Represent Recommends: Sundays in Soweto
It’s mosdef the place to be to forget your Sunday Blues as winter winds down towards Spring – join Levi’s ekasi at the Backroom in SO-WE-TO for the month of August… With a line up of some of Rep’s favourite muso’s and DJ’s including 340ml, Lira, Kwani and Khenzero, the old adage of “you don’t want to miss this” rings true for four weekends in a row. Levi’s® Vintage Sunday’s moves to Soweto for the month of August In August Levi’s® Vintage Sundays moves to Soweto for the first time, taking over The Backroom every Sunday night, and giving this vibrant township even more vibe to close off the weekend. A true reflection of our country’s diverse and inspiring musical wealth, the acts on show are bound to get the venue all heated up with their uniquely South African sounds. It’s going to be an incredible journey into the heart of good music. Make sure you’re along for the ride. The weekly attraction will be homeboy and hero DJ Kenzhero, the man who knows how to turn the party on and drop the tunes that we all love. His style moves from Latin and Soul to Jazz-tinged Hip Hop, to all-out Funk and rare wonders. He plays all over, but he’s always on the mark. On the 5th it’s all about hip hop. T.R.U.E. get it all going with their uniquely crafted style that place as much emphasis on lucid lyricism as it does on groundbreaking beats. The crowds adore them – and they are proud to give the love back. Zuluboy is also up on the night, keeping true to his roots with a modern mixture of traditional rhythms and future beats. His energy is boundless – so be prepared to be swept up by it. Albert Frost is joined by the twin talents of Selaelo Selota and Lira to take it further on the 12th. Albert’s the master of the laidback groove, but don’t let that fool you, because his organic, intricate blues guitar compositions have been known to bewitch audiences around the country. He’ll be doing just this at The Backroom. Selaelo Selota and Lira take the stage as a duo, complementing each other’s powerful personas with a shared vision for live brilliance. Selaelo’s genre-defying jazz-drenched music combined with Lira’s super-sultry, heavenly voice. What a treat. On the 19th Echoes and Kwani Experience take the stage. Echoes are three friends with a common passion: beautiful music. This love is brought to life with their unique vocal melodies and guitar accompaniments. They believe in remaining fresh and are amazingly original onstage. Kwani Experience are the 8-piece who always give...
Represent Recommends: PARTY PEOPLE
It’s definitely one of Jozi’s monthly “must do” events for those of you craving a funked up night out with a dash of live music – Party People always features a dose of hot up-and-coming talent and you know you can rely on the soulful sounds of one of our best DJ’s Khenzero for a little soul shaking – Party People is at Roka on Saturday featuring Miss BEE – sounds interesting 😉 Hallo Party People. Thank you for coming to help us celebrate the Birthday last month…Guess what? It’s that time of the month again and this time we Go BIG with Miss Bee, a part Malawian, part Zambian, Mozambiquian, Zimbabwean born and Canadian nurtured South African singer with the big eyes stands at only 5’2” but has a voice of a chanteuse much larger than herself. Teaming up with American, French, Scandinavian as well as Canadian artists and beat makers brought her into the limelight at various competitions across Canada. Miss Bee performed at beauty pageants, gospel shows, clubs, jazz lounges and opening for Young Buck and Mario; two top selling American artists. She is now back home in South Africa with 2 features on 5th Floor, a Hip Hop outfit’s sophomore album and has performed with a local Cape Town band-Chiroscuro. So come see her live along side DJ Kenzhero and guests @ Roka – Doors Open 9PM. R50 Gets you in!!! • Ladies come in for free before 9:30 pm • Party People Dinner guests get 10% off • Cocktail special – Buy one get one for free b4 10:30 Oppikoppi tickets Give away!!!!! ...
Young Guns back in Jozi
It’s chipile and it’s showcasing a diverse range of fringe musicians, two powerful reasons to get to the next installment of Levi’s Young Guns. In summary, only R20 at the door lets you check out our rising stars starting this Thurs at the Sunningdale Hotel in Corlett Drive – retro! GO GO GO! Get all the info below: It’s time for power performances in Joburg for July!! It’s that time again – a time when the local live music scene gets a much needed injection of pure attitude, hard-edges and super-loud decibels. It’s time for power performances and even more potent personalities – a time to rock! Yes, it’s time for the Levi’s® Young Guns tour to take the national stage and give music lovers a taste of how it’s done when it comes from the heart. Now in its second year, and riding on a wave of euphoria from the initial events, Levi’s® Young Guns promises to be even brasher, harder and more hypnotic. It’s a tribute to the musicians who play for the love of it, a big up for today’s upstarts who will be tomorrow’s stars. It all begins in Jozi in July and it’s happening at the city’s favourite cult venue, Hotel Sunningdale. The lineup is split across two nights, showcasing the extreme depth of the Joburg underground. First up on Thursday the 19th are Kidofdoom and Desmond and the Tutus. True non-conformists with a broad-minded approach to music-making, Kidofdoom have a unique voice, and sing only in the language of music. Their broad appeal and dedication to fresh sounds have won them many fans throughout the country. Their partners in crime on the night, Desmond and The Tutus, are making waves with their awesome blend of Rock ‘n Roll, Indie Kwela Punk and Pure Genius. As original as they come, but with a flavour that’s infectious to a whole range of fans, their stage show is completely mindblowing. It all gets going again one week later on Thursday the 26th at the same venue. This time it’s Reason and Nthabi in the house. Reason is a growing force in the ever-expanding world of local hip hop. His appeal as both a crowd pleaser and a serious lyricist means that he’s loved by both heads and hedonists alike. Reason enough to be there. And another one is female free-styler Nthabi. A remarkable emcee with a devotion to hip hop, she’s been opening ears and eyes with her upfront lyrics and incisive stage presence. Don’t miss this chance to see her shine. Thursday 19th July – Kidofdoom and Desmond and The Tutus Thursday 26th July – Reason, Ntabi...
Joy of Jazz line up announced
Linda has been jazzing it up all over Jozi, she went to the Joy of Jazz media conference to find out for you, darling Representers, just what we’ll be tapping our feet to this year. PR at end. I admit, I was star-struck when I saw Miriam Makeba – Mama Africa no less – chilling on the couch – as I walked into the launch of the Standard Bank Joy of Jazz last week. I might have even let out an involuntary “oooh” when my favourite musical couple Letta Mbulu and Caiphus Semenya walked in, followed by the legendary Jonas Gwangwa. Here’s the great news! All of the above will be performing at this year’s Standard Bank Joy of Jazz, which is set to take place from 23 to 25 August in Newtown. This year’s line-up sounds absolutely smashing. It consists of Miriam Makeba, Letta Mbulu, Caiphus Semenya, Jonas Gwangwa, as I’ve mentioned, AND George Duke, The Count Basie Orchestra, Dorothy Masuka, another fine Marsalis brother – the trombonist Delfeayo (big brother Branford Marsalis performed at last year’s Joy of Jazz). Pieces of a Dream and Kunle Ayo will also be here. The Moreira Project will be showing their stuff, as well as newcomer and SAMA winner Siphokazi (she was at the launch and I was struck by how tall and graceful she is). Nokukhanya, Sipho Hotstix Mabuse, Ray Phiri and Stimela, Steve Dyer, and Thandie Klaasen will also be holding it down. In addition, there will be workshops for emerging artists and other events at taverns around Jozi. After the official briefing, the artists were requested to stay behind for a “photo opportunity”. I was tickled pink! Had to restrain myself from jumping in between the divas and asking someone to “please shoot me”. In about two months’ time, the spectacular Joy of Jazz will be upon us again, and I can’t wait! THE OFFICIAL PR: The Standard Bank Joy of Jazz Festival has thrown down the gauntlet to all other South African jazzfests in the country by presenting one of the most diverse and powerful line-ups in years. What makes this year so different from previous festivals and other jazzfests in South Africa is that it will feature the first American big band to play here in about 30 years – the world famous Count Basie Orchestra. The Standard Bank Joy of Jazz, which runs in Newtown from August 23 to 25, also pays its own tribute in Women’s Month by bringing together four of the country’s national cultural treasures on one bill – Mama Africa Miriam Makeba, Dorothy Masuka, Thandie Klaasen and Letta Mbulu whose illustrious musical...
Represent Review: Jamming Sundays
We’re always moaning about the lack of good live jazz in Jozi – moan no more, here’s yet another Represent solution for wafting away the Sunday Blues – good jazz and good people. Catch the best of breed muso’s at Partyhouse at the Dome – a little bird has been tweeting about Siphokazi for ages – sounds like she’s for real. Sharpile! to Linda for the gorgeous pic of Siphokazi and her soulful Sunday story. I attended my first “Jamming Sundays” on Sunday afternoon. This was the third in a series of concerts aimed at jazz and adult contemporary music enthusiasts. Much more than a concert, it’s also an opportunity to network, mingle, and just chill out as you get ready for the week ahead. The concert was held at the Partyhouse at The Dome in Northgate – a really nice venue for a concert – big enough so there’s no crowding and pushing at the bar, but also small enough for the artists to really interact with their audience. And what a vibrant audience it was! SAMA award winner Siphokazi and Sipho ‘Hotstix’ Mabuse were the headline acts on this Sunday’s bill. The opening act was Maxhoba (aka Max-Hoba, famous for his collaborations with HHP). I was blown away by his vocal talent and versatility. I have watched him perform, as a backing vocalist to HHP, but never on his own. He performed his own songs exceptionally, and also gave a unique flavour to ‘Tomorrow Nation’ by O’Yaba and ‘One Love’ by the legendary Bob Marley. I was particularly impressed by his rendition of ‘Please Baby Don’t’ – which John Legend sang on Sergio Mendes’ Timeless album – but he brought the house down when he sang the late Jabu Khanyile’s ‘Ungavumi’ as distinctively as Khanyile himself would have. Next up was Siphokazi. This was my first time watching her perform. In fact, I hadn’t heard much of her music other than one or two tracks that get often played on the radio; so I was quite curious to find out what she’s all about. Her voice is incredible – rich and powerful, which was surprising to me, given that she is quite soft-spoken. I remembered reading a few articles in which she was referred to as ‘the next Simphiwe Dana’. With due respect to Ms Dana, I can say categorically that Siphokazi is not the next anyone! She is a phenomenal talent in her own right. I enjoyed her authentic energy, her gracefulness and her voice, which is truly stunning. She scats like a queen from a bygone era – reminiscent of those jazz greats like Dinah Washington and Sarah Vaughn. I...
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