New Music Review: Tamarsha v Imbube
Oh yes, it’s a live and kicking music review battle on Represent as our resident reviewer, the delicious Dawn Penny, puts two new South African releases up against each other… RnB meets HipHop… We did warn you muso’s, don’t mess with Dawn, she knows what she likes and of course readers, what she believes you’ll like and what’s worth spending your hard-earned dosh on… Read all about it: Tamarsha – I ain’t givin’ up vs Imbube – Hip Hop Theatre Tamarsha – 4 beats out of 10 Imbube – 7 beats out of 10 I’ve decided to introduce something new to my music reviews and that’s “Battle of the Beats”. This will basically consist of a head to head between two genres and our first one is Hip hop vs R&B. The songstress Tamarsha going against the gutter rappers, Imbube. My criteria for this battle is Talent, X-factor, Sound and Favourites. Let the battle begin… Tamarsha – I ain’t givin’ up Talent: Before receiving this CD to review, I had never heard of Tamarsha before. I must say off the bat, she is talented. I mean she has an amazing voice and takes the time to write her own lyrics, which is always refreshing of an artist. Tamarsha has a beautiful voice and sounds like she knows how to use it. With so many males dominating the R&B scene in South Africa, it’s quite refreshing to hear a female vocal in the mix. But then a beautiful voice is only a mere fraction of what makes an artist. X-Factor: Um, this is a hard one because either you have it or you don’t. If you don’t, you’ll be stuck in suckville with no passport to leave. If you do, you will remembered – or at the least be sung along to. I have no doubt that Tamarsha has talent, she just doesn’t move. She doesn’t stand out, she doesn’t have her sound but rather a quilt of Destiny’s Child, Keyshia Cole or any such artist – but the 90s sound of that. I think she just needs more experience and more time spent finding that thing that sets her apart from the next girl. Sound: The production on Tamarsha’s album is not quite something that’ll make the short list in demos sent to producing greats. It’s mediocre at best. I mean it’s not bad, it’s just not good. It’s a sound that’s been heard before and doesn’t do much for her X-factor strife. Oh, she does her own rendition of Humpty Dumpty, ‘cept there’s no story behind it, no depth to it, just Humpty sitting on that wall and...
Democracy. Your Voice, Your Video.
CALL FOR ENTRY!! It’s Simple: You need to be over 18 and have an opinion on democracy… Your video needs to complete the phrase ‘Democracy is…’, it needs to be no longer than 3 minutes and it must be submitted before the 31 January 2009 onto the Youtube documentary challenge site. It can be in animation, documentary, live action, fiction or narrative style, it must be in English or with English subtitles and you can only submit ONE entry. HOW SIMPLE IS THAT??? Excited? And you don’t even know who it’s for yet or what the (amazing) prize is? (read all the smallprint/rules here and some more info below and… get going…) The Prize: * An all-expense-paid trip to Washington, D.C., New York and Hollywood. * Gala screenings of the winning videos in Hollywood, New York and Washington * Exposure to filmmakers and the U.S. film and television industry. * Meetings with democracy advocates from government, media and civil society. The Winners: # Seven winners – one each from the Western Hemisphere, Europe, Middle East/North Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa, South & Central Asia, East Asia/Pacific and one anonymous winner – will be announced in mid-June 2009. # In October 2009, the six publicly identified winners, one from each of the six geographic regions, will travel to the United States to claim their prize. How will my video be judged? Your video will be judged on overall impact, creativity and production values. If your video is selected as a finalist, it will compete against other videos from your region in a global online vote to determine the winner. A full explanation of the judging process can be found in the contest rules. Who is running the competition? It’s run by the United States Department’s Bureau of International Information Programs, supported by numerous partners including the United Nations… SO get thinking… AND GET FILMING… More info: The Democracy Video Challenge, a global call to action celebrating democracy, launched today during International Democracy Day at the United Nations. The Challenge invites citizens from around the world to create short videos that complete the phrase: “Democracy is…” in an effort to enhance the global dialogue on democracy. The Democracy Video Challenge is a new effort supported by a unique partnership comprised of democracy and youth organizations, the film and entertainment industry, academia, and the U.S. government. Richard Engel, NBC’s chief foreign affairs correspondent, served as Master of Ceremonies for the contest’s global launch. (Partners represented at the launch are listed below.) “Film is a window into our common humanity – the challenges and joys that make up the universal human experience – no matter...
Africa is a Country in New York
We came across a fabulara blog while cruising through our usual info superhighways and byways…called Africa is a Country – it’s an “irreverent take on the US and the way it covers Africa in the media”. It’s put together by Sean Jacobs, a South African living in Brooklyn, New York – he says it’s mainly about: Western media references to events and happenings in South Africa. But it is more than that. The topics I care about are my personal obsessions: films, music, art, books, politics, sports. Because of the way the Southern African region is integrated (with South Africa acting like the regional hegemon), the blog will also weigh in how Botswana (it hardly gets any Western coverage), Mozambique, Namibia, Zimbabwe, and Zambia are covered in Western media.’ But even more interesting than that: “At the same the site will also go on occasionally about my experiences as an African immigrant living in New York City (and Ann Arbor) with my wife and daughter.” And bringing it to you fresh from the big apple, Sean has published a great video Blog aka vlog entitled ‘African in Brooklyn’ where he chats to Botswanan ‘DJ Stone’ aka Ketshidile Tiro Matale at the infamous ‘Madiba‘s’ restaurant. They talk about being an African in New York and Tshidi plays some homegrown tracks that have influenced him and that he spins at Madiba’s to rock the house. WATCH IT NOW here… and get...
Kwani Experience back in Europe
Seems like just the other day we let you know that one of our SA’s finest jazzy/hiphop grooving bands, Kwani Experience, was on their way to Holland, France and Belgium (via Zim!) to make friends; looks like the overseas connections are paying off as they pack their bags for a much more Northerly destination, Norway…BonVoyage … Represent! Acclaimed Jozi-band, Kwani Experience is off to Norway and is set to turn heads, hearts and minds upside down during a 10-day exchange program in Oslo, 15 to 24 October 2008. Bridge The Gap The popular band has been chosen by Off The Hook Production to front the project BRIDGE THE GAP, which will see the band collaborating with musicians, dancers and singers in Norway. Activities in Norway Kwani Experience will do workshops and performances in Oslo and also do rehearsals with dancers in a stage production called “Afro-Euro” which will later go on a tour in South Africa. Ambassadors with attitude – Kwani Experience is a great ambassador for the contemporary young pulse of South Africa, says Project Director, Brother Buntu. – They push boundaries and represent both traditions, fusion and experimentation. Kwani brings together the past, present and future through their eclectic style and appeal to young people with their “I-define-myself” attitude. Fearless musicians The 6-piece live-band brings together jazz, soul, hip-hop and African traditional sounds fused with a message of inspiration and rootedness. In South Africa they have been hailed as an innovative group of fearless musicians, providing the soundtrack for a soul-searching generation in “the new South Africa”. Their two releases, “The Mudaland Funk” (2005) and “Live After Birth” (2007) have become landmarks in contemporary South African music, and through their tours to many countries they have grown a large following around the world. Partnerships Kwani Experience will be hosted by Nordic Black Theatre in Norway and work and meet with many artists based in and around Oslo. The program is a partnership initiated and coordinated by Off The Hook Productions in South Africa, and the exchange is funded by MMINO. About the project and the stake holders: BRIDGE THE GAP Bridge The Gap is an exchange program between artists from South Africa and Norway. The program seeks to merge different expressions, genres and styles through workshops, collaborative performances and rehearsals. From 15 to 24 October, South African band Kwani Experience will be in Norway to do performances, workshops and collaborations with artists based in Oslo. Part of the program is dedicated to rehearsals for a co-production called “Afro-Euro” which will later tour in South Africa. The exchange is coordinated by Off The Hook Production in South Africa...
Disturbance at the JAG
The JAG, also known as The Johannesburg Art Gallery, will be hosting a fascinating exhibition of contemporary art from Denmark, Norway, Finland and South Africa, titled “ disturbance”. The show will examine the relationship Nordic and South African artists have to notions of identity and place. Having visited Sweden (we LOVED Stockholm and can’t wait to go back!) we can confirm that from an outsider’s point of view, it appears to have a very different culture from South Africa … on the surface… Editorista is spending some time in Europe and she too can confirm how often she feels herself having ‘flashbacks’ to SA… This kind of project is the exact kind of probing that can help us understand what lies beneath the surface within our cultures and how we may surprise ourselves in our likeness… All will be revealed: Drawing on a strong romantic landscape tradition and constructed ideas of what constitutes Scandinavian nationalism; perceptions about self and society are explored through photography, video, sound and performance. The exhibition explores the paradoxes of what Nordic society entails from personal displacement to commentary on other communities or nationalities and as such the depictions in its contemporary art. Equally, what do the disparate relations between Scandinavia and South Africa have in common? The thematic of the show will focus on “disturbance” as a term understood to explore both the literal and implicit rupture existing in society. The exhibition includes artists from Norway – Bodil Furu, Torbjorn Rodland, Maia Urstad and the artistic duo Goksoyr & Maartens. In addition an artist from Denmark – Astrid K. Jensen, and a selection from Finland including Eija Liisa Ahtila, Marja Helander, Veli Grano and Mika Ronkainen’s documentary The Screaming Men. South African artists participating in the exhibition are: Siemon Allan, Anthea Moys, James Web, Nandipha Mnthambo, Athi Ptra Ruga, Nicholas Hlobo and Alastair Mclahlan The Exhibition will officially open on Sunday 26 October at 6.30pm, Johannesburg Art Gallery and will run until 1 March 2009. The exhibition is curated by Clive Kellner and Maria Fidel Regueros. JOHANNESBURG ART GALLERY is open from Tuesdays to Sundays from 10:00am till 5:00pm, its situated at King George Street, (between Wolmarans and Noord Streets), Joubert Park, tel: + 27 11 725...
First Wednesday Film Club next week
If you love film and you still haven’t been to the First Wednesday film club (we’ve been talking about it since 2005) it’s not too late, as it’s the first of October next week and a Wednesday, so roll up to this legendary cinematic gathering: A Winter Tale, 1st OCTOBER, 7:30pm, STUDIO 4, Atlas Studios,Milpark, Johannesburg. A Winter Tale is set against the backdrop of a multicultural community’s unrealized hopes and dreams. Bitter and tragic, funny and hopeful, the film tells a uniquely Canadian story that features Toronto as a central character. International Awards2007 Tonya Lee Williams Award for Outstanding Canadian Feature Reel World Film Festival 2007 Special Mention/Outstanding Screenplay Category Reel World Film Festival 2007 Audience Award Best Feature T&T Film Festival 2008 Best Foreign Film San Diego Black Film Festival 2008 Remi Award – Best Editing Worldfest Houston Int Film Festival 2008 Award for Best Editor Zuma Film Festival 2008 Award for Best Cinematographer Zuma Film Festival 2008 Ousmane Sembene Award for Best Foreign Film Zuma Film Festival 2008 Award for Best Film Festival of Black International Cinema...
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