Dealing with being in your 20s in Twenty-15…
By Yachna Singh Your 20s is that awkward decade where you’re not sure if you should be listening to Beyonce or Whitney Houston. Are you just a kid trying to make it in an adult world? Should you be feeling that sophisticated, should-be-getting-married-soon kinda vibe? Your friends are either travelling the world, single or having their third kid and sharing Momtastic posts on Facebook. You think to yourself – where am I, and WHAT am I doing with my life? In 2015, just how planned out can your life actually be, though? You can have the world today, and the universe tomorrow – how much is too MUCH too soon? Whether you’re in your early or late 20s, careers don’t have an age limit; experience and work ethic counts the most. There’s also no age limit to getting married and, hey, don’t just have kids for the sake of having them. Have them if YOU want them, not because your parents want to be grandparents, or your best friend’s turned into a soccer mom. The most important thing to do is to stay real and remember your purpose. It’s remarkable to observe people you see as role models; see their craziness, brilliance and their deeper thought processes. Before you know it, with focus and regular reflection, you see yourself becoming those people, slowly but surely. This growing up thing is strange to say the least, but you must remember that your thoughts, experiences and life plans can never be wrong – they’re all just a way of reminding you what you can achieve. And that’s anything. ...
Goodluck, and bon voyage!
By Ludwig Spies South Africa’s coolest electronic band, Goodluck, is now sailing with Armada Music. They sat down with us for a chat about their music, their popularity and their anonymity… Goodluck is possibly South Africa’s most ironic musical act. Although they have produced a record number of chart toppers and been touring Europe since their inception in 2011, the name Goodluck often elicits a blank expression. Play one of their songs, however, and people will sing along without difficulty. Hence, it is quite poignant that the collaboration that got them signed with Armada Music was with Dutch house DJ Jeroen Maas aka De Hofnar. Maas chose the epithet, Court Jester, to signify his entertainment philosophy: “You are the kings, I’m just here to entertain you”. Goodluck have followed a similar approach. Traditionally a no-noise, no-press type of band, their priorities are the music, the audience and having fun. Signing to Armada is big though. The label is the love child of ARmin van Buuren, MAykel Piron and DAvid Lewis and has under its umbrella some of the biggest names in the electronic dance scene. Goodluck has always been comfortable with bringing in another voice or talent to create the perfect sound, and this has seen them work with some major players. Lisa Kekaula, vocalist for Basement Jaxx, is the fierce voice on Harlem (2011) and What Would We Be (2013); and Phoenix Kayode infused their track Electro Thing (2011) with his South-East London grooves. The result has been a truly international sound, further enhanced and refined by their continual exposure to the European music scene whilst on tour. “Touring internationally as a South African band in this music scene is a complicated situation,” says Ben Peters, who does production and percussion. “I think South African artists still have something of an inferiority complex. I think we often look at ourselves and wonder whether we look as good as the rest of the world when we’re singing or playing or dancing. This is a valid question. Our industry is comparatively young, and we don’t have that production history or legacy. So we have always tried to reference ourselves against the international scene in our pursuit of attaining international standards.” Their global sound has, again ironically, contributed to their ‘anonymity’. “Just a few months ago at a gig in Stellenbosch, this guy came up to us after the show, and he’s like, ‘You guys are really awesome, but you should consider doing some original stuff.’ And we thought, ok, we literally don’t have a single cover in our set… He just didn’t know that the songs he had heard on...
Jozi Lights for Durbanites
By Yachna Singh Over-populated…too much traffic…too few jobs… As an Indian Durbanite, you’ve heard that way too many times to even think straight about leaving home. “What will you do? What will you eat? You can’t live with someone else, are you NUTS?” Yes, mother dearest, father dearest and 45th cousin dearest. Before you know it, that bloody landline is ringing off its rocker with aunties and uncles frantically wanting to know when you are leaving and adding, “You must come home for dinner before you move”. But common homely traditions and habits aside, what’s the real deal? Is it worth leaving your coastal, forever-summer home for the Jozi buzz? Honestly, I never thought I would be “that chick”, moving to an inland urban city – but now that I have done it, with the amount I’ve learnt and am still learning, I’ll say it’s definitely worth it. Working in the digital industry means serious time management, creativity and, by far the most important, the ability to learn and keep learning no matter what position you are in. After a few rough months in the big city, careers start to form quicker than you can imagine. People get to know you in the industry, and you work on brands that you only dreamed of when you lived in Durbz. One month feels like a year with the amount of work pushed out, but with a solid team and focus, overtime doesn’t even feel like work. The lavish restaurants, malls, casinos and markets make Jozi living a lot more fun over the weekends, especially if you’re a sucker for good food and wine like me. Take time for yourself though – take time to go home, see your family, have homemade food, enjoy the beach, the relaxed lifestyle and that famous bunny chow from down the road (because in Durbz, everything is down the road), and you’ll really appreciate what home is. So if you’re thinking about relocating to the big, scary, busy Jozi – don’t think too much – take the plunge and move, you never know where you’ll be in five years from now. ...
The 3, 2, 1 take-off: A weekend of launches.
by Ludwig Spies The Sextons launch their debut album Welcome to Forever The Sextons launched their debut album Welcome to Forever on Saturday, 7th November. The launch party took place at Dakota Lee Tattoo Shop & Rockabilly Bar in the Design on Appel complex in Kramerville, Sandton. Dakota Lee is a multi-faceted creative space infused with all the sexiness of rock and indie culture – the perfect venue for The Sextons’ unpretentious sound. Performing live, Jamie-Lee Sexton’s voice acquires a whole new level of intimacy that further enhances the narratives of the album. Instead of boring the crowd with long stories about the difficulty of success, The Sextons just got everyone excited with their lust for life and their authenticity. Welcome drinks were sponsored by Red Bull Summer Edition and live DJ’s played before and after the artist set. Welcome to Forever is currently available on iTunes. Caroline Leisegang hypnotises with her first album Øyeblikk Contemporary classical composer Caroline Leisegang introduced her album of pieces for piano to the public at a warm soirée hosted by Rabbit In The Moon at the Thrupps Illovo Centre, Illovo. Leisegang is partly of Norwegian origin and the music on this album is inspired in part by the elements of the melancholic and sometimes eerie Norwegian weather. A definite chill runs through her compositions that evoke images of frosted forests, icy creeks and quiet white expanses. Leisegang played Vinter (Winter) from the album, but prefers to cede concert playing to her friend and colleague Judith van der Wat aka Jude HarpStar. Leisegang explains that an able composer is not necessarily an equally able pianist. Van der Wat, a prodigious musical talent, played five pieces from the album: Drømme I (Dreams I), Forelsket (Falling in Love), Rød Regndråper (Red Raindrops), Drømme II (Dreams II) & Karusell (Carousel). Guests were treated to tapas-style cuisine and whilst the sounds of the piano spoke of snow and ice, we enjoyed a fine summer evening al fresco. Øyeblikk is currently available on iTunes. AGEO Menswear summer showcase and website ‘launch’ AGEO Menswear presented a showcase of their collections shown at the Mercedes Benz Fashion Week 2015 and the South African Fashion Week AW16 at Sandton’s The VIP Room . The event doubled as the brand’s website launch. Unfortunately, the party was not nearly as well attended as the pair from AGEO had hoped it would be, and logistical issues delayed the start of the showcase. A Google search on Monday revealed that the website is not yet live. In the meantime customers will have to stick it out with AGEO’s Facebook page...
Maboneng’s POPArt Theatre presents We Didn’t Come To Hell For The Croissants
By Ludwig Spies If you’ve ever wished that you were crazy enough to bungee jump or take hard drugs, but felt that either might end in tragedy you’ll be happy to hear that someone has finally created an alternative. The POPArt Theatre & Performing Art Centre is currently staging a production of We Didn’t Come To Hell For The Croissants, a deeply thrilling and subversive piece that will make you laugh, gasp and tear up. Performed by Jemma Kahn and Roberto Pombo, and directed by Lindiwe Matshikiza, Croissants uses the traditional Japanese art of kamishibai to tell a series of seven stories loosely inspired by the seven deadly sins. The stories are illustrated on a set of large paper cards that slot into a wooden frame. As Kahn narrates the stories, and Pombo provides sound effects, she removes the cards one-by-one to reveal the next scene of the story. Kahn hates boring theatre. Thus, the stories are written and illustrated by different authors, and told as different genres in highly divergent styles. The first tale lulls like a bedtime story. This is followed, amongst others, by a scintillating musical number, a ‘dialogue’ in the form of a letter exchange, and a hilarious parody of a motivational speaker’s speech. The characters range from a deranged love-sick German youth, to a vengefully sadistic housewife to a glamorous Upper East Side housecat who inherits her owner’s fortune. Kahn so brilliantly brings the characters to life that one can barely decide whether to watch her or the edgy illustrations. Satirical commentary is woven into all the stories, and the postmodern irony is thick like lemon meringue. But instead of leaving the audience depressed and disillusioned, these tales of vulnerable, deeply flawed and authentic people reveal the most delicate of sentiments. There are scenes of terrific violence that possess a counter-intuitive beauty. There are scenes of explicit and ridiculous sexual encounters that amuse (and arouse…) without deteriorating into mockery. Some of the stories do contain a cautionary message, but they do not preach. Far from feeling old-fashioned, the low-tech, intimate production reminds of the Weimar cabaret of Berlin c. 1935. Kahn proudly describes the piece as queer theatre, and agrees that in many ways it is a revitalisation or a rediscovery of the vibrance that existed before that awful man with the small moustache came along. Croissants is labelled as a sequel to Kahn’s first kamishibai piece, The Epicene Butcher (And Other Stories For Consenting Adults) – another play with a ridiculously long and unintelligible, but highly satisfying name. Fortunately, your understanding of Croissants will not be hampered if you didn’t see the prequel....
The Warner Music Fashion Experience with Amos Tranque & Ephraim Malingoane at SAFW AW16
By Ludwig Spies Fashion and music have been lovers for a very long time, continuously and heavily influencing one another. Both are intensely sensorial forms of expression and together they give rise to cultural movements that embody the mood, attitudes, ideals, context and the anxieties of a generation. This year SAFW AW16 saw Warner Music SA partner with designers Amos Tranque and Ephraim Molingoana to produce a climactic end show for the week. The atmosphere in the show tent was positively electric, and the guests could not help but smile when the iconic high-pitched notes of Madonna’s Vogue rang out from the speakers. The show opened with the scientific severity of Tranque and ended with Ephymol’s richesse. The mere fact that a menswear show could be produced to showcase this juxtaposition is a testament to the development of the South African fashion industry. Read the details below. AMOS TRANQUE by Amos Tranque 1-WORD-DESCRIPTION: Fundamental DESIGN: 9/10 INNOVATION: 10/10 WEARABILITY: 9/10 In The South African Fashion Handbook Tranque explains that he draws inspiration from disciplines like psychology, science and philosophy. This intellectual orientation was evident in his collection, yet the final product was highly wearable. This must be due to a keen ability to deconstruct his sources of inspiration and apply their fundamentals in a functional way to the business of creating clothes. Hence, one cannot help but draw the parallel between Tranque and cubist painter and fellow Spaniard, Picasso. Tranque’s collection featured robust, geometric designs in a black, white and grey palette, and smooth, acrylic and vinyl textures perfected the hypermodern style of the garments. There is no doubt the South African market has gained greatly from the addition to the industry of Tranque’s fashion architecture. Web: amostranque.com Facebook: http://amostranque EPHYMOL by Ephraim Molingoana 1-WORD-DESCRIPTION: Snazzy DESIGN: 10/10 INNOVATION: 8/10 WEARABILITY: 10/10 Molingoana revisited the suave 70s with a collection of boldly patterned form-fitting suits, tailored trousers and tight long-sleeved tops with minimal collars. The cuts and the palette of muted coppers, bronzes, steel, army greens and artichoke were reminiscent of 70s playboys and older military uniforms. The garments had the fantastic effect of accentuating the contours of the male body – highlighting the shoulders, the S-curve of the spine and the perk of the derrière. Glamorous alpha masculinity with a dose of good-humoured...
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