Tonight: Red Bull Music Academy Info Session
Join Red Bull at their Red Bull Music Academy Info Session TONIGHT in Jozi and next Wednesday in Durbs. All DJ’s, producers, MC’s, Vocalists and anyone with an interest in finding our more about the yearly Red Bull Music Academy get down there. We were lucky to catch Tumi and Papercutt live on Saturday night at Roka and we have to tell you the man is still rocking – more than eva. GO GO GO! JOHANNESBURG Date : Thursday 26th April Venue: Bassline : 10 Henry Nxumalo Street, Newtown Music Centre, Newtown Time 8 – 10 pm Speakers: Darshan Jesrani, Tumi, Klinikal DURBAN Date: Wednesday 2 May Venue: Mission Control : The BAT Centre : 45 Maritime Place Time 8 – 10 pm Speakers: Nyambz, Klinikal Darshan Jesrani (Metro Area, Environ Records) Darshan Jesrani’s recording project “Metro Area” (with partner Morgan Geist) on their Environ label has left an indelible mark on the dance music landscape. Known for its freestyle recombination of influences which revolve around older production styles and the songwriting focus of disco, new-wave/synth-pop and R&B, Metro Area has injected much needed doses of funk and sensuality, mood and space back into the loop-based and seldom-subtle world of underground dance. Their debut album elicited superlative responses from The New York Times to The Onion, from web-logs to the Wire. Metro Area won a place among Rolling Stone’s “Top 50 Albums of 2002”, a rock and rap-dominated list for which most club/dance projects are not even considered. Further accolades include BBC/Radio 1’s “Dance Album of the Year” and a “Best New Artist” prize at the 2003 DanceStar/American Dance Awards. www.myspace.com/darshanjesrani Tumi featuring Papercutts Tumi’s pen carves rhythmically lyrical dreamscapes out of brutal realities. Each of his pieces unfold like a musical and spiritual journey through imagery as rich as the poets talent. His creativity speaks with dedication to the sincerity that the young artist lives by- this Poet / emcee, philosopher, dreamer, storyteller uses his words to challenge ego and a history of tragedy and the complex identity struggles facing this African man of the Hip-Hop generation in a post-apartheid South Africa. Tumi is the lead vocalist of Tumi and the Volume. The bands live debut album “At the Bassline’ received three South African Music Award nominations. The band has wowed audiences all over the country, impressed fellow musicians Black Eyed Peas (U.S.A), Blackalicious (U.S.A), Positive Black Souls (Senegal), Relax (the Netherlands) and has been frequent invitees to world-class music festivals. Tumi has just released a solo album without the band and alongside Johannesburg’s turntable legend “Papercutts” is re-introducing the traditional idea of a “mc and a dj” to his...
Represent Review: A Wet and Splashy Fen 007
We know it’s late and often we are early (well compared to traditional media) but our dear Panda has spent weeks coming down from the Drakensburg Mountains where she found herself in hippy heaven and was very tempted not to return to the real world 🙂 Sharpile Panda as always. See our pics of Splashy Fen here. There’s no better way to sample South African music than to attend a festival like Splashy Fen. Not only is there a wide variety of music and activities, it’s a great way to see that beautiful lush part of the world and catch up with long lost friends – and there’s no need for drinking and driving. Granted, not all South African music is represented and we didn’t have the biggest names in the business this time, but there’s enough music to keep your mind off any discomforts you might experience if you’re averse to mud. If I have any advice to give when going to any festival, take gumboots. You will consistently have clean, warm feet and that is more important that anything at two in the morning in the rain when you can’t see what you’re walking in…and there was plenty of rain at Splashy Fen this year. Furthermore, a fabulous pair becomes an essential fashion accessory and I was delighted to see how many people went to extra lengths to make their’s the coolest. It certainly beat’s the “packet-tied-around-the-takkie-and-knotted-at-the-ankle” look. Luckily my friends and I went up in a camper van, kindly sponsored by Maui Motorhome Rentals http://www.maui.co.za/ (thanks guys!). Hiring them isn’t as costly as you’d think either, if you compare it to other comfortable accommodation. There were times when I felt awful being so warm and dry and clean, sipping on a frosty drink from the fridge in a comfortable deck chair when a cold, filthy hapless festival goer, wobbled past our camp, slipping in their slops. We arrived on Friday around mid-day and the sun was out but weakened by a few thin clouds. The first act we caught as we ambled into the Grant Erskine Marquee was Adrian Shannon’s acoustic set followed by Roly Struckmeyer’s gentle acoustic indie-style music. When we felt like moving around, we strolled amongst the stalls which offered food to suit all tastes from boerie rolls and chips to fabulous falafels, smoothies and soups and clothes, accessories (for those who forgot gloves and scarves), beautiful jewelry, cheap trinkets and tie dye everything. There was even a tattoo parlour which, incidentally, was busy each time I walked past. Later that evening, when we were well-wrapped, we watched Somebody’s Child featuring 14 year old Zoe...
View from a Watchers Point of View
Every now and then we like to scan some international newspapers to check out what they’re saying about either Johannesburg or South Africa. Often their reporters have an “outsiders POV” – so to speak- and are able to write about situations with less emotional attachment than us local journo’s. Simply put, they often tell it how it is with little or no homegrown bias, hidden agenda’s nor editorial policy at play – it’s interesting to compare. So today we’re sharing some of their stories with you… under the international buzzwords JOHANNESBURG, 2010 and CAPE TOWN. We search Reuters, the New York Times and the Times UK. JOHANNESBURG Reuters is a good place to start. Reuters is like the mothership of journalism, their writers and photographers are spread throughout the world, all sending their words or images back to the central planet for distribution to outlying stars. Their local correspondent Rebecca Harrison recently wrote a feature entitled: “Witness: Pizza and machetes: living with crime in Johannesburg” which shed’s light on the day to day motions of living in Jozi. You know how the perceptions go… I say Jozi you say crime… Jozi…?… Read more here. “One break-in, one stolen car, one gate ripped from its hinges, an attack for a slice of pizza and two men ambling through the garden with axes: do you stay until you’re killed for a cell phone? I have lived in Johannesburg, South Africa’s economic capital, for about 2-1/2 years and have been a victim of six different crimes. Thankfully, none was violent. But after the latest break-in at my house in broad daylight, I am starting to wonder what will happen next. Crime in South Africa is haphazard. Some people, even those who have lived here a long time, have never directly experienced any crime at all. But plenty of others I know have suffered badly, including one who was shot in the arm and another who was tied up and locked in the trunk of her car while burglars looted her apartment. These incidents pale in comparison to the murders that fill the newspapers: five small children killed and piled up in a bath of soapy water, or three women beaten, stuffed into washing machines filled with chemicals then strangled with ropes. “ ************************* 2010 The muchos respected New York Times (hope you all read the fantastic NYT supplement free every Sunday in the Sunday Times Lifestyle section) talks about 2010 with the headline “South Africa vs. Itself, in Race to Get Ready for World Cup” (you may need to subscribe to read this story). The article is written by Joao Silva and was published on the 22 April. Read full story here. “A giant...
Represent Recommends: Volver
“I wonder what Pedro Almodovar’s story is” my gorgeous companion said to me “He catches women’s beauty so accurately”. The acclaimed film director’s latest offering – Vovler – had us feeling full, satisfied and upbeat on what would otherwise have been a blue Sunday night. And that’s just it, Almodovar captures nearly everything with accuracy – there’s no smoke nor mirrors but instead a delicious, colourful offering brimming with simplicity but running deep with authenticity. “Male figures are like ‘painful necessities’ for the women in his stories, for Almodovar’s women are essentially the core of life” my friend continued. (… and around whom all revolves and without whom not much would happen, I thought). Pedro Almodóvar Caballero, according to Wikipedia, is “the most successful and internationally known Spanish filmmaker of his generation”. Almodovar was “born [on] September 24, 1951, in Calzada de Calatrava, Spain” and “His films, marked by complex narratives, employ the codes of melodrama and use elements of pop culture, popular songs, irreverent humor, strong colors and glossy décor. Almodóvar never judges his characters actions, whatever they do, but he presents them as they are in all their complexity.” Wikipedia. I loved Volver, it’s one of those films that draws you in, coaxing a smile onto your lips at it’s comedic undertones that weave through a captivating human drama set both in a windy Spanish village and working class Madrid. Suprisingly the cinema was nearly empty which is discouraging for a film of such calibre but maybe we’re catching the end of the run. A curvacious Penelope Cruz plays out the life of a young mother Raimundo whose life is fraught with tragedy, suprises and tears – working the role with ease and grace. Despite the adversities that stifle the lives of all the women in the film, Almodovar potrays them as strong, unflinching yet emotive and fallible women who are determined to keep going. It’s a stellar female-strong cast – with loads of favourites to choose from – craftily bringing to life a storyline that winds and bends, delighting you as it gently unfolds. But you know we don’t like to give it away. Go on and brighten up any day – catch it on the big screen if you haven’t and as always, let us know your thoughts. Read all about Volver on IMDB. Go Go...
1time sale on till Saturday…cheaper than driving.
So some of us managed a break over Easter – some would say already a distant memory….and others didn’t. We love the creative and timing of 1times current promotion, fly anywhere in the country for R185. That’s less than a tank of petrol! No lies there. Click on the image to see the promotion and click here to fly to 1time. Go GO...
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