Gadget Review: Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-RX100M2
So I had the opportunity to take home the new Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 III camera to test and try out. It is loved by photographers who value serious imaging and extreme portability, the popular Cyber-shot™ RX100 family has an exciting new addition. Crafted in tough, travel-friendly aluminium for lightness and looks, the Cyber-shot™ RX100 III builds on the acclaimed reputation of its predecessors. An uprated lens and speedy image processor are complemented by a retractable OLED Tru-Finder with ZEISS® T* coating, enhanced movie features and a 180-degree tilting LCD – all in a stylish fixed-lens camera that’s truly pocket-sized. The best thing about this camera is that it takes great quality photos, it’s very fast and it looks attractive and better than many of its competitors or any of the other Sony cameras similar to this one. I like the looks, speed and flexibility of the camera. I unfortunately did not explore all other options like the wifi connectivity as well as sending the pictures to my phone to easy uploading. The photo quality is by far the best and a great choice of camera for photography enthusiasts. The zoom lens is decent, with a tilting LCD and the video quality is awesome. I’d definitely recommend it once it hits the shelves. ...
Connecting with the world through music
Durban-based country pop duo Connecting Stars has taken the American country world by storm after smashing into the Billboard Adult Contemporary charts at number 30 with their single Stuck, just days before they set off to play several dates across America. Represent chatted to them about the whole experience… 1. You’re number 28 on the Adult Contemporary Billboard Chart, an accomplishment for a South African duo. What does that mean to you? Getting onto the chart has been an amazing achievement for us as band. It is difficult to put into words, because we know with radio play there are no guarantees and even getting a song play-listed isn’t easy. So getting on the charts has been mind blowing for us and we are just so thrilled that our music has been so well received. 2. Please tell us more about your American tour? We have just returned from our 2 week whirlwind mini tour of the USA from 14-28 August. After achieving our first chart success in the US we wanted to introduce our live performance to the US market and we were privileged to perform at 4 iconic venues in the US where many bands got their start. In New York we played at the Rockwood Music Hall, in Nashville at Tin Roof, in Los Angeles at Room 5 Lounge and in San Diego at Lestats. We received an extremely positive reception from audiences and venue management alike and were unanimously invited to return. During our performances we got to meet and network with many local US bands and plan to collaborate with a number of them in future trips. We were also able to meet with a number of influential music industry stakeholders to expand our strategy in the US market including record label, publishing, radio promotion, public relations, booking and management executives. We also managed to fit in a number of TV, radio, magazine and online publication interviews and appearances. 3. How’s the music that side different to S.A’s music scene? The main difference is the size of the market. There are literally thousands of radio stations and hundreds of cities you can tour to. There are also thousands of bands trying to make it in the industry so there a lot of competition. 4. Out of all the cities you visited during your tour, which one would you say was your favourite? It is difficult to choose one, but I think it would be a toss us between San Diego and Nashville. 5. How do you find a balance of being a couple and musicians? Does it all come together and become one? It...
A love song for our strange and wonderful country: My Mzansi Heart
My Mzansi Heart sweeps the reader along two equally entertaining narrative strands, one set in the present day, the other in the past, which together form the story of King Adz’s life. The book explores music, culture, food, urban youth culture in South Africa based on King Adz’s life. His writing style is rather gripping, engaging and conversational. Represents chats to him about his latest book. Firstly, I’d like to say congrats on such a relevant, easy yet engaging read and it’s also visually appealing, your advertising and creative background comes out in how the book is layed- out, was that a conscious decision to structure the book like this? Thanks. I had always wanted to write a graphic novel and this was my chance. I had been working on the idea of this book for many years, ever since leaving South Africa to work in New York, and everything fell into place when Jacana published by youth advertising book THE STUFF YOU CAN’T BOTTLE, which lead to a conversation about MY MZANSI HEART. I had many “AHA” moments while reading the book because you talk about things i can identify with while you’re telling your own story. Tell us more about My Mzansi heart? MMH is a piece of my soul distilled onto the page. I have never written anything so personal (it is my 5th book) or so artistic. My previous books were about advertising and street/youth culture but MMH is something else. I wanted to re-define what my work was really about, and this reflects how amazing South Africa is as a country that this book was born out of it. How was the writing process? I write everyday and by now I have the discipline to be able to sit there and work without having to go out and ‘enjoy’ myself, lol. I wrote two books last year as well as travelling and working as a brand consultant across Africa. The two seem to go hand in hand! One was MMH and the other was my next book about how brands have to behave if they want people to like them – so chalk and cheese. How long did it take you to finish the writing the whole book? The concept took a decade. From start to finish. But actually sat at my iMac actually typing and designing it took a year. What triggered the idea to write My Mzansi heart? Reading ‘My Traitors Heart’ by Rian Malan was the beginning of it all. I don’t want to give away too much as you need to read the book, but reading Rian’s amazing book got...
Unyazi IV Electronic Music Festival: Joburg 9th – 13th September
The fourth edition of Unyazi returns to Johannesburg with concerts, talks, workshops, demos, a sound installation and a listening room with a playlist of works by over 30 composers from around the world. Presented by NewMusicSA and curated by Carl Stone (US/Japan) and Cameron Harris of Wits, this international festival features work from around the world with special emphasis this year on music from South Africa and South East Asia. Visiting artists include Tomoko Momiyama (Japan), Kazuhisa Uchihashi (Japan), Alfred 23 Harth (Germany/S Korea), Ravish Momin (US) and Lukas Ligeti (Aut/US). South African-based composers and artists include Jill Richards, Frank Mallows, Brydon Bolton, Jonathan Crossley, Jono Sweetman, Jurgen Brauninger, Sazi Dlamini, Thabo Rapoo, Magda de Vries, Maxim Starcke, Mocke J van Veuren, Joao Orecchia, Marguerite Spies and Waldo Alexander. For more information, please...
Friday playlist: Albums we love
Artist: Trey Songz Album: T R I G G A In an interview with Yahoo Entertainment about the album, Trey Songz said “It’s my every emotion at this point in my life, it’s the good, the bad, the ugly, it’s the beautiful, its last night, its love, it’s hard-hitting beats, but beautiful keys. Its beautiful melodies, it’s so personal to me as well, of course I have songs that are impersonal, that are fun records that just want to get people to move and dance, but as you get to the depths and the layers of the album. We live in the days where people want to hear about the flaws and not perfections. The best albums happen to be the ones with strong lyrical content. The 17 track project is a blend of hip-hop and R&B, something that he’s successfully done well in the past. But what’s a Trey Songz album without them girls? Aha, same formula but that’s what works for him. Stand out tracks from the album are “Disrespectful” and “SmartPhones,” as well as “All We Do” and “Y.A.S. vocally, and production wise, Trigga is a solid commercial album. Some good turn up tunes you can enjoy from the album. Get the album here and you’ll know what we’re on about: http://goo.gl/8bbfHg Download Trey Songz’s Na Na (STWO Remix) for free here http://bit.ly/WfwYPa. Code expires: October 4 2014 Artist: Kelis Album: Food Food is the sixth studio album by Kelis, she describes the album as, “a kind of unspoken lovefest. In case you didn’t know, Kelis is a chef, maybe that’s what also influenced the album title and tracklist? It’s always cute when artists feature their children in their songs, we’ve seen Alicia Keys, Beyonce, Coldplay’s “Chris Martin” do it too. The album’s opening track “Breakfast” is introduced by Kelis’ four-year-old son Knight Jones, who speaks the monologue; “Hey guys! Are you hungry? My mom made food. The first track is catchy which makes you want to listen to the album to see it will be consistent throughout. Kelis’ husky voice is still the one to reckon with, with this album she delivered a plate full of soulfood for the soul. It’s kind of hard to box the album into one genre, or maybe it doesn’t need to be boxed at all and it should just be. Very strong vocals, vulnerable, soulful, honest. Just the way you always loved Kelis. Kudos to her for the amazing album. Get the album here:...
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