Bilal joins the Line-Up at Cape Town International Jazz Festival
Oh, to hear the opening strains to Soul Sister, to close our eyes and be swept away by the swelling vocal crescendos of Sometimes… damn, Bilal playing at this years Cape Town International Jazz Festival is the best news since we heard about our poor Guru (who by the way is thankfully out of his coma). It was so dope to see Bilal a few years ago at the North Sea Jazz Festival in Rotterdam, where he mesmerized the crowd and had ladies nearly nekked with lurve for his sexy ways… We’re sure Bilal will deliver hands down once again and we urge you of course to GO GO GO. We will try to see just how up close and personal we can get. Bilal, one of the world’s most well-respected and highly sought after live acts performing exquisite, pitch-perfect, old-soul hip-hop tinged vocal gymnastics like no other completes the line-up for the 11th Cape Town Jazz Festival. From the humble streets of Philadelphia to The Big Apple, Brooklyn has been the aural disseminator’s base from where three albums worth of brilliance have, thus far, been realised. As his keen insistence saw him plough through and challenge his chosen genre Bilal quickly caught the attention and made fans of soul jazz legends Giles Peterson, the Roots, Dr. Dre, Jay Z and Raphael Saddiq. It was Erykah Badu who, upon hearing his early Brooklyn demo’s, hired the prodigy to not only perform, but also produce her 2000 album Mama’s Gun. Dedicated to old-school, the former jazz musician navigates comfortably around all things percussion, organ and guitar-based. In 2001, at the age of only 21, Bilal’s aptly titled 17-track autobiographical debut 1st Born Second shook the larger neo-soul tree to way beyond its knotted root core where it celebrated comparisons to the true greats. The most memorable confirmation came when critics set it up alongside D’Ángelo’s 2000 Voodoo album, labelling it the ‘smoother stepchild’. From there the rollercoaster was well and truly set in its tracks and was hurtling, at blinding speed, up the charts and into live arena’s right around the world. “His voice – including a terrific falsetto, can still a room. He has the ability to head in unexpected directions, at the edge of off-key, only to bring back the song with emotional satisfaction that comes when risks pay off” – The Boston Globe In 2003 he delivered his startling second collection of songs titled Love For Sale. The album was never officially released, but rather bootlegged by hungry fans and one which Vibe magazine tagged ‘psycho soul’. From “How Do You Do You” and “All The Humans...
Die Antwoord ripping up the interwebs
Skandaal! For once Cape Town is on the map for a reason other than the mountain (we love you mountain) … enter… Die Antwoord: crass, vulgar, in your face, rof… with the slickest beats and ryhmes …The tongue-in-your-bruised-cheek trio take the dirtiest side of being a poor white South African and rework it into a mish-mash of edgy Afrikaans flow and rough South African English slang that has the world sitting up and taking notice of their bottom-of-the-barrel approach. We’re thinking they’re South Africa’s very own THE STREETS. .. but with lyrics that will have the voorvaders doing somersaults in their graves, you actually can’t compare them. Irreverance in a sweet beat. Truly Scandalous. Add your hit to the fab video Zef Side that’s making the groot trek around cyberspace. Zef Side. Nice one Waddy! Hard work always pays...
Donna Karan you’re so two and a half years ago
“The Black Coffee everyonecanbeadesigner dress – designed 2.5 years before Donna Karan’s infinity dress…”Need we say more? Actually, yes. Johannesburg-based (yes, that’s in South Africa) design team Jacques van der Watt and Dannica Lepen, otherwise known as Black Coffee, launched their superb concept dress known as “everyonecanbeadesigner” to market in 2007. Not that it’s needed, but we can testify to this date as it was the year I got married and Jacques’ partner had proposed I wear one for my wedding dress… I wish I had now, as I’d have had a photo of me looking oh-so-2007 to tie down the facts (actually, when I look at the photos now, my hair was clearly plucked out of a childhood dream hairstyle ergo ’89). Anyway, the point is, Black Coffee’s byline was ‘a new way of looking at clothing’ and the campaign around the dress was a gorgeous 360 concept that included a video showing you all the ways you could wear the dress. Just go see the site. Come 2010 and suddenly we see a very similar looking dress rehashed as a ‘Donna Karan’s Infinity dress’. Pfft. Something seriously fishy going on people, what you reckon? Coincidink? I don’t know how you feel, but in general, I’m getting a little bit tired of the ‘big overseas chiefs” helping themselves to African goodness, minerals, inspiration…and scuttling off. For how many centuries will we be their buffet table? We sit perched on the end of our struggling continent just minding our business and producing high quality, exceptional work and then get stomped over by a big western made-in-china foot. Genoeg is genoeg. Africans, it’s really enough now, time to STAND UP and of course I’m talking about everything here… I’m so chuffed the World Cup Soccer is taking place in South Africa so we don’t have to make movies to prove what a sublime place we live in… and so that the 1 million visitors who would never have stepped foot in Africa before, can get a hands-on real time lesson and go back and re-educate their brethren about Africa, and in particular Southern Africa and just how much we rock. But of course, just the thought of going up against a US mega-icon like DKNY to say ‘i had that idea first!’ must be freaking daunting… this tiny little speck of dust from Africa daring to lay claim to genius that was born outside of the U S of A. We say STUFF THAT – go for it…! We support you and of course ♥ you long time Black Coffee. If you are tired of bullshit too – let your...
Support Haiti in the spirit of UBUNTU ♥
Represent’s good friend, the gorgeous Melanie Ramjee, is spearheading a party on Saturday night to raise funds for Haiti – so if you still haven’t had a turn to help the Haitian people out, or even if you have, here is your chance to get involved. Get to Premium night club on Saturday night – they’re asking for R50 or more, new clothes (come on, Mr P!) and non-perishable canned food. Dignified. Come on now, REPRESENT! Good luck Mel, we ♥ you long time. Premium night club together with the support of reputable relief organization Gift of the Givers Foundation and local ‘do-gooders’ Cheesekids will be hosting a fundraising event this Saturday 30th January 2010 at Premium in Rivoniva, where all proceeds will be donated to the Heal Haiti cause. What : Haiti SOS Where : Premium When : Saturday, 30th January 2010 Time : Doors open 9am DJ : Vigi-lante / Voodoo / Naves / Zinhle / Biz / Master M / Paul / Switch / Franky Donation : R50 upwards /Non-perishable canned foods / Clothing Following the recent natural disaster in Haiti earlier this month, with an urgent plight from the Haitian people for basic survival support, Joburgers are asked to ‘stand up’ and make a difference now. Haiti SOS was created for that purpose. Premium hosts 2 dance-floors, with house and hiphop beats, DJ’s donate their time and skill. With additional support from various urban brands, the initiative hopes to raise over R100 000 in money and goods. All proceeds made on the night, will be donated to the Gift of the Givers Foundation based here in South Africa, who conduct direct weekly deliveries to Haiti. ‘So many Africans want to assist and just don’t know how. With support from the Gift of the Givers Foundation, we know that the right people will get our donations,’ says Raphael Benza, Managing Director of the Vth Season. Requested donations include a financial contributions (R50 or more), new clothing and non-perishable canned...
Celebrate the end of January with Party People
Everyone else that’s happy to see the backend of January stand up! What a mindblow start to this year… It can only get better…Go and usher in the beautiful month of February at Party People and our famous BLK JKS boys fresh from NY. This month Kenzhero brings to you the out of this world Rock fantastical astronomical historical shifting ever-growing band BLK JKS, for a first time live performance. Here is a little history about the fellas and what they have installed for you: It’s been too long since anyone was able to bring this much soul and heartblood to progressive rock, a medium that has been left cold and dry by a misguided focus on technical show-offery. But by entangling the music they love — township blues, fringe jazz and renegade dub — into the DNA of prog, BLK JKS have provocatively pulled afro-futurism into a new century. After Robots has all the ingredients of a party record — young, joyous musicians; surging, afro-drumming; aggressive horn blasts (supplied by the cultishly famous HYPNOTIC BRASS ENSEMBLE) — but this is not party music. It’s at times disorienting and overwhelming, but it always maintaining a cool, alluring mystique. It’s in Mcata’s patient, complex and enviable jazz chord vamping. It’s in Makananise’s from-the-pocket-to-the-stars bass approaches. It’s in Buthelezi’s blues-inflected phrasing and searing guitar leads. It’s in Ramoba’s super-polyrhythmic, flailing beats. Come and see this great South African Phenomenon perform live for the first time at Party People on Saturday the 30th January 2010. The Doors of OST, Corner Henry Nxumalo and Bree Str, Nextown 9pm R100 www.myspace.com/partypeople or...
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