers and Friends for Red Bull
Yesterday we stuck our heads in at the final rehearsal in Cape Town between Warrick Sony from the Kalahari Surfers, Dizu Plaatjies (Ibuyambo), Lulu (Lungiswa Plaatjies pictured right with Warrick)), Xolani Gongxeka and Xoliswa Tom for another very exciting international project. At a time when South Africa is once again making an impact on the international stage – congratulations to the Soweto Gospel Choir for their Grammy Award for Best World Music album – it is exciting to feel a part of marketing these exciting projects from our country to the rest of the world.
This South African world music ensemble had come together before setting off for Salzburg Austria today at 17h00, to perform at Red Bull’s Hangar 7, for three performances – on the 16th, 17th and 21st of Feb. They are going to be joined in Austria by artists from Zip Zap Circus, and will be collaborating for one spectacular Aerial Scarf act, bringing together all the South African influences.
They have been invited to perform there as part of the exhibition titled – Turbulence – Art from South Africa , with exhibits by artists Sanell Aggenbach, Conrad Botes, Nicholas Hlobo, Ledelle Moe (pictured left is Heads: Collapse II, 2004 - Concrete, steel, oil), Samson Mudzunga, Brett Murray, Johannes Phokela, Lyndi Sales and Joachim Schonfeldt (the exhibit lasts from 17 February to 11 April 2007). And there is some amazing material out on show! We naturally are very excited to be involved with the mixing of musical styles again; the Kalahari Surfers electronic sound combined with traditional percussion, drumming and vocals, bringing together the old and the new.
All these artists have incredible experience with this kind of project, having done similar things with Juno Reactor, the African Dope crew, and other genre’s like Jazz, Gospel and . Add to this ensemble Inka Kendzia, who as VJ will be projecting African images and animation to the music, and I guarantee that the audience is going to be blown away! (I will be doing a feature in Inka as soon as she returns!) .
This rehearsal video is a little dark and grainy, and the music is very much in its infancy stages, but it gives you a good idea of how these artists compliment each other. There is also a very interesting little interview with Dizu for French TV5’s Mondomix – and I will be getting some more footage later this week of other shows!
Take it easy folks!
Labels: Aerial Scarf, African, African Dope Records, Dizu Plaatjies, electronica, Inka, jazz, Juno Reactor, Kalahari Surfers, Soweto Gospel Choir, traditional, world music, Zip Zap
Friday, February 09, 2007
Mogwana Dance Troupe - Botswana
It’s an early, and very rainy, Friday morning. I have been editing video tonight of totally different genre’s; Shannon Mowday Shannon Mowday playing at the Grahamstown National Arts Festival in 2005; some laid back footage of her with Jeremy Olivier and friends; and then suddenly the Mogwana Dance Troupe from Gaborone, Botswana. It’s a definite case of world’s apart, but then I am sure Shannon could even spice their shows up with her musical mind!The Mogwana Dance Troupe is a group of artists dedicated to preserving the traditional dance of Botswana, and other area’s of Southern Africa. It’s not an easy project to do in these modern days of instant-electronica, where especially the youth, look away from their traditions in striving to be the coolest cat on the block.
Artists like Dizu Plaatjies, Amampondo and Madosini are the same artistic sort of archives; essentially keeping their cultures alive by allowing them to grow – against all odds; while artists like Thandiswa Mazwai really looked to connect the traditional with the modern sounds that she also felt connected to and the Kalahari Surfers keep traditional music as a solid base for very funky sounds.
But for a traditional dance group it is more difficult. Your audiences are more limited, and because of the amount of dancers that take part in dances, the size of the groups mostly prevent them from traveling too far from their home base.
The Mogwana Dance Troupe, started in 1991, has been fortunate having had the opportunities, in that they have been able to travel internationally and so been able to continue growing. They have created a DVD to promote not only themselves, but their traditions, and have toured countries like the USA, Canada, China, South Africa, Namibia and Swaziland, picking up numerous awards over the years.There is always such a warming rhythm to traditional celebratory dances; where you can’t help letting your head bop along like one of those dashboard doggies. In this video clip, the Mokomoto dance comes from the North-East region of Botswana, and is mostly danced at celebrations like weddings. Both the men and the women take part in it, and it’s a happy dance because it is the welcoming of the bride by the grooms family.
I hope what ever celebrations you get to enjoy this weekend, you’re able to enjoy them enough to want to do a little shuffle and bop, with fingers clicking! And make it safe!
Labels: Amampondo, botswana, Dizu Plaatjies, Kalahari Surfers, Madosini, Mogwana Dance, Shannon Mowday, Thandiswa Mazwai, traditional
