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coghive · 2 years
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[Download] Hallelujah - Celebrate Africa & Kingdmusic
Celebrate Africa, an afro-dance music expression of home grown writers, composers and producers from Harare, Zimbabwe, has teamed up with Denga “Kingdmusic” Takalani, multi- award-winning artist, songwriter, worship leader and record producer, to release a new song to capture a new anthem of hope for this generation. The song titled “Hallelujah”, is driven by a melodic fusion of Afro-beats and victorious dance music, written in two languages (Shona and English). In amongst all of the news and expressions of defeat and depression, this is a song of victory.
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Tommy and Daniel Deuschle, who started the Celebrate Africa collective, say of the song: “We believe this is a call back to courage. A reminder to keep hope in their hearts and victory in their hand. We know the details of defeat and depression. This song focuses on the picture of victory that we all have. It’s closer than we think and sometimes we hear the sound of victory, before we see it.”
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Denga Takalani adds: “This song is a declaration that we will not give up, no matter what the circumstances are. We will continue to praise God because He is good and His love endures forever.” Celebrate Africa’s unique sound combines trans-african choirs, unforgettable melodies and hope-hitting beats. Drawing inspiration from the hustle, hardships and beauty of Africa, the writing and artistry carries the tension of both the “struggle” and “freedom” of life in Africa, and points to the One who gives true liberty. “Hallelujah” is just one of the songs that Celebrate Africa has released as part of a collaborative EP project. Other popular songs include “Makanaka” and “Home”. Hallelujah - Celebrate Africa & Kingdmusic https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RSxISYIsYJY https://coghive.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Hallelujah.mp3 Celebrate Africa: [email protected] Read the full article
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tidalwavesmusic · 3 years
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HARARI ‘GENESIS’ (1977)
Harari was formed in the late sixties and originally known as The Beaters, the South African group consisting of guitarists Selby Ntuli & Monty ‘Saitana’ Ndimande, bassist Alec Khaoli and drummer Sipho Mabuse decided to change their name to Harari during a tour through Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) in 1976. The name is taken from a township outside Salisbury (which is now the capital, Harare). With their afro-rock/funk/fusion style they achieved huge successes back home and in the neighbouring states, and they were the first local black pop/rock band to appear on South African TV.
The Beaters/Harari had been disciples of ‘Soweto Soul’ – an explosion of township bands drawing on American soul and inspired by the assertive image of Stax and Motown’s Black artists. They supported Percy Sledge on his 1970 South African tour (and later Timmy Thomas, Brook Benton and Wilson Pickett). But their watershed moment was a three-month tour of Zimbabwe (then Rhodesia) where they were inspired by the strengthening independence struggle and musicians such as Thomas Mapfumo who were turning to African influences. On their return, the neat Nehru jackets that had been the band’s earliest stage wear were replaced by dashikis and Afros. In the process, they created a sound that was labelled all too simply as ‘Afro-rock’ but was really a fusion of funk- and rock-inspired rhythms with African roots.
In 1976 Harari were also voted South Africa’s top instrumental group and were in high demand at concert venues across the country (they were the first Black band to headline their own show at Johannesburg’s Colosseum Theatre). Harari released several albums and their South African based label (Gallo), even got them a two-album deal with the US major label A&M. Their single, "Party", entered the American Disco Hot 100 in 1982. After the untimely death of Selby Ntuli in 1978 they would go on to record more albums with a new line-up but it was never the same again. By 1984 the group disbanded, and Harari’s members launched successful solo careers.
Harari was a band that was deeply rooted in pan-African politics, the parallel cross-influences of the Black Panther Movement and Black Consciousness. African American soul music and Soweto Soul contributed to the way Harari became purveyors of all the styles we know today as Afro-soul, Afro-pop and Afro-jazz. The Beaters/Harari left behind a body of work that fused traditional African sounds with rock, funk, jazz, soul and psychedelia into a unique and coherent sound. It shows their ability to capture the many genres flying around South Africa during a time of intense political and cultural shifts.
The album we are presenting you today (Genesis from 1977) comes swinging right out the gate with a set of six monster anthems, explosive up-tempo jams, gorgeous vocal harmonies and chants, Afro-centric fusions of rock, funk and indigenous influences. The album is packed with mesmerizing drum-grooves, psychedelic improvisations and catchy Afrobeat rhythms. This is a quintessential Harari record that every serious collector or fan needs to have in his collection.
Originally released in 1977 on Gallo Records South Africa (and later repressed in 1982 on the same label), Tidal Waves Music now proudly presents the first official reissue of this rare album (original copies tend to go for LARGE amounts on the secondary market…that is if you’re lucky enough to come across one). This is also the FIRST time ‘Genesis’ is being released outside of the African continent. This unique record comes as a deluxe 180g vinyl edition (strictly limited to 500 copies) with obi strip and featuring the original artwork
Available worldwide December 31, 2021. Pre-order now from www.lightintheattic.net
An exclusive variant (#100 copies CLEAR Vinyl) is also available from www.lightintheattic.net
An exclusive variant (#100 copies RED/WHITE SWIRL Vinyl) is also available from www.ziarecords.com
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bestdj4-blog · 5 years
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Here is a listing of a few of the planet's music genre and their own definitions.
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- Music held to be typical of a country or cultural group, known to most sections of its culture, and maintained usually by oral tradition.
- Refers to jazz music that has been greatly influenced by African American music. The music required components of marabi, American and swing jazz and chucked this to a exceptional fusion. The very first band to actually attain this synthesis was that the South African group Jazz Maniacs.
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Afro-beat
Sometimes utilized to refer to modern African pop songs. The expression doesn't refer to a particular style or audio, but is employed as a general term to describe music.
 It's a percussion-based design that developed from the late 1930s, as it had been used to wake up worshippers after fasting during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.
Assiko - is a popular dance in the South of Cameroon. The ring is generally according to a singer accompanied by a guitar, along with a percussionnist enjoying with the pulsating rhythm of Assiko with metal knives and forks on a empty jar.
Batuque - is a dance and music genre in Cape Verde.
Bend Skin - is a sort of urban Cameroonian favorite audio. Kouchoum Mbada is the most famous group connected with the genre.
Benga - Is that a musical genre of most favorite music.
Biguine - is a kind of music which originated in Martinique from the 19th century. By combining the conventional bele music together with all the polka, the black musicians of Martinique made the biguine, which includes three different styles, the biguine de , the biguine p bal along with the biguines de rue.
Cameroon. It developed in the conventional styles of this Beti, or Ewondo, individuals, who reside across the city of Yaounde.
- it's a mixture of rap, hip hop, and R&B for starters but those labels do not do justice. It is rap, hip hop and R&B Tanzanian design: a large melting pot of preferences, background, identity and culture.
Cadence - is a specific collection of periods or chords which finishes a phrase, part, or item of music.
Calypso - is a design of Afro-Caribbean music that originated in Trinidad at roughly the onset of the 20th century. The origins of this genre put from the arrival of African Americans, that isn't being permitted to talk with one another, communicated by song.
Chaabi - is a favorite music of Morocco, quite much like this Algerian Rai.
Chimurenga  Chimurenga is a Shona language phrase for battle.
The audio originated among rural Martinicans.
Christian Rap - is a sort of rap that utilizes Christian topics to express that the songwriter's religion.
Coladeira - is a sort of audio in Cape Verde. Its component ascends to funacola that's a combination of funanáa and coladera. Famous coladera musicians comprises Antoninho Travadinha.
Contemporary Christian - is a genre of popular music that is lyrically focused on topics concerned with the Christian religion.
Nation  - is a combination of hot musical forms initially found in the Southern United States and the Appalachian Mountains. It's roots in traditional folk music, Celtic songs, blues, gospel songs, hokum, and old-time songs and developed quickly from the 1920s.
Kind of Jamaican popular music that developed in the late 1970s, together with exponents like Yellowman and Shabba Ranks. It's also referred to as bashment.
Disco - is a genre of dance-oriented pop songs which has been popularized in dance clubs at the mid-1970s.
Folk - at the most elementary sense of the term, is music by and for the ordinary men and women.
Freestyle - is a kind of electronic music that's heavily influenced by Latin American civilization.
Fuji - is a favorite Nigerian musical genre. It arose in the improvisation Ajisari/were music convention, which can be a sort of Muslim music played to wake believers prior to sunrise during the Ramadan fasting period.
Funana - is a mixed Portuguese and African American music and dancing from Santiago, Cape Verde. It's stated that the lower portion of the human body motion is African American, and also the upper portion Portuguese.
Musical style which originated from the mid- to late-1960s when African American musicians mixed soul music, soul jazz and R&B to a rhythmic, danceable new sort of music.
Subgenre of hip-hop which developed through the late 1980s.  
   It's often sung in Sheng(slung),Swahili or nearby dialects.
Mix of African, Berber, and Arabic spiritual tunes and rhythms. It combines music and acrobatic dance.
Characterized by dominant vocals (often with powerful use of stability ) assigning lyrics of a spiritual nature, especially Christian.
Highlife - is a musical genre which originated in Ghana and distribute into Sierra Leone and Nigeria from the 1920s along with other West African nations.
Hip-Hop - is a type of popular music, typically comprising a rhythmic, rhyming outspoken style known as rapping (also called emceeing) over financing beats and scratching performed to a turntable with a DJ.
House - is a type of dance music which was designed by dancing club DJs in Chicago in the first to mid-1980s. House music is strongly influenced by components of the late 1970s soul- and funk-infused dancing music type of disco.
Indie - is a phrase used to explain  Genres, landscapes, subcultures, fashions and other ethnic features in songs, characterized by their own independence from major business record labels and their autonomous, do-it-yourself method of publishing and recording.
Instrumental - A instrumental is, in contrast To a tune, a musical recording or composition with no lyrics or any other type of vocal music; most the songs is generated by musical instruments.
Isicathamiya - is a cappella singing style that originated in the Southern African Zulus.
Jazz
Jit - is a type of popular Zimbabwean dance songs. It sports a speedy rhythm played drums and accompanied by a guitar.
Juju - is a type of popular music, derived from conventional Yoruba percussion. It evolved from the 1920s in metropolitan nightclubs across the nations. The very first jùjú records were Tunde King and Ojoge Daniel in the 1920s.
Kizomba - is among the hottest  Genres of music and dance from Angola. Sung generally in Portuguese, it's a genre of music with a romantic stream combined with African rhythm.
Kwaito - is a genre which surfaced in Johannesburg, South Africa from the early 1990s. It's founded on home music beats, but generally in a slower rate and comprising melodic and percussive African germs that are looped, heavy basslines and frequently vocals, normally man, shouted or chanted rather than sung or rapped.
Kwela - really is a joyful, Frequently pennywhistle based, road audio from southern Africa with jazzy underpinnings. It evolved in the marabi noise and attracted South African music into global prominence in the 1950s.
Lingala - Soukous (also Called Soukous or Congo, and formerly as African rumba) is a musical genre which originated from the two neighbouring states of Belgian Congo and French Congo throughout the 1930s and early 1940s
Makossa - is a Form of music that is popular in Urban regions in Cameroon. It's comparable to soukous, but it includes powerful bass and a notable horn section. It began from a kind of Duala dance known as kossa, with important effects in jazz, ambasse bey, Latin music, highlife and rumba.
Malouf - a Sort of audio to Tunisia from Andalusia following the Spanish conquest in the 15th century.
Mapouka - known under the title of Macouka, is a traditional dance in the south-west of the Ivory Coast at the region of Dabou, occasionally completed through spiritual ceremonies.
 It evolved one of the Kru people of Sierra Leone and Liberia, who employed Portuguese guitars brought on by sailors, combining neighborhood melodies and rhythms with Trinidadian calypso.
Marrabenta - is a kind of Mozambican dance songs. It was designed in Maputo, the capital city of Mozambique, previously Laurenco Marques.
Mazurka - is a Polish folk dance in triple meter with a lively rate, including a thick accent on the second or third defeat. It's always found to possess either a triplet, trill, dotted eighth note set, or ordinary last-minute set prior to two quarter notes.
Is the nationwide popular dance music of Senegal. It's a combination of hot dance musics in the West such as jazz, soul, Latin, and rock combined with sabar, the traditional drumming and dancing music of Senegal.
Mbaqanga - is a design of Southern African music with rural Zulu roots which continues to influence musicians globally now. The design was originated from the early 1960s.
Mbube - is a Kind of South  
Merengue - is a Sort of lively, joyous music and dance that comes in the Dominican Republic
Museve - is a favorite Zimbabwe genre.
Oldies - expression commonly utilized to describe a radio format that normally centers on Top 40 music in the'50s,'60s and'70s. Oldies are generally from R&B, rock and pop music genres.
An abundant and imprecise category of contemporary music not characterized by artistic factors but by its prospective audience or potential sector.
Quadrille  It's also a kind of music.
R&B - is a favorite music genre combining jazz, jazz, gospel, and blues influences, initially achieved by African American musicians.
Is a sort of folk music, originated in Oran, Algeria by Bedouin shepherds, combined with French, Spanish, Arabic and African musical types, that dates back to the 1930s and has been chiefly developed by girls at the culture.
Or reggae, where the instrumentation primarily is composed of digital music; sampling frequently serves a prominent part in raggamuffin music too.
Rap - is your rhythmic singing delivery of rhymes and wordplay, among those components of hip hop culture and music.
Rara - is a kind of festival music utilized for road processions, generally during Easter Week.
Reggae - is a genre developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. A specific music genre that originated after on the growth of ska and rocksteady. Reggae relies on a rhythm design characterized by regular chops on the off-beat, called the skank.
Reggaeton - is a type of urban music that became popular with Latin American youth during the early 1990s.
Rock - is a Kind of popular music Using a notable vocal melody followed by drums, guitar, and bass. Many styles of rock songs also utilize keyboard instruments like organ, piano, synthesizers.
Rumba - is a household of audio  
Kind of Afropop fashions exported from Madagascar.
Samba - is among the most common kinds of music in Brazil. It's widely regarded as Brazil's national musical fashion.
Sega - is a evolved mixture of standard Music Seychelles,Mauritian and Réunionnais songs together with European dance songs such as polka and quadrilles.
Devised in the mid 1980s from the Mauritian Rasta singer, Joseph Reginald Topize who was occasionally called Kaya, following a song name by Bob Marley. Seggae is a combination of sega in the island nation, Mauritius, and reggae.
Semba - is a conventional Sort of audio in the Southern-African state of Angola. Semba is the predecessor to many different music styles originated from Africa, of which three of the most famous are Samba (from Brazil), Kizomba (Angolan type of music derived straight from Zouk audio ) and Kuduro (or even Kuduru, lively, fast-paced Angolan Techno songs, so to speak).
 There are many distinct kinds of traditional Shona music such as mbira, singing, hosho and drumming. Frequently, this audio will come with dancing, and involvement by the viewer.
- is normally a tune with an R&B-influenced tune. Slow jams are usually R&B ballads or merely downtempo songs. The expression is most commonly reserved for soft-sounding tunes with profoundly emotional or intimate lyrical content.
Soca - is a Kind of dance music That originated in Trinidad out of calypso. It combines the melodic lilting sound of calypso with persistent (generally electronic in recent audio ) percussion.
Originated from the two neighbouring states of Belgian Congo and French Congo throughout the 1930s and early 1940s, and that has gained fame throughout Africa.
Taarab - is a genre popular in Tanzania. It's influenced by music in the cultures using a historic presence in East Africa, such as music in East Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa, North Africa, the Middle East and Europe. Taarab climbed to prominence in 1928 with the growth of the genre's earliest celebrity, Siti binti Saad.
That originated among European immigrant inhabitants of Argentina and Uruguay. It's traditionally performed by a sextet, referred to as the orquesta típica, which comprises two violins, piano, doublebass, and 2 bandoneons.
Waka - is a favorite Islamic-oriented Yoruba musical genre. It had been initiated and made popular by Alhaja Batile Alake from Ijebu, who shot the genre to the mainstream Nigerian music by playing it at parties and concerts; additionally, she was the very first waka singer to record a record.
Popular audio, named after the area of Wassoulou. It's done largely by women, using lyrics that tackle women's problems regarding childbearing, fertility and polygamy.
Design of Ivorian popular music which developed in the 1970s. It had been the first important genre of music in the Ivory Coast. The first important pioneer of this design was Ernesto Djedje.
Oriented design of music in the Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast) that evolved in the 1990s. It began with pupils (les parents du Campus) in the University of Abidjan.
Rhythmic music originating in the French islands of Guadeloupe and Martinique. It has its origins in kompa songs from Haiti, cadence songs  
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slamafrica · 2 years
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Mbwana Mtulia, better known by his stage name Dbass Ganun is a talented Tanzanian Bassist and Qanun (Ganun) player, based in Zanzibar. He performs solo and also performs with his band and his style is afro fusion. Born in 1988 in Dar-es-salaam, into a musical family, he was taught by his father who was a musician, nurtured his talent through school and later on his mother took responsibility of advising him on music-related issues. He then joined Dhow Countries Music Academy (DCMA) in Zanzibar to further his talent. His roots are from the Ndengeleko tribe in Rufiji, and he incorporates the vibrant performing styles of traditional music with his interpretation of contemporary style to deliver a memorable performance and powerful message to audiences every time. He joined the vibrant music scene in Dar es Salaam by lending his skills to several bands and thus gaining recognition in the cultural sphere. He then cast his net further through attending notable workshops and festivals that grew his expertise; ZIFF, Sauti za Busara, Music Crossroads, Umoja Cultural Flying Carpet, Doa Doa showcase. This has given him the opportunity to interact and perform alongside musicians from Ethiopia, Zamiba, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Uganda, Kenya, Norway and more. To date he has played alongside various artists; Sousou & Maher Cissoko, Sadio Sissoko and recorded with renowned Tanzanian artists Diamond Platnumz, Ally Kiba and Q Chief. Catch his performance at the Grand Slam on the 22nd of January. #SlamAfrica (at Dar es Salaam, Tanzania) https://www.instagram.com/p/CYnvapzojNz/?utm_medium=tumblr
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djhamaradio · 6 years
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Dj Hamaradio’s guide to African Popular music Part 1
Afro-pop is not new, its a reflection of Africa's growing enthusiasm for its future. The first forms of Afro-pop often functioned to unite fractured nations that where birthed out of the greed and violence of colonialism. Afropop was an opportunity for young nations to define themselves, in a cold war world that insisted on perpetuating a narrative, in which Africa was often portrayed as the ugly uncivil step child of the world.
 According to bilingua.com, modern estimates put the number of languages spoken in Africa at 1500. This many languages also means an equally large number of musical styles, musical instruments and musical uses. In these traditional styles some styles are more rhythmic and centered on chanting, You also have styles that reflect more eastern influence with instruments that are more melodic with stranger time signatures and weird multi-rhythmic syncopation. You have instruments like the Kora in Mali, the Mbira in Zimbabwe or a Harp like instrument played in Ethiopia and Eritrea called the Begena.
Furthermore Afropop is very much shaped by the influence of colonialism which is a central driving force to how Afro-Pop is shaped. Afro-pop is very much the by-product of the explosion of African urban centers. As colonialism came, cities and towns began to grow,  young men and women, left rural areas to get jobs in cities like Kinshasa, Lusaka, Lagos, Accra and Ouagadougou.
These migrants brought with them their distinct traditional forms of music and this mixed with the rising popularity of state run radio stations, which exposed these young Africans to western music. In particular sounds like Jazz, Calypso and Mambo, where very popular in urban centers like Soweto, Kinshasa and Luanda. These foreign styles didn't seem foreign because Africans could recognize the African roots of Samba, Mambo, Salsa, R&B and Jazz.What begins to happen is African bands in hotels and clubs began by mimicking western styles, then as the musicians became more confident the artists began  experimenting with fusions of indigenous sounds with western sounds. Rapidly African artists began creating versions of Calypso, Samba, Salsa and the blues. High life music which came out of Ghana, to my limited knowledge is one of the earlier styles that I came across. In particular the work of band leader E.T Mensah and the tempos band. His music was heavily jazz influenced but you could hear a lot of Calypso and Mambo influence, but its a style that has a very unique approach to syncopation that makes it distinct from Jazz and Calypso. its a sounds whose influence on African pop can be heard in both Highlife and later Afrobeat. In Congo for example the pop music of choice was Cuban music, which was played relentlessly in crammed sweaty clubs in Kinshasa and Brazzaville. Congo in the 50′s was a  young and heavily populated country. The city folk where enthusiastic fans of Cuban music. In particular Son Cubano a syncretic style that fuses Spanish guitar flourishes with African syncopation.  Son Cubano is taken up by artists and bands like Grand Kalle, Tabu Ley and groups like Africa Fiesta, fused with indigenous sounds and evolves into Congolese Rumba. This sound pulsed and spread all over east Africa and central Africa.Similarly in 1950's Soweto hip boys and gals where in love with Jazz and married it to local vocal traditions and gave birth to Jive and kwela styles. You also hear new forms of modern pop music popping out of Mali and Senegal interesting hybrids of American blues and hundreds of years old traditional music, that was shaped by an instrument called a Kora. You also got styles like Ethio-Jazz coming out of Addis Ababa which fuses Jazz, funk and soul with Ethiopia's storied and multifaceted indigenous music. All these foundational styles and many more that I cant cover in this article but might in the future, form the bedrock of Afropop. One thing that combines all this music its all music thats obsessed with pushing joy and electrifying peoples lives. African  popular music has always had a frenzied and excitable feeling. Its music that is unapologetic about its aim which is to encourage bodies to move and excite audiences. With the cheapening of music programs and technology, Africans have taken their music into their own hands. Today Afropop encompasses as many if not more styles than it did in the past. Technology has accelerated the act of cross pollination and resulted in some wonderful hybrids. New Afropop artists have stopped emulating and began creating their own often radically different versions of Hip-Hop, Soca, Braille Funke and Dancehall. Very much like their predecessors, young Africans are creating music that bridges cultures and ideas. African pop has permitted a continent of over 1000 differing languages, tribes and ethnic groups to find unity on dance floors and to define a bold modern African through the uniting power of music.
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deadassdiaspore · 3 years
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Watch "Mokoomba: Afro-Fusion Music from Zimbabwe" on YouTube
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exploresidewaystour · 4 years
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15 Songs to Transport You to South Africa
While there are many thoughts and wishes going through our minds at the moment, one that has often been mentioned in conversations and articles is the feeling of wanderlust. ‘The strong desire to travel’ leads us to wonder about all of the places we wish to travel to, as well as those that we’ve visited before and have fond memories of.
When thinking of South Africa endless images come to mind. From its unique wildlife, safaris and the Savannah to incredible cities with buzzing energy and the quiet hidden gems on the coast.
But what about its music? South African music has historically reflected social and political issues and was often used as a form of protest against the apartheid system. Music has also often been the medium through which the country could seek and participate in solidarity throughout its history.
Today, the country hosts multiple musical festivals across the year which display the best of local talent. From the internationally acclaimed Cape Town Jazz Festival to more boutique festivals such as Splashy Fen, both local and international visitors are spoilt for choice.
With most of the world isolated at home, we thought we’d transport you from your couch in your living room to vibrant South Africa through its toe-tapping beats and sweet, soulful melodies.
Listen to the full playlist here:
1. Weekend Special – Brenda Fassie
Brenda Fassie was the first-ever South African to make the Billboard ‘s Top 100 and with this iconic song. The success of ‘Weekend Special’ led to a world tour for the singer, making her one of the first South African artists to make the leap across the Atlantic.
2. Africa – Toto
Although not a South African song, one cannot help but immediately be transported to the African continent. Surprisingly, keyboard player, David Pache, had never even been to Africa when he wrote the song. Nonetheless, he captured its beauty and the song has become an all-time favourite all over the world.
3. Special Star – Mango Groove
Special Star is a South African classic and a popular choice in music line ups for celebratory occasions in the Rainbow Nation.  Known for its unique style, it beautifully fuses township and pop music. Mango Groove performed this song at the Freddie Mercury tribute in London (via satellite) to an estimated audience of a billion people in 1992.
4. Wamkelekile – Hot Water
Performed by the energetic South Africa group, Hot Water, Wamkelekile was included in the soundtrack for the movie Blended, featuring Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore. Wamkelekile is a Xhosa word, one of the twelve official South African languages, and means ‘Receive my welcome’.
5. Waka Waka – Shakira
How can one listen to this song and not reminisce back to the festive 2010 FIFA World Cup hosted in South Africa? It’s also the most-streamed World Cup song of all time. The song was recorded with the Cape Town-based band Freshly Ground and was No. 1 in 15 countries with over 15 million downloads worldwide.
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6. Jabulani – PJ Powers
PJ Powers has a special place in the heart of South Africans. In 1994, she performed at the landmark inauguration of Nelson Mandela, and in 1995, her song with Ladysmith Black Mambazo, World in Union, reached number 47 in the UK singles chart – an unforgettable moment in South African music history.
7. Doo Be Doo – Freshly Ground
The band Freshly Ground is a South African Afro-fusion group who came together in Cape Town in 2002. With members from all over the continent (South Africa, Mozambique, and Zimbabwe), Freshly Ground’s musical style blends elements of traditional South African music (such as kwela and African folk music) with blues, jazz, and features of indie rock.
8. Scatterlings of Africa – Johnny Clegg
Considered to be a ‘national treasure’ in South Africa, the late Johnny Clegg (White Zulu) was known to fight the apartheid system with his music. In its essence, the song implies that the entire human species originated in Africa, from where the different races of man evolved and spread around the world. The song was used in the 1988 movie Rain Man, which won the Oscar for Best Picture.
9. Pata Pata – Miriam Makeba
Not only was Miriam Makeba (affectionately nicknamed ‘Mama Africa’) the queen of early Afro-Pop, she was also a United Nations goodwill ambassador and civil rights activist.  Pata Pata was originally sung in the Xhosa language and it means “touch touch”.  Pata Pata was also a style of dance that was popular in the shebeens (an informal licensed drinking place in a township) of the townships in the city of Johannesburg in the mid-1950s.
10. Down South – Jeremy Loops
A firm favourite for many South Africans, Down South is the perfect song for any occasion in South Africa whether it be a braai (South African barbecue) or a road trip on a weekend. A born-and-bred Capetonian, Jeremy Loops wrote the song about “that feeling of leaving what you know behind, including your comfort zone, friends and family”.
Image credit: Jeremy Loops via Facebook
11. Umoya – Caiphus Semenya
Formerly self-exiled from South Africa in the 1960s, Caiphus Semenya has built a solid reputation as a musical director and composer.  He’s known for having worked with a variety of other exiled and semi-exiled African artists, such as Hugh Masekela and Miriam Makeba.
12. Thuma Mina – Hugh Masekela
A leading, international voice in the fight against apartheid, the late Hugh Masekela had a legendary musical career. He collaborated with an astonishing array of musicians, including Harry Belafonte, Herb Alpert, Bob Marley, Fela Kuti, Paul Simon and his ex-wife, Miriam Makeba. For almost 30 years, “Bra Hugh,” as he was fondly known, was exiled from his native country.   The song Thuma Mina regained popularity when quoted by president Cyril Ramaphosa in his inaugural address to the nation.
13. Shosholoza – Ladysmith Black Mambazo
Shosholoza is a song which is often referred to as the second national anthem in South Africa. The song was originally sung in a call-and-response style by all-male African workers that were working in South African mines. Ladysmith Black Mambazo, a South African male choral group, reached international fame after singing with Paul Simon (1986 album Graceland) and went on to win five Grammy Awards with their fifth win dedicated to former president and icon Nelson Mandela.
14. My African Dream – Ndlovu Youth Choir
The youngest members of this list, the Ndlovu Youth Choir gained international attention whilst participating in the 2019 edition of ‘America’s Got Talent’. The choir was established in Moutse Valley in rural Limpopo in 2009. Formed by the Ndlovu Care Group’s child care community, the programme is aimed at giving children from disadvantaged backgrounds the same opportunities as their more advantaged counterparts.
15. Mannenberg – Abdullah Ibrahim
This Cape Town jazz classic by Abdullah Ibrahim encompasses parts of other typical African musical styles, including marabi, ticky-draai, and langarm, and became a reference for the genre of Cape jazz. Ibrahim still performs at many jazz festivals around the world.
These songs are a dazzling reflection of the beauty and poetry that resonates throughout this wonderful country. Visitors to South Africa’s shores often comment on the energy that they feel – from the people they meet to the places they visit.  
Now that you’ve escaped to South Africa, why not start planning and researching for your next trip? Get in touch with our team of experts who can tailor your stay in Cape Town and Johannesburg and let the real exploring begin. 
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The post 15 Songs to Transport You to South Africa appeared first on Explore Sideways.
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nehanda-radio · 5 years
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By Kundai Marunya Afro-fusion musician Jah Prayzah’s latest song “Fambai Nebhora,” which sought to drum up support for the Zimbabwe national soccer team competing at the Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt has been rapped for containing lyrics that ridicule and denigrate women.
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botheyessareshut · 5 years
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Ms. Sunshine releases new single 'California Love'
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The songwriter and producer of pop music known as Ms. Sunshine has released her latest official single, “California Love.” The single has been proudly published as an independent release without the involvement of the corporate music industry on the Sunny Music Records record label. Upbeat, grooving, and (of course) beaming with her signature friendly disposition, “California Love” again proves that Ms. Sunshine has everything fans of pop music love to hear.
Belgium's Ms. Sunshine cites as main artistic influences Erykah Badu, Jill Scott, Lauryn Hill, Miriam Makeba, Suzanne Owiyo (Kenya), Muthoni the Drummer Queen (Kenya), the late Oliver Mtukudzi (Zimbabwe), and of course, Alpha Blondy. Ms. Sunshine's own sound takes elements from each of these and adds her own sunny personality for a refreshingly exotic result unlike anything most music fans have heard before. With an emphasis on danceable beats, happy melody lines, and more of the singer's usual uplifting, empowering lyrics, “California Love” by Ms. Sunshine has a little something for everybody.
Asked to describe the overall meaning of “California Love,” Ms. Sunshine writes, “Dreams are valid!!!!! No matter where you are from or your background. We have that dream to make it to Hollywood. And Be recognized by the artists and performers that we see and grace our screens, radio and magazines. This is clearly evident by the amount of artists, producers and actors from foreign lands who are now being recognized in the hollywood plattform. And this is not only inspiring for other foreign artists but equally motivational. To ASPIRE FOR GREATNESS.”
Born Catherine Achieng’ Onyango in Kenya, 1981 Ms. Sunshine speaks fluent Dhuluo, in which African dialect her name means 'girl who is born when the sun is shining.' She has been writing, recording and performing original music since 2010. Popular singles such as “Riding Low Low” (2017) and “Mama Africa” (2013) continue to bring new fans to Ms. Sunshine's already exceptionally enthusiastic following.
“I always been passionate for music and dance since young,” writes Ms. Sunshine. “Later on, during my university years, music took a back seat and I passively self-educated myself on the different genres, more so concentrating on '50s '60s and '70s music. At this time, I got an exposure to appreciate and learn some of legendary music's greatest: Bob Marley and the Wailers, Lucky Dube, Jimi Hendrix, the Doors, John Lennon, Etta James, Nina Simone, Franco, Miriam Makeba, Dinah Washington, Pink Floyd, Sting, and Elton John, just to name just a few who later have so inspired me in writing my own music.”
Ms. Sunshine has described her musical style as “a prime illustration of Neo-Afro Soul, in that it focuses on the contemporary styles of the genres soul, hip hop and reggae, and sends out a deeper message as opposed to common or commercial music. The songs I have recorded so far exemplify my personal take on life. My philosophy features ideologies from my African influences, with fusions from African-centered and Five Percent theologies, the complex views of diverse African cultural theologies and its complex interpretation of such strong cultural beliefs in our modern and evolving African culture. The majority of Ms. Sunshine music is greatly influenced by my beliefs of the Nation of Gods and Earths and my African roots and heritage.”
“California Love” by Ms. Sunshine on the Sunny Music Records label is available from over 600 quality digital music stores online worldwide now. Get in early, pop music fans.
-S. McCauley
Lead Press Release Writer
www.MondoTunes.com
“California Love” by Ms. Sunshine –
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-2C7W1f3P8
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plusorminuscongress · 5 years
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Pic of the Week: Zimbabwe Edition
Pic of the Week: Zimbabwe Edition By Neely Tucker Published April 19, 2019 at 10:00AM
Mokoomba performs during a Homegrown Concert Series event, April 15, 2019. Photo by Shawn Miller
Mokoomba is a six-piece, multilingual Afro-Fusion band from Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe. In the midst of their 2019 North American tour, they popped into the Library for a dreads-swinging lunchtime set at the Coolidge Auditorium. It was part of the American Folklife Center’s Homegrown concert series, and it was (probably) more fun than any lunch you had this week.
Read more on https://loc.gov
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sp3kktracular · 5 years
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@ChengetoB Blossoms With Selele
@ChengetoB Blossoms With Selele
Chengeto recently dropped her single Selele, with features her brother Alex Brown and boy oh boy, where we not ready, well, at least I wasn’t.
In my humble opinion this song could for Chengeto what Mukoko did for Ammara. Trust me, it has the potential to reach those heights. This is one of those songs that once you press…
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Looking Back on Ilanga & 'True Love' with the Iconic Busi Ncube
Looking Back on Ilanga & ‘True Love’ with the Iconic Busi Ncube
Sometime, in the lucky year of 1987, a star-studded, super-talented and multi-faceted Afro-Fusion group known to flawed humanity as Ilanga released their classic song, “True Love.” Whether or not you agree with this next statement does not matter, for its truth is indisputable:
“True Love” is one of the greatest songs of all time of ever, on all standards.
Over three decades later, the…
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sugarmusicnews · 4 years
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From Jive Talking and Eyeballing Facebook Group
It all began with a band called Zennith in Brakpan near Johannesburg in 1977. Dutch born Lucien Windrich began playing with school friends which included bassist Benjy Mudie, the future South African music custodian. The band changed its name to Void and the following year was joined by Lucien’s younger brother, Erik also born in Holland. Even though the band had won a battle of the bands in Joburg in 1978 they were battling to find paying gigs in South Africa. The band found the opening they needed in Rhodesia, now Zimbabwe, on the live circuit. The guys spent 8 months there together with drummer Danny de Wet (Petit Cheval & Wonderboom) and bassist Terry Andalis. In 1979 the band recorded a cover of the Knack’s smash hit My Sharona but it was the B-Side Magicia that took off and reached number 4 on the country’s charts. Here is My Sharona, Void style…
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Can’t seem to find a copy of Magicia. Lucien? Q. Hi Lucien, thanks so much for Jive Talking with us in South Africa. So, one could say that you had your first taste of success in Rhodesia. It is obvious that you had your African spin right from the start, even with Void, and your version of My Sharona has that tribal influence. Did you listen to tribal music and was this the main influence on your music? Who were you listening to at the time? A. In the late 70’s I was listening to rock bands like Grand Funk and Bad Company and prog rock bands like Wishbone Ash and Genesis and learning to play guitar like all the guitar players back then. The local South African influence came later in the early 80’s during our residency in East London when we started afresh as a three-piece.
I don’t think we had an obvious tribal influence back in the 70’s. We were just experimenting with various rock and pop idioms. As ‘Void’ we went from one extreme to the other. We composed and performed a 17 min prog rock epic called How Calm the Storm which people would sit and listen to quietly throughout. And then we put a middle-of-the-road song called Magicia on the B-side of My Sharona. It was an eclectic mix of stuff.
Going to Bulawayo in 1979 was the first professional residency gig for the four of us, me Erik, Danny and Terry. We told ourselves from the outset that we would only do residencies playing cover songs as long as we could write and perform our own stuff as well. So it was a real boost when people requested our own stuff. It gave us the confidence to continue writing. Those early residency gigs were an invaluable learning curve for us towards developing our own original style and sound.
We had our first success in Rhodesia with a cover version of My Sharona because the original wasn’t allowed to be played due to sanctions. It was fun watching everyone do ‘the pogo’ when we played the song in the club. There’s even a video of us doing the pogo in the Zimbabwean TV vaults somewhere. What we never expected was to be playing to young soldiers who had been in the bush for six weeks shooting and killing people, and then coming into the club to dispel their tensions. We quickly learnt to keep them entertained with our music and performances which helped to prevent outbreaks of violence suddenly erupting inside the club. And believe me, it did erupt. We threatened to stop playing if they didn’t stop fighting. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn’t. One of the cover versions we did at the time was a song by Rush called Bastille Day which strained Erik’s voice so much he had to have an operation to remove the nodules on his vocal chords.
And what should have been a highlight for us was when Bob Marley came to play at Independence Day, April 1980. We were literally in the next town. We asked the manager Marjorie if we could have the night off and she said no. Can you believe it? Like good Catholic school boys we did as we were told. WTF! Void returned to South Africa and decided to change their identity after Terry Andalis, José “Aggi” de Aguiar and Danny de Wet departure in 1982. Lucien, Erik and third brother Karl, the band’s manager, changed their name to éVoid and it became a three piece with Georg Voros on drums who was replaced by Wayne Harker early in 1983. éVoid built up a large, loyal following which started in East London and then spread like a forest fire over the next 4 years. The band were creating a highly original and subtle fusion of Afro-rock (which they christened ethnotronics), which was different from the more traditional sounds of their contemporaries, Juluka and Hotline, or the rock-based Tribe After Tribe, Ella Mental, Via Afrika, Flash Harry and Neill Solomon’s Passengers. éVoid conveyed immediacy, simplicity and warmth of spirit of other Afro-rock bands with their newly painted faces, tribal dances and South African jive rhythms. Q. Your style, was it based on any one African culture like the Ndebele patterns and the Zulu bracelets and beeds or a combination of those and others. Who made your outfits and what did the African people think of it? Did they give you their blessing? A. The eVoid style was developed in East London when we were faced with becoming a three-piece. It was a deliberate attempt to create what Aggi called Soweto New Wave – a fusion of rock & mbanga grooves, jangly guitars, punchy keyboard riffs and a local South African influenced image. But vocally we were still mainly European sounding. We weren’t interested in being as indigenous as Johnny Clegg much as we respected him. We wanted to create our own punky afro-pop style. Plus we were into the nu-romantic image at the time.
My ex-wife Kay designed and made the clothes and Erik’s ex-wife Linda helped make them. They were called K-rags and we loved wearing them. It really helped define our local white South African image at the time. We commissioned a whole lot of African women to make the Ndebele beadwork merchandise for us. We gave them the eVoid logo and told them to incorporate it into the designs as they wish. Yes I admit it was a cultural appropriation but we never exploited anyone. Our feeling at the time was that we were promoting local music and images. And we were financially supporting groups of women who were happy to be given the business. Did they give us their blessing? Well, at no time did anyone of them refuse the work. As to what they actually thought of us, I don’t really know. We told them they were making merchandise for the band and they never objected. Success arrived when WEA (now Tusk) signed them to a recording contract. The band released their debut self titled album éVoid in August 1983 which yielded their first single Shadows. It was backed by the infectious Dun Kalusin Ta Va, which had become a hallmark of their sound. Shadows peaked at number three on the national charts in November and, to this day, remains a staple of South African rock and pop-oriented radio stations. Here is that classic single performed to adoring fans at Ellis Park in 1985.
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Q. That was probably one of the greatest era’s in South African music and those concerts at Ellis Park were magical. Can you recall any special moments at the Concert in the Park? A. It was an emotional high for us. Three weeks after playing the biggest and most prestigious concert in Joburg we left for the UK. Towards the end of playing Shadows it dawned on me that it may be the last time we ever played in SA again. And what a gig to be ending it on. I have been known to be melodramatic.
It was magical stepping out on stage early in the evening and seeing a sea of faces stretching out and upwards towards the top of Ellis Park stadium. I will never forget that. Amazing! People often ask what it feels like, and to be honest once you’re actually playing all you can see are lots of tiny heads bobbing up and down. You’re really just performing to the front rows with whom you can have some kind of connection. And then when Erik starts waving his hands in the air from side to side, and you see 100’000 people responding, there’s nothing quite like it. It’s a huge high!
I can remember being backstage with Johnny Clegg on the day, along with some other musicians getting ready. We hadn’t met or spoken before and we exchanged pleasantries about how wonderful this gig was. He complimented us on Shadows which was a lovely thing to do. That whole day and everything leading up to it was a sign that we were at the top of our game. And we were about to leave that all behind.
The weird thing is we nearly didn’t even do the gig. We were offered the gig a few months earlier knowing it was for a worthwhile cause but we had already booked our flights to the UK so we turned it down. The organisers offered it to us a second time and by then the hype was building about how momentous the gig was going to be, featuring 25 of the top acts in South Africa at the time. So we agreed. Thank God we did. Imagine if we had turned it down? It would’ve been our ‘Dylan misses Woodstock’ moment. For us, I mean.
What we’re really proud of is the fact that the SA organisers conceived and actually pulled off this benefit gig for Operation Hunger six months before Bob Geldof launched Live Aid. Yesss! éVoid had found their niche and this time found them at the peak of their creative spirit. The follow-up single Taximan was released in February 1984 and it got to number 6 on the national charts..
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Later that year, I Am a Fadget became the band’s third single. This version was performed live at At The Half Moon , Putney in 2015….
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and here are the lyrics…. https://genius.com/Evoid-i-am-a-fadget-lyrics Q. So good to see you still playing this after all these years. I would assume that it is mostly old ex South Africans jumping around or are the true Brits also getting into that now? Would you like to comment on where the name Fadget came from as there have been a number of different theories and it is maybe time to set the record straight so to speak. A. Are there many theories about what a Fadget is, really? I’d love to hear them. Erik and I wrote the song in a rehearsal room one day, and when it got to looking for lyrics for a particular section I blurted out ‘I am a Fadget’ and we burst out laughing because it obviously sounded like ‘faggot’ which was a ridiculous choice and not what I had intended. You see, I liked this British artist called Fad Gadget, and whilst developing our pseudo African image, to be seen as fashion icons or ‘fad gadgets’ must have been at the back of my mind. So when I blurted it out as a possible lyric it came out as ‘fadget’. We weren’t seriously going to use it cause people might think we’re calling ourselves ‘faggots’ which as you well know is a derogatory term for gay men. But as so often happens when you try and replace it with something else, the song loses something. So we went with it in the end. Our colourful jive image now had a name.
When we arrived in London we played at the Springbok Bar for many years, first in Paddington then Shepherds Bush and finally in Covent Garden. And yes like you say mainly all ex-pats. eVOID then was just Erik and I with a drum machine and bass loops. Every now and then Colin, one of the ex-pats would organise a booze cruise on the river Thames and we would experience a few hours of absolute mayhem on board. We also played on the Queen Elizabeth cruise ship which was docked at Victoria Embankment. It was a lot of fun.
Did the Brits get into our music? Yes they did. We played at some smaller pubs and clubs and sold loads of CDs but without an international album and English management we couldn’t get onto bigger venues and tours. We did a gig at the Astoria in Tottenham Court Road, and a small tour of Germany in the late 80’s with Ilne Hofmeyr on bass and Richard Devey on drums. That was great. In fact I remember this German guy coming up to me afterwards saying ‘that guitar, is INXS, ja? He was referring to my Junk Jive riff of course. ‘No it’s not’ I replied. ‘It’s just some Aussie shits stealing our thunder!’ éVoid were performing with not for dedicated fans — “fadgets”, as they were known — dressed in almost equally outrageous and colourful ethno-gypsy garb, who queued for hundreds of metres to see them. We all used to go and see them at the Chelsea Hotel in Berea, near Hillbrow and the venue was always packed. I can recall going to one of éVoid’s gigs at the Chelsea only to be told the club was full and I had to go clubbing elsewhere… “Oooh La la Laa, I like it ” Q. Do you remember those Chelsea Hotel gigs? I only managed to go to a few but heard that you played there many times…. Like how many? A. Can’t remember how many gigs we did there but without a doubt the Chelsea Hotel years were legendary. It was 1983, the same year we recorded our first album, and fadgets were queuing round the block to come and see us. It was an extraordinary sight. We lived round the corner so we couldn’t even go to the shop to get some milk for fear of being caught without our fadget gear and make-up on. I remember our drummer Wayne being stoned a lot; Karl our brother/manager was running the door and it was where we wrote Shadows. We used to rehearse in the club during the daytime which was handy. I don’t know if you know the story about Shadows nearly not making it on the album. What happened was we had already decided with WEA Records which songs we were going to record and put on the album. And then we wrote this new song called Shadows and I remember saying to Benji we have to include this new song we’ve just written and he said no, the track listing had already been agreed, and that he couldn’t change it so late in the day. Erik and I pleaded with him and he eventually agreed. But that’s not the end of it. Whilst recording the song, the studio engineer told us the song would never make it. Well you were wrong, Richard. Every night we played at the Chelsea Hotel the dance floor would dip inwards and creak from the weight of people jumping up and down to Shadows. I thought the floor was going to break and we’d have a catastrophe on our hands. Which did happen when we were on tour at Stellenbosch University; the floor collapsed and a group of people tumbled and disappeared. And then people pushing from behind caused an even bigger pile-up. Crazy stuff. They eventually laid a couple of tables across the hole for people to dance on. Luckily it never happened at the Chelsea. Occasionally the Chelsea party would spill out onto the streets though. That was fun. I particularly liked the State of Lumo theme we designed for the stage. Nic Hauser helped design and build a lot of the sets, and he also designed the cover for the 12-inch version of ‘I am a Fadget’. What’s happened to Nic, I wonder? The band went on a gruelling 3-week national tour playing to packed venues on the Durban University Campus, Bloemfontein, Cape Town but they ran into problems before the start of their Eastern Cape leg of the tour. In Grahamstown military police arrested drummer Wayne Harker for being on AWOL since December 1982 from his 2 year national service. Original drummer Danny de Wet was hurriedly recruited to complete the tour. Harker was discharged in March 1984 and the band was back in business. In September 1984 their debut album was high in the national charts which was rare for a local band competing with the big international acts of the time. While this was happening their three-track 12″ maxi single Kwela Walk/I am a Fadget/Tellem and Gordon, was receiving rave reviews.
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Q. This song and in fact a lot of your music had a definite crossover appeal. Is that what you were hoping for and did you play to many mixed-race crowds? Did you have many “black” fans and friends at the time? Kwela Walk was a great tune. Erik wrote it with crossover appeal in mind but we didn’t get to play to many mixed race audiences. We once did an outdoor township gig and were viewed with amusement. There were more people sniggering in the crowd than actually grooving to the music. Which pretty much says it all. We were a white nu-romantic pop band not an African groove machine, much as I would have liked to have had more of that in our music.
Having said that, I was exposed to mbaqanga music whilst working in an African record shop which came out later in my guitar playing. Junk Jive comes directly from my early attempt to create a hybrid mbaqanga punk sound. Taximan was another example of creating an interlocking groove. Baghiti Khumalo loved playing the bass on it. We bumped into him in London a few years later when he was gigging with Paul Simon and he said how much he enjoyed doing the track. He asked why we weren’t doing what Paul Simon was doing. That was our intention, I said, when we left SA. But It’s not as simple as that. In South Africa we were big fish in a small pond and in the UK it’s the exact opposite. Plus we’re white South Africans. During the three prominent years of our career from the end of 1982 to the beginning of 1985 we played to young white audiences. That’s who the management and record companies targeted, and that’s the demographic we attracted. Not many clubs were multiracial back then. I had more relationships with black people in the 70’s when I was working in an African record bar called ‘American Music’, and when I frequented black music clubs in downtown Jo’burg. In terms of lasting friendships back then, not many. We lived our whirlwind lifestyle in a bubble. That’s what it was like. The band usually attracted good press coverage though éVoid were on occasion labelled as androgynous misfits, pretentious white boys in beads, and shallow-minded slaves to fashion and rhythm. In 1984 the group won a prestigious Sarie Award for “best arrangement and production of an album”, and the single I Am a Fadget landed them the “best contemporary artist” award. On Saturday 12 January 1985, the band performed at the Concert In The Park in support of Operation Hunger to an estimated 100,000 people, along with Hotline, Via Afrika, Juluka, All Night Radio, Ella Mental, Steve Kekana, Harari, Mara Louw and The Rockets. This is Junk Jive live at the Concert in the Park…
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Q. How did you get along with your contemporary bands at the time? A. That’s a good question. Um…at some point from 1982 onwards we were totally focussed on our music and on developing our sound and we rarely met up with any other bands. Although I have to admit that when a fire gutted our equipment in 1982, well before we had any success, many local bands did a benefit gig for us to raise money so we could replace our equipment. It was such a touching thing to do and we really appreciated it. But generally speaking we didn’t mix with other bands that much. In the early days as Void we did a gig at the Polo Club in Springs with our East Rand contemporaries The Radio Rats. That was a big deal at the time, and Ozzie went on to play for them years later. And I also developed a close bond with Wonderboom in 2006 which came about when Danny de Wet asked me to fly out and produce the City Of Gold album. That was a great experience. Not only did we produce an album together I even got to skydive with the boys. But during the eVOID heyday in the early 80’s we didn’t have much contact with other bands. I mean, I Ioved Ellamental and Via Afrika but we didn’t move in the same circles, so we never got to meet and chat much. We certainly didn’t hang out at clubs all night, that sort of thing. And neither did we do any drugs or heavy drinking at the time. I’m talking about Erik and I. Wayne was a law unto himself. But no, really. I smoked dope when I was younger but not during the eVOID years. And the same for Erik. We were the Nerdy Fadgets! Oh dear, maybe you shouldn’t print that. We were also both in serious relationships at the time which probably had something to do with it. In intervening years the Windrich brothers were going through a period of personal introspection: they had reached the pinnacle of their career in South Africa and perhaps it was time to head overseas. They were not happy with the production of their first album and Eric had received his call up from the SANDF. Wayne Harker quit éVoid to join the Cape Town band, Askari and in 1985 the brothers left for London where they set up an eight-track studio in their garage and performed as a four-piece with fellow South Africans, Ilne Hofmeyr on bass and Richard Devey on drums. For most of 1986 they worked on their second album: Here Comes the Rot from which WEA released the single Dance the Instinct/Sergeant Major. This is the demo for Dance the Instinct…
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Q. So the original plan was that this was to be released as a single in South Africa but that never happened? Your decision or WEA? A. Dance the Instinct was definitely released as a single in SA. Actually I’m glad you put up the demo of Dance the Instinct in the link. I prefer that version. The band learned that their infectious Afro sounds did not appeal to British A&R executives and no new opportunities presented themselves. Meanwhile back in South Africa, WEA released . . . Here Comes the Rot in December 1986, to coincide with éVoid’s six-week nationwide tour of the country. This is Altar Pop which contained the line “Here Comes the Rot”
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Q. That tour went very well didn’t it and you were playing to packed houses again. perhaps it may have been a better option to stay and plan a strategy to invade the USA instead? Were your albums released in the USA and if so how did they fare? No. There was no penetration into the US market. Sometime in 1983 Mutt Lange saw us playing at the Chelsea Hotel and he told Zomba Records about this young band he had seen in SA. Zomba records offered us a 9 year deal, the same deal that was offered to The Stone Roses who accepted it. Karl, our older brother/manager advised us not to go for the deal as it was tying us up for too long. Had we accepted the deal we would have become international artists for a few years before ending up in court, like The Stone Roses did fighting to get out of the contract. Do we have any regrets? It’s always nice to have your music heard and appreciated far and wide but it wasn’t to be. We will never know what might’ve happened. It’s a toss of the coin as to what the future holds … I wasn’t doing much astrology back then.
In the blurb leading up to this you mention that our ‘infectious Afro sounds did not appeal to British A&R executives’. It wasn’t so much the music as us being white South Africans and our bizarrely colourful image that they objected to. I’ll tell you a story. It was snowing in the UK in Feb 1985, and Erik and I went to our first and only appointment with Warner Brothers dressed like African warriors. We were excited but nervous. The young A&R man who met us, dressed as a Deutschpunk in black underground gear, took one look at us and said ‘you guys are like a canary amongst sparrows’. Erik I looked confused. ‘The sparrows’, he said ‘will kill the canary’. Charming. We weren’t off to a great start. ‘Aren’t all white South Africans murderers? he asked. We left soon afterwards. Without a UK record deal of course. In 1993, the group released a compilation called, éVoid – Over the Years, and made it available on cassette for limited distribution at the Springbok Bar in London. Q. Was this tape made up of songs from your first 2 albums or was this a live tape made in London? Any way to get one of these? A. The songs on the cassette tape are available on Spotify under a new title – London Kazet. Have a look. They’re not songs from any of our previous albums. In 2006 we re-recorded a few of them (Mix it Up, Language of Love and Ikologi) and put them on Graffiti Lounge. But the original versions still exist on London Kazet. I still have one or two of the original cassettes somewhere. Lucien and his wife and family live in East London while Erik, wife and family live in North West London. Erik has stated that since arriving in London in 1985 and trying to earn a living as respected musicians has never been easy, and éVoid’s arrival in London at the time of South Africa’s State of Emergency made people suspicious of them. The brothers did benefit from some lucky breaks and, over the next decade, played many clubs and festivals in the UK and Europe especially Germany. Q. I believe you are a qualified astrologer now Lucien and Eric is a Creative And Performance Manager at an English high school? Can you tell us about your work and the “lucky breaks” you have had in London since 1985? A. We’ve both been immersed in work and family life since we arrived in the UK. Erik has worked at that high school for many years developing projects and set designs. And I’ve been helping my wife, a midwife, run her health remedies business whilst doing my astrological research. Family life is important to us, in our own separate ways.
In the late 80’s Erik did quite a bit of film music and we worked together on a film called ‘On the Wire’. Erik had a solo venture called The Vision Thing and he recorded a solo album. I’ve played in two other bands since being in the UK, The Redemption Blues Band and a punky gypsy instrumental band called Victor Menace. Both are now defunct.
My ‘lucky break’ was meeting my gorgeous wife, Cath, on New Year’s Eve, 1992 at the Springbok bar in Paddington. I was on stage, she was in the crowd. I walked off stage to say hello and we hugged each like we had known each for years. I remember it like it was yesterday.
Erik’s ‘lucky breaks’ include meeting his wife Alix in 1991, performing in Paris as “The Vision Thing” and having a permanent job since 2004. Following the demise of Askari in Cape Town Wayne Harker was summoned to rejoin the band (with Ilne Hofmeyr) and record new material. He stayed with the band for for years in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s which included a 6 week German tour. Obtaining a work permit Harker met and married a German girl and settled in Cologne. He developed musically and apart from drums now plays bass guitar, and keyboards and in 2006 he finally released his debut solo album Culture Shock under the Sea Weed monicker and turning it into a live act.
https://www.discogs.com/Seaweed-Culture-Shock-/release/14663113 Q. Do you still hear from Wayne and is he still recording and performing in Cologne? A. No, we have no contact with Wayne. I messaged him on Facebook a few years ago and he never got back to me. But, speak of the devil because today (17 June) he commented for the first time on an eVOID post on Facebook. Someone put up a clip of Shadows at Concert in the Park and his comment was ‘oh ja…those brothers who dropped me like a piece of shit’. Wayne created his own problems in SA and we were forced to use other drummers. So yes we had to dump him. We briefly joined up again in England but then he met a German girl and went with her to Germany. As Erik explains ‘he never said eVOID was his ultimate goal – he just drifted away’. In 2008, after a long hiatus, the brothers Windrich and original drummer Georg Voros released another éVoid album, Graffiti Lounge. This is Under Blue skies with it’s message of hope..
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Q. Your music on this album is more folkish if one can say that? Your new direction? I believe you and Erik lived a family life and then in 2014 you released your greatest hits album; éVoid – Classics. I know you did a small South African tour to promote that CD and that was to visit your parents who are in their 80’s… A. No it’s not a new direction. The only folkish sounding song is Not in my Name although I agree some of the others are more mellow. We really wanted to do another album so Erik suggested we invite Georg Voros and YoYo on bass to join us. Georg flew over and stayed with Erik during the recording of the album in East London. I’d been wanting to record Under Blue Skies for some time and I was really pleased with the way it came out. It’s a nice album. The tour in 2014 was to commemorate 30 years since the release of our first album. It was more a tour of the Barnyard Theatres, too short really. We only did about 7 dates in two weeks. Lots of people complained they didn’t even know we were touring. We did one other outdoor Marquee gig in East London organised by Des Buys (R.I.P) and Themi, old friends of ours since the early days of eVOID. That was great, more like the gigs we prefer doing. And yes it was great spending time with our elderly parents who are now in their nineties and who, believe it or not, are about to emigrate back to the Netherlands in July 2020. What a thing to do at their age. This is an event booklet from éVoid’s LIVE in East London 2014 show..
https://issuu.com/loomweb/docs/mga_-_evoid_27_aug_2014_-_opt Q. Are you and Eric currently working on anything and when I contacted you, you mentioned something about a live video? Could you please share for all the Fadgets who still love your sounds in South Africa? Any plans to come back and tour here any time soon? Any last words for those that may not have read your tweets? A. No we’re not working on anything at the moment but we still have unreleased material in storage that we need to go through. Easily an album’s worth of material.
We don’t have any immediate plans to tour. I’m not even sure if the Johnny Clegg tribute gig is still happening in July.
Any last words? For the brief period of eVoid’s success (1983 -85) there were many years of blood, sweat and tears up to that point. I know it sounds like a cliché but you have to stick at it. I’m talking about young bands who are starting out. Be prepared to take risks and trust your intuition. How you overcome adversity is also important. Always be willing to bounce back and continue the journey no matter what. It’s a privilege to have our music being played even to this day. And that isn’t something you can plan. All you can do is live in the moment. If you want to make an impact on the world around you do it in a joyous and positive way. And never diss your audience. I also want to take this opportunity to thank the many musicians who have been involved in the making of Void – Aden Carter, Terry Andalis, Ozzie Theron and Danny de Wet without whom our inspirational start may never have got off the ground. There were other Void incarnations with line-ups including Neville Holmes (R.I.P.), Benji Mudie, Aggi de Aguiar, Ernie Parker and Kiki. And in the making of eVOID thanks to Ilne Hofmeyr (R.I.P.), Richard Devey, Georg Voros and Wayne Harker, and the session drummer who did Concert in the Park with us whose name I forget. I’ve probably missed out someone. Oh yes, Kevin Gibson the drummer who helped us out of a pickle in Durban when Wayne had to flee the club because the Military Police were after him. Thanks everyone for making it all happen. It would not have happened without your invaluable input and contributions.
Cheers Lucien, Ernesto Garcia Marques 24/06/2020
Great Local Musicians – éVOID – for all the Fadgets | Jive Talking and Eyeballing From Jive Talking and Eyeballing Facebook Group It all began with a band called Zennith in Brakpan near Johannesburg in 1977.
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traveltoursrss · 4 years
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15 Songs to Transport You to South Africa
While there are many thoughts and wishes going through our minds at the moment, one that has often been mentioned in conversations and articles is the feeling of wanderlust. ‘The strong desire to travel’ leads us to wonder about all of the places we wish to travel to, as well as those that we’ve visited before and have fond memories of.
When thinking of South Africa endless images come to mind. From its unique wildlife, safaris and the Savannah to incredible cities with buzzing energy and the quiet hidden gems on the coast.
But what about its music? South African music has historically reflected social and political issues and was often used as a form of protest against the apartheid system. Music has also often been the medium through which the country could seek and participate in solidarity throughout its history.
Today, the country hosts multiple musical festivals across the year which display the best of local talent. From the internationally acclaimed Cape Town Jazz Festival to more boutique festivals such as Splashy Fen, both local and international visitors are spoilt for choice.
With most of the world isolated at home, we thought we’d transport you from your couch in your living room to vibrant South Africa through its toe-tapping beats and sweet, soulful melodies.
Listen to the full playlist here:
1. Weekend Special – Brenda Fassie
Brenda Fassie was the first-ever South African to make the Billboard ‘s Top 100 and with this iconic song. The success of ‘Weekend Special’ led to a world tour for the singer, making her one of the first South African artists to make the leap across the Atlantic.
2. Africa – Toto
Although not a South African song, one cannot help but immediately be transported to the African continent. Surprisingly, keyboard player, David Pache, had never even been to Africa when he wrote the song. Nonetheless, he captured its beauty and the song has become an all-time favourite all over the world.
3. Special Star – Mango Groove
Special Star is a South African classic and a popular choice in music line ups for celebratory occasions in the Rainbow Nation.  Known for its unique style, it beautifully fuses township and pop music. Mango Groove performed this song at the Freddie Mercury tribute in London (via satellite) to an estimated audience of a billion people in 1992.
4. Wamkelekile – Hot Water
Performed by the energetic South Africa group, Hot Water, Wamkelekile was included in the soundtrack for the movie Blended, featuring Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore. Wamkelekile is a Xhosa word, one of the twelve official South African languages, and means ‘Receive my welcome’.
5. Waka Waka – Shakira
How can one listen to this song and not reminisce back to the festive 2010 FIFA World Cup hosted in South Africa? It’s also the most-streamed World Cup song of all time. The song was recorded with the Cape Town-based band Freshly Ground and was No. 1 in 15 countries with over 15 million downloads worldwide.
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6. Jabulani – PJ Powers
PJ Powers has a special place in the heart of South Africans. In 1994, she performed at the landmark inauguration of Nelson Mandela, and in 1995, her song with Ladysmith Black Mambazo, World in Union, reached number 47 in the UK singles chart – an unforgettable moment in South African music history.
7. Doo Be Doo – Freshly Ground
The band Freshly Ground is a South African Afro-fusion group who came together in Cape Town in 2002. With members from all over the continent (South Africa, Mozambique, and Zimbabwe), Freshly Ground’s musical style blends elements of traditional South African music (such as kwela and African folk music) with blues, jazz, and features of indie rock.
8. Scatterlings of Africa – Johnny Clegg
Considered to be a ‘national treasure’ in South Africa, the late Johnny Clegg (White Zulu) was known to fight the apartheid system with his music. In its essence, the song implies that the entire human species originated in Africa, from where the different races of man evolved and spread around the world. The song was used in the 1988 movie Rain Man, which won the Oscar for Best Picture.
9. Pata Pata – Miriam Makeba
Not only was Miriam Makeba (affectionately nicknamed ‘Mama Africa’) the queen of early Afro-Pop, she was also a United Nations goodwill ambassador and civil rights activist.  Pata Pata was originally sung in the Xhosa language and it means “touch touch”.  Pata Pata was also a style of dance that was popular in the shebeens (an informal licensed drinking place in a township) of the townships in the city of Johannesburg in the mid-1950s.
10. Down South – Jeremy Loops
A firm favourite for many South Africans, Down South is the perfect song for any occasion in South Africa whether it be a braai (South African barbecue) or a road trip on a weekend. A born-and-bred Capetonian, Jeremy Loops wrote the song about “that feeling of leaving what you know behind, including your comfort zone, friends and family”.
Image credit: Jeremy Loops via Facebook
11. Umoya – Caiphus Semenya
Formerly self-exiled from South Africa in the 1960s, Caiphus Semenya has built a solid reputation as a musical director and composer.  He’s known for having worked with a variety of other exiled and semi-exiled African artists, such as Hugh Masekela and Miriam Makeba.
12. Thuma Mina – Hugh Masekela
A leading, international voice in the fight against apartheid, the late Hugh Masekela had a legendary musical career. He collaborated with an astonishing array of musicians, including Harry Belafonte, Herb Alpert, Bob Marley, Fela Kuti, Paul Simon and his ex-wife, Miriam Makeba. For almost 30 years, “Bra Hugh,” as he was fondly known, was exiled from his native country.   The song Thuma Mina regained popularity when quoted by president Cyril Ramaphosa in his inaugural address to the nation.
13. Shosholoza – Ladysmith Black Mambazo
Shosholoza is a song which is often referred to as the second national anthem in South Africa. The song was originally sung in a call-and-response style by all-male African workers that were working in South African mines. Ladysmith Black Mambazo, a South African male choral group, reached international fame after singing with Paul Simon (1986 album Graceland) and went on to win five Grammy Awards with their fifth win dedicated to former president and icon Nelson Mandela.
14. My African Dream – Ndlovu Youth Choir
The youngest members of this list, the Ndlovu Youth Choir gained international attention whilst participating in the 2019 edition of ‘America’s Got Talent’. The choir was established in Moutse Valley in rural Limpopo in 2009. Formed by the Ndlovu Care Group’s child care community, the programme is aimed at giving children from disadvantaged backgrounds the same opportunities as their more advantaged counterparts.
15. Mannenberg – Abdullah Ibrahim
This Cape Town jazz classic by Abdullah Ibrahim encompasses parts of other typical African musical styles, including marabi, ticky-draai, and langarm, and became a reference for the genre of Cape jazz. Ibrahim still performs at many jazz festivals around the world.
These songs are a dazzling reflection of the beauty and poetry that resonates throughout this wonderful country. Visitors to South Africa’s shores often comment on the energy that they feel – from the people they meet to the places they visit.  
Now that you’ve escaped to South Africa, why not start planning and researching for your next trip? Get in touch with our team of experts who can tailor your stay in Cape Town and Johannesburg and let the real exploring begin. 
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hardrcokentghana · 5 years
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Winky D and Messias Rock Coke Studio Africa 2019 with "Higher" Song
Winky D and Messias Rock Coke Studio Africa 2019 with “Higher” Song
For Coke Studio Africa 2019, Mozambique is represented here by Messias Maricoa’s incredibly welcoming voice, and Zimbabwe’s Winky D joins him for a fusion of dancehall, Afrobeats, afro-dance and that unique East African flava.
With Nigeria’s very own GospelOnTheBeatz behind the groove, we’re sure to go higher!
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9jamusicmixtapes · 5 years
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Coke Studio Africa has released a 2018 Christmas Playlist featuring Nigerian star, Skales in “Joy To The World” –an enthralling afro beats Christmas song influenced by ragga and dancehall. The playlist is now available on Coke Studio Africa YouTube ahead of premiere of the TV show, launching across Africa from Feb 2019.
The heartwarming track is set to light up the festive mood and will leave music lovers bumping to its catchy beat, as Skales delivers a fresh twist to the famed classic Christmas carol while joyously singing out his heart with lyrics poised to spur oneness amongst Africans during this jolly season. The song was recorded from the production of Coke Studio Africa where he is set to be featured in music collaborations alongside one of Tanzania’s leading female singers, Nandy. On Coke Studio, Skales and Nandy will be produced by one of Africa’s most respected hit makers: GospelOnDaBeatz (Nigeria). Lovers of the music show should expect a fiery collaboration that will leave fans dancing from East to West Africa, and beyond.
Ahead of the release Skales says, “When I recorded the Coke Studio version of “Joy To The World”, I just wanted to create a song that will make everyone listening happy and remind us all to keep enjoying life’s blessings. Christmas in Nigeria and across the continent is always a time for self reflection and to celebrate love and appreciation for each other despite our existing differences,” adding, “This is just a tip of the iceberg, wait till you watch my collabo with Nandy on the upcoming season. It will be fire!’’
Other Coke Studio Africa stars featured on the 2018 Christmas Playlist include African hip hop stars: Fik Fameica (Uganda) and Laylizzy (Mozambique) in “Deck The Halls” and Moji Shortbabaa (Kenya) in “12 Days of Sikukuu”. Every year, Coke Studio Africa releases Christmas hits with an urban pop twist remade by Coke Studio stars drawn across the continent.
‘Coke Studio Africa 2019’ will feature over 25 African musicians drawn from several countries across Sub Sahara Africa, including Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Mozambique and South Africa, among others. Once again, the show will present to lovers of African music: world-class music fusions and original compositions, engineered by a spectrum of Africa’s top music producers.
EDITORS’ NOTES
Coke Studio Africa is a non-competitive music collaboration show, which seeks to bring together, and celebrate the diversity of African music and talent. It also gives upcoming artists the opportunity to work with some of the best local and international music and production talent. The artists are drawn from different genres, eras and regions and put in pairs to create a modern and authentic African sound through musical fusion. As the artists interact and produce music documented by the show’s producers, they also get to learn about each other’s music and styles while exchanging cultures. The show takes the viewers inside the recording studio to watch a diverse range of artists. Official partners of Coke Studio Africa 2019 include: Sankara Hotel, PACE Africa, Yallo and Home 254.  
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