Music Archives - Page 6 of 8

Tumi Traverses Whole Worlds

Dec 15, 2009 | Sound

Many moons ago, I frequented a spot in Doornfontein, Johannesburg called Jungle Connection, a place I have mentioned in previous posts. One of the people I met on these poetic excursions was Boitumelo Molekane. He was at the heart of a creative, artistic collective called P.E.R.M. and would come through to Jungle infrequently, but always with words to provoke the mind and inspire the heart. Everyone drifted out of Jungle Connection after a while. While we would bump into each other infrequently, Tumi the Poet-Emcee started carving a place for himself in South Africa and beyond both as an...

Blk Sonshine: Memories of an Era

Dec 6, 2009 | Sound

It was a normal night somewhere in 1999/2000. Like many, I had come to Joburg in search of dreams and a taste of the big city’s bright lights. I had been invited to a party in Morningside by a young lady I was interested in getting to know better – I was single and allowed. At the same time, my cousin wanted me to go through to a spot called 206 in Orange Grove for a live performance by a group he did not know. In reality, he probably just wanted me to go through with him because I had the car, but he claimed it was because he had met a member of the group and it would be a fun evening out....

Definite Pop Art

Sep 8, 2009 | Sound

I've been wanting to post this for a bit but been so caught up. A couple of years ago, researching the legendary Sipho ‘Hotstix’ Mabuse for something – think it was tv show Afro Café - I came across a name: Mpho Skeef. Word was that Ntate Sipho had a daughter in the UK who was also involved in music. Interesting but, with no real access to her music, the fascination died before it even really began, until a few weeks ago when Put Me On It’s newsletter landed in my inbox with the following heading: PLEASE SUPPORT SUPER HOT SOUTH AFRICAN/ SOUTH LONDON SINGER MPHO! Mpho, as the cliché goes, was...

Poem – Musical Chairs

Aug 24, 2009 | Words

This is a potential performance poem I am currently working. While I am still going to be building it, I need to lock down the first part to possibly perform at a gig. My people at Twitter suggested I upload here for comment. It's also sitting on YouTube. httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0j38Xp3ras Feeling a bit self-conscious about this one for some reason. It's probably because it is coming on two years since I really wrote and completed a new piece. I have notes, thoughts, scraps, scribblings, but nothing I consider any where near completion. I obviously still haven't found the rhythm or...

A layman’s thoughts on Maxwell’s BLACKsummers’night

Jul 19, 2009 | Sound

After 8 years out of the music limelight, Maxwell released BLACKsummers’night, a return to the sound that laid the foundation for neo-classical soul. With this album, he showed that, despite being away from the music scene, he still has the ability to create classic, timeless music that moves the spirit and feeds the soul. Musically, it is a journey into the soul; a return to music that is best played live, each song a crafted masterpiece.

Kobi Onyame – He Said, She Said

Jun 16, 2009 | Random, Sound

It ain’t easy. Talent is something that we, as human beings, have in abundance. The creation of beauty, melody, harmony is second nature to so many in our midst, yet we may never hear, see, touch or feel most of what is out there. That said, the birth and evolution of social media might just be the key. Through platforms such as MySpace, Facebook and Twitter, my music listening habits have gradually changed, influenced less by hits pushed by the commercial conglomerates and more by the search for gems that would previously be restricted to a specific geographic location. Over the last few...