Tumi – Whole Worlds Live

Feb 3, 2010 |

Boitumelo Molekane - aliases Tumi, Tumi from the Volume – is an artist who has comfortably found that groove, that spot where everything just happens the way it should. Having recently released his second solo album, Whole Worlds, and signed with a major, Sony Music, for the first time in his musical career, he is at the start of a new chapter in an already rising career. Tumi has systematically built that career, through his company, Motif Records, over the years and has established a strong following beyond South Africa, particularly in Europe. The music he creates is insightful,...

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Into Nneka’s World

Jan 19, 2010 |

A product of the conventional music business model, I have not always explored beyond what the ‘system’ pushes out. I am not proud of that and I have attempted to make up for it by submerging myself in the crevices of the Internet, where so much beautiful music resides. I visit music blogs & sites and interact with those in the know in spaces like MySpace, Facebook and Twitter. These recent forays have unearthed – for me – some amazing gems, one of which Nigerian-German artist Nneka. I regrettably haven’t had the opportunity to hear her debut EP, The Uncomfortable Truth, or her album...

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Tumi Traverses Whole Worlds

Dec 15, 2009 |

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...

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Blk Sonshine: Memories of an Era

Dec 6, 2009 |

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....

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

Jul 19, 2009 |

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.

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