Represent Review & photos: 5FM Soweto
She’s just landed in Joburg and already AmorAmor’s getting down ekasi – see some pics here: Man! What do you say about a 5FM house music gig in Soweto? First thing that comes to mind: “What took them so long?” This past Saturday a bunch of us from Represent had the pleasure of being part of 5FM’s first ever broadcast of the Saturday Surgery live and direct from the Backroom, Pimville, Soweto. Roger Goode’s CD launch tour chose a brilliant venue for their last stop. The Backroom is stylish, funky and spacious. So funky that the model set pulled in around 9pm and ensconced themselves in the VIP area. We were loving the kasi drinking style of one bottle and several glasses or a smokey ice-bucket teetering with cold beverages to keep the table happy all night long… so much better than to-ing-and fro-ing to the bar. Everyone was working the smart-casual dress-code with flair (even us average Joes), the people were friendly, the vibe was relaxed and hopping and the music was perfect for an easy night out. Combine all this and you get a club that holds it’s own against any of Jozi’s “up-market” night venues, without being snobby. Granted for non-locals, getting there is not for the faint of heart (I’d be lost for sure if it wasn’t for our navigator) but this just means you gotta get you some friends that know the way. On the way to the party we all wondered why this was the first time 5FM is broadcasting their popular dance show live from Soweto and how they would be received. I mean, we are all aware of how hard the station has been working to broaden their demographic base- but, have their efforts been successful? There was no queue when we arrived around 6:30 (press release said first set at 6pm) and only a few people inside. Let’s be honest, we were worried! Was 5FM going to be rejected as a vestige of the whitening (I made that up) of our African culture? Or would they prove that they can bridge the gap and bring it home? We decide to play it neutral and write off the slow turn-out to the fact that no self-respecting party animal leaves the house before 7pm at the earliest. We were right. Around 8 the crowd started pouring in (still early for Jozi) and by 9 it was pumping. Not the over-flowing, two-block-waiting line we’re all led to believe follows the 5fm gigs, but very respectable. Whether this was due to 5FM’s popularity or the naturally inviting nature of the people of Soweto… well I’ll leave the...
TICKETS! First 5FM live broadcast in Soweto
*To win a pair of tickets for Saturday please email the editor with subject 5FM, include your name, age and cell number asap!* We know two people that went to the 5FM Roger Goode party last weekend and neither of them could stop grinning about it… so we’re sure this weekend’s gig is going to be just as memorable – but it also has a twist. Witness history as 5FM’s Roger Goode (and the station in general) have a live broadcast eKasi (hello!!! Where u been??) It’s at the Backroom in Pimville this Saturday night – R50 gets you in. Let’s hope they make it a regular part of their vibe now. Represent! They have travelled far & wide playing at sell-out venues across SA… This Saturday, 5FM & Roger Goode make history by concluding the “Saturday Surgery Vol 3” CD tour at Backroom in Soweto. This is the first time ever for a live 5FM broadcast from Soweto. The doors for Saturday’s party opens from 5pm, leading up to a live broadcast of 5FM’s Saturday Surgery from 6pm. Roger has just wrapped production on the highly anticipated 3rd instalment of his popular “Saturday Surgery” CD compilation series. To celebrate the release of this selection of stylish electronic/dance music culture, Roger’s 5FM show The Saturday Surgery (Saturdays 6-10pm) is hitting party spots all over SA for one of the hottest & biggest CD/live music tours to ever hit the local party scene. Below follows the line-up for the live broadcast and party this weekend: Saturday 9 June 2007 Backroom, Soweto, Johannesburg 6pm – Roger Goode (5FM) 7pm – Daddy H & the SoulCandi SoundSystem 8pm – DJ Terrance 9pm until late! – Roger Goode (5FM) Ticket price: R50 Tickets available at the...
5FM ventures into Soweto…
It’s next weekend and we’re yet to hear where the hunky Roger Goode (thanks Cleo magazine centrefold) will be performing in Soweto. We’re so glad 5fm are finally venturing into ekasi and we hope we’ll be invited to attend 🙂 We’ll try hook up some tickets Representers. Watch this space. For now, the party is on Saturday night at Sudada – enjoy – here’s the PR: Roger Goode and 5FM have travelled across the country serving hot beats everywhere; this weekend, they return to Jozi… Sandton, Johannesburg this Saturday, 2 June, signals one of the final dates on 5FM & Roger Goode’s “Saturday Surgery Vol 3” CD tour. Su.da.da will be opening their doors for Saturday’s party from 4pm, leading up to a live broadcast of 5FM’s Saturday Surgery from 6pm. Steve Sorrell and 5FM’s Erica Elle will get the party started during the afternoon. Roger has just wrapped production on the highly anticipated 3rd instalment of his popular “Saturday Surgery” CD compilation series. To celebrate the release of this selection of stylish electronic/dance music culture, Roger’s 5FM show The Saturday Surgery (Saturdays 6-10pm) is hitting party spots all over SA for one of the hottest & biggest CD/live music tours to ever hit the local party scene. Below follows the line-up for the live broadcast and party this weekend: Saturday 2 June 2007 Su.da.da, Sandton, Johannesburg 4pm – Steve Sorrell 5pm – Erica Elle (5FM) Live broadcast of Roger Goode’s Saturday Surgery on 5FM (6-10pm): 6pm – Ricardo da Costa 7pm – Lady Lea 8pm – Flash Republic LIVE on stage 9pm – Roger Goode (5FM) 10pm – Goldfish LIVE on stage 12am – Lady Lea 1am – Roger Goode (5FM) 2am – Ryan Dent VJ – GForce (Digital Rockit) Ticket price: R120 / VIP R180 Tickets available from Computicket, Cameroon outlets & at the door. The full tour schedule for the “Saturday Surgery Vol 3” CD tour follows below. Each venue will feature a live broadcast of Roger Goode’s Saturday Surgery on 5FM (Saturdays 6-10pm): 2 June – Su.da.da, Sandton, Johannesburg 9 June –...
Soweto Kinch – London’s sweetest Jazz boy
Wow – talk about a cool name – meet London’s youngest and most popular Jazz saxophonist Soweto Kinch – he’s not from South Africa – but he sure seems to carry a little South Western Township spirit n the way he blows that horn. At 28 he is kicking some touche, playing alongside Abdullah Ibrahim, Herbie Hancock, Cassandra Wilson and other fabulous Jazz muso’s at the London Jazz Fe… stival on right now in London. Other locals at the festival besides Dollar Brand are Bheki Mseleku and the sweet voiced and soulful Zimbabwean Jazz vocalist Netsayi, who sings in Shona. Click here for more on the London Jazz festival and to buy tickets. Here’s more on Soweto Kinch below or read an interview with him at FLY here (thx for the pic – photographer Damian Rafferty) and click here to hear/see him on YouTube: Born in London, England in 1978 to a Barbadian father and British-Jamaican mother, Soweto Kinch is one of the most exciting and versatile young musicians to hit the British jazz scene in recent years. He first became interested in music at the tender age of eight, playing clarinet at primary school. He quickly developed a fondness for the alto saxophone and was given his first instrument when he was nine. After meeting Wynton Marsalis four years later he discovered and became passionate about jazz, first concentrating on piano and later, in his teens, focusing on alto saxophone. Soweto’s musical influences are as broad as they are diverse. He particularly admires Sonny Rollins for his innovative style and successful appropriation of West Indian music within the jazz canon. Most recently, Soweto has been influenced by baroque and early classical music due to an interest he has in the 17th and 18th century black population of Britain. He is keen to reconstruct the African and classical influences that this community would have had. As an alto player, Soweto is rapidly developing his own sound which is rich, energetic and dynamic and though he clearly has a strong respect for tradition, he is continually exploring his jazz inheritance. In 2001 he established the Soweto Kinch Trio – with bassist Michael Olatuja and drummer Troy Miller, both exceptional young players – which supported Courtney Pine at the former Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club, Birmingham and performed at the Royal Festival Hall and Cheltenham International Jazz Festival. His aim with the Trio was to move audiences with the simplicity of his band and to discover the breadth of sounds and dynamics he could achieve with these basic elements. At the end of 2002, Soweto began work on his dýbut album, extending...
Should the revolution be photographed???
Here’s a powerful piece sent to us by SowetoRocks.com – it talks of the new struggle for the youth – HIV and AIDS and how the youth need to, like their ancestors 30 years ago, take the situation into their own hands if it is to truly change. Today we were listening to a popular radio station and heard one of the female freedom fighters comparing the youth of ’76 with the youth… of today – we felt that her stance was an important one – Our take on what she was saying was that “The youth of ’76 had DISCIPLINE – they knew how to focus, how to get it together and how to move forward as one.” Question is, can our youth find the same discipline? Do they need an iconic image to remind them of this discipline? What do you think? Here it is: June 16th is a day set aside to celebrate the spirit and power of South African Youth. We proudly honour the sacrifices of the generation of children past; and there is no more powerful symbol of this than Sam Nzima’s famous photograph of our children bearing the bloodied body of Hector Pietersen. As you might expect, the world is a very different place for today’s youth. While they no longer face the oppressor’s bullets, boys and girls today face a far more insidious threat: the HIV virus. Society also sees today’s youth very differently, for our legal system rules the age of sexual consent is 16meaning it’s legally ok for a 16 year old to have sex with 49 year old if both consent. We do ask them to wait to 18 before they can elect a president, bear arms in our armed forces, drive to the club or consume alcohol. Somehow the responsibilities that go along with these rights are too much for 16 year olds. In our HIV and AIDS documentary UNZIPPED (sponsored by Levi’s Red 4 Life and run last year on SABC1), one of the most poignant moments is when a 17-year-old teen declared, “we need to realize that we are children playing adult games.” Clearly we need to ask ourselves when do today’s children become adults. (As an aside, when the parent protested that her daughter had no right to appear in our documentary without her consent, SABC required that the teen be visually distorted. Old enough to do it but not old enough to talk about it.) Generally accepted policy to prevent the spread of HIV amongst our youth is summarized as follows: A.) abstain B.) be faithful C.) condomize D.) delay having sex Given the...
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