Students given the opportunity to learn all about the music industry
Standard Bank’s Geleza Kleva and Learn series of day-long workshops start in July as part of the build-up to Standard Bank Joy of Jazz which takes place from September 25 to 27. As part of the events’ development programme and contributing back to the various communities, Geleza Kleva and Learn has been specially designed to give learners the opportunity to learn more about the music business, and highlights the different careers available as well as the challenges in the industry. The programme aims to assert the music Industry’s role as an important role player to broader society. The festival believes that there is an indelible role that the industry can play in the social transformation and education of our youth. Well known performer Concord Nkabinde, who also owns a music company, will facilitate and coordinate the workshops. Youngsters often dream about a career in the music industry but have little knowledge and understanding of how the industry works. This is what Geleza Kleva and Learn – the successor to the successful Joy of Jazz Camps in previous years – aims to address. Geleza Kleva and Learn takes the form of a day-long workshop providing learners with an opportunity to learn more about the different careers in the industry, how to access them and what the challenges are. A highlight will be a visit by an established artist who will share their stories with the learners. The workshops focuses various key role players within the industry including • The songwriter, producer and publisher • The musician • The events producer, artists management and booking agents • Behind-the-scenes including technicians Geleza Kleva and Learn takes place at the Soweto Theatre in Soweto on Friday, July 11; the Orange Farm Multipurpose Centre in Orange Farm on Tuesday, July 15 and the East Bank Hall in Alexandra on Thursday, July 17. The new-look 2014 Standard Bank Joy of Jazz will take place at the Sandton Convention Centre from September 25 to...
Book review: Africa is open for Business by Victor Kgomoeswana
I love it when a book with a subject matter I’m not well versed in, is an easy yet informative read. This was the case with “Africa is open for business” the insightful read by Victor Kgomoeswana, a business specialist who does a lot of work with multinationals, interpreting the African landscape for foreign investment. It is a collection of 50 essays from Victor’s learnings over the years of doing work as a business show host for radio stations such 702, Kaya FM; doing interviews with news powerhouses like CNBC & CNN. As well as information gained from his Business developer position at PPC a local cement company which has expanded to several countries across the continent. The book breaks down the elephantine task of understanding the Pan African business market, & breaks it down into into bite-sized chunks. It is a must-read for both leisure readers with a keen interest in the direction the continent is taking in terms of development. As well business information seekers who wish to equip themselves with knowledge such as entrepreneurs and corporation directors who want to expand their operations throughout the continent and take advantage of the boom. In the book, Victor touches on and elaborates on every story you’ve heard about doing business in Africa. Controversial topics such as the ‘2nd colonization’ by the wave of Chinese forging relationships with African countries in exchange for minerals. To Nigeria’s reputation reincarnation – from being known as Africa’s fraud capital to its new status as the continent’s biggest economy and everything in between. The anecdotal style the book is written in made it a pleasure to read, which is unlike my usual experience with business writing. It still packs stats and facts as any business book but thanks to his intimate knowledge & his passion for the subject matter Victor has made this book a gem definitely work...
BET Awards 2014 Winners List
It was a night full of electrifying performances, emotional speeches and unforgettable moments at the “BET Awards” ’14 — also known as the “Black World Cup,” according to hilarious host Chris Rock — which aired live from the Nokia Theatre at L.A. LIVE last night. Pharrell Williams opened the show with an energetic rendition of “Come Get It Bae” surrounded by a bevy of cheerleaders, and was joined by surprise performer and fellow Virginia native, the amazing Missy Elliott, who brought the crowd to their feet to “Pass That Dutch.” Williams became a familiar face on the stage after winning both “Best Male R&B/Pop Artist” and “Video of the Year,” and again coming on to present music icon Lionel Richie with the Lifetime Achievement Award. Young Money andBeyoncé took home the most trophies with three awards, as did acclaimed film “12 Years A Slave” which swept the film award categories. See the winners below: Best International Act: Africa Davido (Nigeria) Best International Act: UK Krept & Konan Best Female R&B/Pop Artist Beyoncé Best Male R&B/Pop Artist Pharrell Williams Best Group Young Money Best Collaboration Beyoncé f/ JAY Z – Drunk In Love Best Male Hip Hop Artist Drake Best Female Hip Hop Artist Nicki Minaj Video of the Year Pharrell Williams – Happy Video Director of the Year Hype Williams Best New Artist August Alsina Best Gospel Artist Tamela Mann Best Actress Lupita Nyong’o Best Actor Chiwetel Ejiofor YoungStars Award KeKe Palmer Best Movie 12 Years a Slave Subway Sportswoman of the Year Serena Williams Subway Sportsman of the Year Kevin Durant Coca-Cola Viewers’ Choice Award August Alsina f/ Trinidad Jame$ – I Luv This Centric Award Jhené Aiko – The Worst FANdemonium Award Beyoncé Images from Getty...
Vancouver Sleep Clinic, Artist to watch in 2014
Non-commercial artists make the best music because it’s all about the art of telling stories. It’s all about the music and not the charts and sales. Vancouver Sleep Clinic is a project by 17 year old Tim Bettinson from Australia. The name itself conjures up imagery of long cold winters, of isolation and remoteness and the sometimes self-imposed reclusiveness in all of us as the days get shorter and we move into the bitter months ahead. Vancouver Sleep Clinic’s debut EP consists of soaring falsetto vocals built upon progressive synthetic instrumentation to create an ambient vessel of emotional connection. Bearing messages of sorrow, humility and hope above all else – songs are written from the heart alone. 1. Your voice/sound is so atmospheric, it sort of creates a scenario, like chilling at a balcony with a glass of wine reminiscing the good times you had with a lost lover. Is this your style of music? I suppose it could be something like that! Haha. I think the idea behind this project is for it to be completely open to each person’s individual interpretations. I’m not trying to define a specific sound or push a certain scenario, I just want to make music that I love and that I hope all people can connect with and relate to in their own situations. 2. Your melancholic vocals remind me of Bon Iver with a bit of London Grammar, yet you’re still different at the same time, who are your musical inspirations? I definitely take my musical inspirations from a wide variety of sources. I actually didn’t really draw my voice from anyone in particular – I’ve always felt most natural singing in falsetto so it’s just a sound that evolved over time. Musically I’ve been brought up listening to a lot of traditional folk, but more recently I’ve been loving the creativity of artists such as FKA Twigs, The Weeknd, The XX & Oliver Tank etc 3. When did you start making music? I’ve been fiddling around with instruments since I got my first drum kit at 6, but I’ve really only been taking my writing seriously for a year now! 4. What inspired the name VANCOUVER SLEEP CLINIC? I want my music to be able to help with relaxation & calming, so in essence that’s the sleep clinic part. And Vancouver is a beautiful place that I feel matches the atmosphere I want to create through the music. 5. You’re only 17 but your sound is matured, did you consciously choose this genre or it was influenced by the kind of music that you listen to? To be honest, I didn’t really have any vision for this...
Review: The Acer Aspire S7
IT Maestro Starter of Conversations & Talent seeker at Discovery Ultrabooks are nothing new. Ever since Apple famously launched the MacBook Air in 2008, PC enthusiasts were chomping at their collective bit to get a similar device for their Windows needs. Fast forward a few years and most of the manufacturers offer an ultrabook alternative to the ‘cult of the Mac’. Whether it is a ThinkPad, ATIV Book or VAIO, an XPS, Spectre, or Portege, few have successfully been able to get the balance between performance and portability just right. Cynics might add the hefty price of these machines but given that it is competing with Apple products in both the looks and functionality departments, I tend to be a bit more forgiving when it comes to budget. That doesn’t mean I’ll be lining up any time soon to buy one, but there are plenty of people who can afford to spend good money on these expensive toys. Be that as it may, the Acer Aspire S7 ultrabook might just be the one to change my mind (if not the size of my available budget). It might seem trite to say that this is not your typical ultrabook but just one look at the S7 should be enough to show it. It is thin, it is light, and it is an absolute beauty to look at. Featuring an aluminium unibody, it is less than 13mm ‘thick’ making it one of the thinnest ultrabooks around. In terms of weight, well, it is completely negligible as traditional pen and paper notebooks feel heavier to carry around. Some users who are not fans of Windows 8 might baulk at the idea of using the operating system on such a beautiful device but the performance you get from the S7 using both the keyboard and touchscreen make these arguments irrelevant. While I am used to using Windows 8 in ‘desktop mode’ almost exclusively, having a powerful touchscreen device made for a very pleasant (and intuitive) experience. The battery life of approximately five hours might not be enough for some of the more power-hungry users, but it is a small price to pay considering the processing power of the S7. In addition, the fact that it is such a thin machine means the keyboard is quite flat on the surface when you type. Of course, this criticism is true for any ultrabook but it still takes a while to get used to typing with a slightly different wrist position than usual. This is a minor issue as you are bound to get into the swing of things within a few days of use. An...
Proudly brought to you by:
