Bilal joins the Line-Up at Cape Town International Jazz Festival
Oh, to hear the opening strains to Soul Sister, to close our eyes and be swept away by the swelling vocal crescendos of Sometimes… damn, Bilal playing at this years Cape Town International Jazz Festival is the best news since we heard about our poor Guru (who by the way is thankfully out of his coma). It was so dope to see Bilal a few years ago at the North Sea Jazz Festival in Rotterdam, where he mesmerized the crowd and had ladies nearly nekked with lurve for his sexy ways… We’re sure Bilal will deliver hands down once again and we urge you of course to GO GO GO. We will try to see just how up close and personal we can get. Bilal, one of the world’s most well-respected and highly sought after live acts performing exquisite, pitch-perfect, old-soul hip-hop tinged vocal gymnastics like no other completes the line-up for the 11th Cape Town Jazz Festival. From the humble streets of Philadelphia to The Big Apple, Brooklyn has been the aural disseminator’s base from where three albums worth of brilliance have, thus far, been realised. As his keen insistence saw him plough through and challenge his chosen genre Bilal quickly caught the attention and made fans of soul jazz legends Giles Peterson, the Roots, Dr. Dre, Jay Z and Raphael Saddiq. It was Erykah Badu who, upon hearing his early Brooklyn demo’s, hired the prodigy to not only perform, but also produce her 2000 album Mama’s Gun. Dedicated to old-school, the former jazz musician navigates comfortably around all things percussion, organ and guitar-based. In 2001, at the age of only 21, Bilal’s aptly titled 17-track autobiographical debut 1st Born Second shook the larger neo-soul tree to way beyond its knotted root core where it celebrated comparisons to the true greats. The most memorable confirmation came when critics set it up alongside D’Ángelo’s 2000 Voodoo album, labelling it the ‘smoother stepchild’. From there the rollercoaster was well and truly set in its tracks and was hurtling, at blinding speed, up the charts and into live arena’s right around the world. “His voice – including a terrific falsetto, can still a room. He has the ability to head in unexpected directions, at the edge of off-key, only to bring back the song with emotional satisfaction that comes when risks pay off” – The Boston Globe In 2003 he delivered his startling second collection of songs titled Love For Sale. The album was never officially released, but rather bootlegged by hungry fans and one which Vibe magazine tagged ‘psycho soul’. From “How Do You Do You” and “All The Humans...
Die Antwoord ripping up the interwebs
Skandaal! For once Cape Town is on the map for a reason other than the mountain (we love you mountain) … enter… Die Antwoord: crass, vulgar, in your face, rof… with the slickest beats and ryhmes …The tongue-in-your-bruised-cheek trio take the dirtiest side of being a poor white South African and rework it into a mish-mash of edgy Afrikaans flow and rough South African English slang that has the world sitting up and taking notice of their bottom-of-the-barrel approach. We’re thinking they’re South Africa’s very own THE STREETS. .. but with lyrics that will have the voorvaders doing somersaults in their graves, you actually can’t compare them. Irreverance in a sweet beat. Truly Scandalous. Add your hit to the fab video Zef Side that’s making the groot trek around cyberspace. Zef Side. Nice one Waddy! Hard work always pays...
Call for Entry: Short films – Design Indaba Expo
Here’s your chance to get your short film seen by a global audience at the fabulous Design Indaba Expo (considered one of the top Design gatherings in the world by those in the know) taking place in Feb next year. Get your entries in by the end of October. All South African filmmakers, students and hobbyists are invited to submit their short films, music videos and animations for screening at the 2010 Design Indaba Expo. The curated film festival is open for viewing by all Design Indaba Expo visitors, from 26 to 28 February 2010, and is screened between the fashion shows at the fashion arena. Submissions must be less than 12 minutes in length and need to be in mini dv or high resolution QuickTime (uncompressed or pal). There is no fee for participation. Submission deadline: 31 October 2009 For more information and submissions please contact Kim Terblanche at kim@interactiveafrica.com or on 021 465...
Don’t Miss: The last Party People at ROKA this week…
Sadly the fabulous indoor/outdoor venue ROKA is closing down as apparently their lease will not be renewed… So many of us have kicked back at some of our best Jozi nights out at ROKA, lapped up some superb live performances and induced some of the worst cocktail hangovers… Anyone that attended a Party People will have fond memories of one of Jozi’s best party nights… this Thursday is the last time Party People will take place at ROKA and we urge all the Party People to be there! Party People congrats and we wish you an even better next venue. Change is often a good thing. On a brighter note, Cape Town Party People will feature the divine ZUBZ, do NOT miss this Cape Town… see below. Dj Kenzhero Presents Party People 3rd Anniversary Feat: Kwani Experience and Special guests Johannesburg 25th July 2009 This month, the month of July 09 is both bitter and sweet. The sweet part is that this month we, Party People; Dj Kenzhero and the people of the Party People celebrate 3 whole years of throwing and enjoying possibly the greatest Hip-Hop event to ever hit Jo’Burg City, and I say this with confidence. The bitter part is that Party People and Dj Kenzhero see the last Party People to take place at Roka, I know it’s hard to swallow. But, Dj Kenzhero could not let this affect the musical act Party People would feature this month. It took Kenzhero a while to finally decide on who will perform the last live performance at Roka and still do our 3rd anniversary justice, and along came the thought of Kwani Experience. But why Kwani Experience? Kenzhero the hero thought whom better to translate the history of Party People through music than Kwani Experience? They’ll be doing a set “with the cliché twist”, says Kwani’s spokesperson Po Box, “There’ll be new songs, favorite joints; fused with surprises and surprise acts. We don’t wanna reveal much, but expect some of your favorite acts who have performed at Party People in the last three years.” “We might also do a collaboration with Kenny, we haven’t done it since 2005 so it would be nice…just come to the show words sometimes can’t explain music”, Po concluded. And well with all that said come and join us for the last dance at Roka Lounge, situated on 44 Stanley Ave Milpark. Tickets for this one will be sold at the door for R100. Doors will open at 9:00pm. See you there! For More Info see: www.myspace.com/partypeoplesa or www.myspace.com/kwaniexp Cape-Town Feat Zubz the last letter Zula Bar, Cape-Town 24th July 2009 Last...
Dark Side of the Moon at UCA Gallery
dark side of the moon 1 July – 24 July 2009 In dark side of the moon at UCA Gallery the selected artists all have a quality of exploring and experimenting, be it visually or conceptually, by using the traditional mediums in a new and exciting way, pushing the boundaries of the imagination and giving us new insight as to what art can potentially be or should be, perhaps, to test the limits of the imagination. Featured artists will be Christiaan Diedericks, Julia Mary Grey, Wonder, Albert Coertse, Shani Nel, Conor Ralphs, Hannalie Taute and Theo Kleynhans.. The exhibition will open on Wednesday 1 July and close on 24 July 2009. Gallery Hours: 10am – 5pm Mon – Fri, 9am – 1pm Sat 46 Lower Main Road, Observatory, Cape Town. T: 021 447 4132 E: info@ucagallery.co.za W: www.ucagallery.co.za A group exhibition of artists who choose to use traditional media for expression in inventive and innovative ways, ‘exploring the unknown’ so to speak. The artists featured will be Christiaan Diedericks, Julia Mary Grey, Wonder, Albert Coertse, Shani Nel, Conor Ralphs, Hannalie Taute and Theo Kleynhans. Because of the fact that we never get to see the ‘dark side of the moon’ as the moon’s rate of rotation has become (almost) synchronized with its orbit, it has become synonymous with the unknown and unexplored places of ones own imagination. The unknown factor exists and permeates everything but which cannot be explained and which is veiled from conventional conscious knowledge. Certain artists in the past and present have always found it necessary to explore this ‘other’, unknown/sub-conscious side of themselves and their imagination, and in so doing have created works that can be playful, fantastic or dark and ominous. Being freed from the necessity of depicting the world in a traditional naturalistic way by new forms of media like photography and film, artists have been able to explore and offer new forms/shapes and imaginary landscapes and in so doing find new ways of expressing the subconscious world (which is another symbolic link/association that we have given to the moon – the dream world) and fantasy worlds. In dark side of the moon the selected artists all have this quality of exploring and experimenting, be it visually or conceptually, by using the traditional mediums in a new and exciting way, pushing the boundaries of the imagination and giving us new insight as to what art can potentially be or should be, perhaps, to test the limits of the imagination. The exhibition will open Wednesday evening at 6pm on the 1st of July and close on the 24th of July...
Proudly brought to you by:
