Free download of the new Raphael Saadiq track
Feb25

Free download of the new Raphael Saadiq track

If you love everything funk, soul and downright dirty delicious, you’ll appreciate this little tip off – get the title track from his new album due out later this year right here on...

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Durban FilmMart 2011 call for submissions
Dec08

Durban FilmMart 2011 call for submissions

The second edition of Durban FilmMart will take place from 22-25 July 2011 during the 32nd Durban International Film Festival (21-31July). Designed to create partnerships and further the development and production of African cinema, Durban FilmMart ultimately aims to raise the visibility of projects from the African continent, create networking opportunities with potential co-producers. The organisers are now calling for project submissions for the 2nd Durban FilmMart 22 – 25 July 2011, offering filmmakers from the continent of Africa the opportunity to be selected to pitch projects in one-on-one meetings with potential investors within the Finance Forum segment of the programme. African film practitioners are encouraged to take this opportunity as a means of promoting their projects, meeting experts and networking with industry professionals from across the globe. The closing date for submissions is 15 February 2011. Entry is open to: Projects with an African citizen attached to one of the three key creative roles of producer, director or writer. Proof of African citizenship or birth must be provided through a certified copy of a valid African passport/ birth certificate; Africans living in the Diaspora, but who still have African citizenship or have proof of birth in Africa; Projects with a producer attached. For more information on the Durban FilmMart and how to submit your project please email us for more info. Durban FilmMart 2011 appel à candidatures La seconde édition du marché du film de Durban (Durban FilmMart) aura lieu du 22 au 25 juillet 2011 lors de la 32 ème édition du Festival International du film de Durban (21-31July).  Durban FilmMart vise à créer des partenariats et à soutenir le développement et la production du cinéma africain, Durban FilmMart vise principalement à la visibilité des projets du continent africain, à créer des possibilités de réseautage avec des coproducteurs éventuels et d’autres partenaires de l’industrie cinématographique et à agir comme une étape pour alimenter les marchés de la coproduction. L’appel pour soumettre des projets pour les 2nd Durban FilmMart est maintenant ouvert. Les cinéastes africains sont invités à saisir cette occasion comme moyen de promouvoir leurs projets, de rencontrer des experts et d’établir des réseaux avec des professionnels de l’industrie de partout dans le monde. La date de clôture est le 15 février 2011.  L’appel est ouverte aux : Projets avec un citoyen africain attaché à l’un des trois principaux rôles créatifs du producteur, réalisateur ou auteur. Preuve de citoyenneté africaine ou de naissance doit être fournie au moyen d’une copie certifiée conforme d’un passeport valide d’Afrique / acte de naissance ; Africains vivant dans la Diaspora, mais qui a encore ont la citoyenneté africaine ou preuve de...

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Review: Die Antwoord live in Belgium – ZEFFING HOT!
Nov20

Review: Die Antwoord live in Belgium – ZEFFING HOT!

On the way to watch Die Antwoord last night all healthy eating habits were broken as we chowed down at our local fastfood outlet to get to the show on time. Behind us two young women in their early 20s were perched at a window booth doing that annoying noughties thing, playing music on their cellphone at full volume. It was a depressing set of soppy badly-produced RnB and as my partner-in-crime put it so aptly, there’s no worse ‘bad RnB’ than French RnB. The girls loved it though and sang along to every lyric mimicking the sadness, the heartbreak, the ecstasy of whichever madamoiselle’s mediocre voice was blaring out. I was on the brink of heartburn from the sheer painfulness of it all until they suddenly switched stations and I sat back enraptured. The RnB turned into a Bollywood hitsong, the girls jumped giddily up during the opening notes and began to act out a choreographed dance routine while singing every word of the song. The point is, they certainly didn’t look or sound Indian and yet they knew the lyrics by heart. You see, they’d bought into the package deal of the Bollywood song, they clearly loved the exotic melody, the high-pitched rise-and-fall singing style; and their clean dance moves showed they’d spent hours imitating the music video. They loved it so much that they’d learnt the words, every single one of them, while more than likely not understanding a single one.  Little did I realise that I would experience this same feeling of awe times one million a little over an hour later, as I listened to hundreds of European fans singing along to Die Antwoord’s mishmashed South African lyrics in a beautifully rof yet finely perfected South African accent. So much of naas. I just couldn’t get the grin off my face throughout the performance, and looking back, nor could most of the audience. It was absolutely thrilling – Die Antwoord is the modern-day antidote to boring live music performances. I’m no music fundi but I am certainly a music lover and I can attest that throughout my lifespan and certainly way before that, English language songs, largely from UK and USA based artists, have dominated both the global music charts and the mainstream ones in South Africa. For how long have South Africans complained about the rest of the world not knowing about our music, about how much we hope to enter the international music scene, about how we dream of people knowing more of our artists than the legends Johnny Clegg and Miriam Makeba. From Rock to Kwaito to Folk to Soul to...

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South Africa featured in WallPaper (again)
Nov14

South Africa featured in WallPaper (again)

Once you’ve paged through all 17 pages of adverts that open this month’s edition of Wallpaper (such is the life of a print magazine – at least they’re sexy ads) and hit the introduction to the November feature – 200 Terrific Reasons to visit 10 countries – you’ll be delighted to see South Africa in there with the other 9 hipster countries to visit. Summed up by the mag as ‘The regenerators, rooms with a view and the World Cup’s design legacy: With a successful World Cup on its CV, South Africa has a spring in its step. There’s a can-do attitude that is seeing once-edgy neighbourhoods transformed, infrastructure laid down and national spaces created.” The 20 (design) reasons to visit SA mention some of Represents friends (we know the ous babies!) including Gallery Momo, always inimitable Black Coffee and future-forward LoveJozi.  Go on, buy it and keep it in a place of...

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Group Exhibition at the Momo Gallery
Nov14

Group Exhibition at the Momo Gallery

Don’t miss this exceptional Group Exhibition at the wonderful Momo Gallery running till the year runs out! 08.11.2010 – 31.12.2010 Theresa-Anne Mackintosh, Rodney Place, Lyndi Sales, Mary Sibande, Ransome Stanley (UK) Momo Gallery 52 7th Avenue Parktown North Johannesburg Mon-Fri: 9am-6pm Sat:...

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5 mins with Balkanology – 12th June, 44 Stanley- Milpark
Jun01

5 mins with Balkanology – 12th June, 44 Stanley- Milpark

Up your crazy factor – dance to a brass band and fling your hard-earned cash at a miniature mongolian double humped camel at Balkanoloy next weekend the 12th of June at 44 Stanley.  Tempting? Just do it. What is Balkanology all about? We asked Ma’or, one of the organisers to break it down: Balkanology has been running for four years. The events have grown from 600 people in the first to 2500 people in the seventh.  To date there have been seven parties in CT and two in JHB. In short, Balkanology is a massive themed party. We choose our venues very carefully and put emphasis on decor and music. Music is mostly Balkan remixed. So traditional music that has a driving bass and full of electronic and modern touches making it more palatable to the western ear. Through the decor we try and create a gypsy village gone carnival, so, hay bales, wagon wheels, live stock (for real goats, chicken, sheep…) carnival lighting, food stalls etc. We also incorporate many actors. Often the punters don’t know that they are actors simply because most of the guests come in costume as well. The actors however carry a story with them. For example, the one party was Balkanology The Great Balkan wedding where two fictitious characters Milovan & Biljana got married. The flyer to the party looked like an invite to a wedding. the whole marketing campaign was based on a real wedding, interviews on the radio claimed that it was real etc. On the night a real wedding took place with actors. A Russian orthodox style ceremony down to the T. After that we had ‘War & Peace’ with similar art instillations and actors being widows, soldiers, suicide bombers etc. Then came ‘The Gypsy Wake’ where the guests were welcomed at the entrance by the grieving family. Crying on your shoulder or simply shaking your hand thanking you for coming. Sad music played while the open coffin was on display. At around 22:30 the father of the deceased  gave a speech on what a special person Milovan was and how he would have loved us all to party for him and then the party kicks off. Then there was ‘The Resurrection’ then ‘Metamorphosis’ etc. What nations make up the Balkans and what do they offer the world? The nations that make up the Balkans are: *  Albania *  Bosnia and Herzegovina *  Bulgaria *  Croatia *  Greece *  Kosovo (partially recognized) *  Macedonia *  Montenegro *  Serbia Other countries sometimes included are: *  Moldova *  Romania *  Slovenia *  Turkey They offer amazing music and a true glimpse into...

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