Interpret Kwaicore

I recently got back from Cape Town and it got me thinking, 'how would different cities interpret kwaicore?'

In the South African music scene there is a noticeable difference between the music coming out of different locations at the moment. Cape Town is leagues ahead, Jo' Burg is melting many flavours together and Durban, well, we don't like to talk about Durban. So let's fast forward to a time where kwaicore is as exposed as one feels when purchasing condoms and phallic fruits (coincidence, I swear).

JOHANNESBURG

When kwaicore started coming out in Johannesburg the people were left going 'What the heck? We've been mixing shit up for years.' Despite that they realised that no previous GP genres bought the heaviness and the funk quite like kwaicore did. Living in the city of gold, opportunity was coming at musicians like TB at home affairs. There are quite a few internationally recognised kwaicore acts that have come out of Egoli. One band has also managed to make a career out of music, heaven forbid! It required them to create a kwaicore wine, a kwaicore meal for KFC and a kwaicore computer but hey, that's innovation right?

DURBAN

Durban, oh Durby Durbs. What happened with you and kwaicore? At first people were trying to put kwaicore through the punk meat grinder but the mince on the other side was full of E Coli and sad. Regardless of these wobbly beginnings, it was popular for three months in Durban until all of the musicians pushing kwaicore decided that Cape Town was a better city to be in if you wanted to get anywhere. They left and with them went the kwaicore scene. A few people attempted to refly the flag but there were no venues to play at as the Winston had become a bingo hall for old timers with a penchant for punk. These days Durbanites sit at home and reminisce about the kwaicore days whilst sipping on Black Labels.  

CAPE TOWN

The truth is that Cape Town knew about kwaicore before it even existed. There are few bands still playing it actually. It's so Y2K. They have a whole new genre there called pubstep, dance music made for sipping a few beers after work. One of the greatest kwaicore acts in Cape Town is actually from Belville, of course. The Cape version of kwaicore is very user friendly. Very Nokia 3310. You can flail to it, you can frolic to it, you can chill to it and you can read J.K. Rowling's The Casual Vacancy to it. It's versatile. Apparently kwaicore worked so well to help integrate different cultures in Cape Town that there are in fact no black or white people left in Cape Town. They are all coloured now.

And there you have it! The future!

hXc

The more you are surrounded by something, the more you tend to forget about what sets it apart. Example. I have been listening to hardcore and going to shows for a few years now so everything that happens within that realm is familiar. I have forgotten what it was like to hear it for the first time and how I felt about it. When I hear silly things like 'it's scary,' 'they seem so angry' or my personal favourite 'can you even hear what they are saying?' I get miffed off without realising that people tend to discard what they don't understand. Fear not! Clarity is but a few sentences away!

1. 'It's all just shouting.'

The truth is that deciphering the lyrics isn't like finding a clean portaloo at a festival, it's actually pretty easy. You just need to pay attention and if you're really battling, there are always lyric sheets online. Hardcore bands often put a lot of thought into their lyrics so they will find a way to get the lyrics to you. The sound on live videos of bands is usually quite bad, don't judge a band's sound by a fan's phone video work. The general rule here is this, the more you listen, the better you hear.

2. 'They look like scary, tough guys.'

It's 2013. Tattoos and piercings aren't taboo anymore. If they are, you need to leave wherever it is that you are staying because they must be oppressing a lot more than your bodily rights. The funny thing about hardcore is that it spawned straight edge. A subculture that does not believe in drinking alcohol, casual sex or taking drugs. Even more extreme is the hardline subculture. They reject alcohol, casual sex, drugs, tobacco, coffee and they are vegan.

With that said, just because you don't drink or take drugs doesn't mean you're a nice person. The thing with hardcore is that it's a brotherhood, and a sisterhood. Everyone knows each other and everyone looks out for one another. It's more than just listening to a few tracks on your computer. It's about being part of a greater community that cares for one another. Most of the hardcore kids from all the different provinces in South Africa know each other, it's just the way it is.

3. 'Are you just trying to hurt each other?'

Hardcore shows are all about high energy performances and sometimes it would seem that the audience is trying to outdo the band. There are many different ways for the crowd to get involved. Slam dancing, mosh pits, pogoing and the infamous wall of death are all on offer at hardcore shows. Just like that person who decides to make 5 deposits at the ATM, there is always someone at a hardcore show making the scene look bad. Often they don't even know their Gallows from their Facing the Gallows and they thought xxx* was Vin Diesel's greatest movie. They enter the pit in order to throw some cheap shots in someone's face and they are not welcome. Bands have been known to call out individuals who are ruining everyone else's fun. Throwing down in the pit is not about seeing how many people you can hurt. If someone falls down, you help them up.

4. 'I still don't understand.'

As I said before, hardcore is all about camaraderie. It's about being a part of something and it's about growing the scene. It's about going out and having a good time. It's about being yourself and accepting others. I can honestly say that most of my teenage education came from going to shows and learning from the people that surrounded me. Don't let it intimidate you. Listen to the music, go to the shows and get yourself a PhXC!

*seeing as though this post is for educational purposes, xxx is a symbol of straight edge

I'm Bad Milk, Drink It

Ever since music has existed, it's been evolving. Blues, jazz, punk, metal, rock, indie. All of these genres are connected in some way, melding together and branching off from one another. Inspiring countless musicians to create and innovate. To perform and go against the norm.

That's where Tyler, The Creator comes in. Since he released his first album in 2009 he's been the wolf in the sheep pen, fitting considering his latest album is titled 'Wolf.'



I used to loathe anything hip hop/rap related until I got educated. All you need is someone to lift the veil of commercial music and a whole world opens up to you. Nelly and Puff Daddy got replaced by Tyler, Non Phixion and Jedi Mind Tricks made you forget that Lil Wayne existed in the first place.

Back to Tyler. He was one of those artists that made me take a step back and realise that my musical narrow-mindedness had been causing me to miss out. It was like nothing I had heard before. Rap but dark and moody. Rap but with better, more old school beats. Rap but better than rap. Rap that couldn't have a 'c' added to the front of it.

It's a shame that punk always gets associated with the 'not giving a fuck' attitude because there are other musicians doing exactly that. He spoke about touchy subject matter. Rape, self-mutilation, murder. It makes you uncomfortable, it makes you question, it's music that makes you think.

Like all good musicians, he's progressed from his earlier albums. As he told SPIN magazine,

"Talking about rape and cutting bodies up, it just doesn't interest me anymore. What interests me is making weird hippie music for people to get high to. With Wolf, I'll brag a little bit more, talk about money and buying shit. But not like any other rapper, I'll be a smart-ass about it. Now it's just girls throwing themselves at me and shit, but I got a girl back home. People who want the first album again, I can't do that. I was 18, broke as fuck. On my third album, I have money and I'm hanging out with my idols. I can't rap about the same shit."

In all of this there is a weird disconnect between Tyler as a musician and Tyler as a person. His lyrical content is genius yet reading his Twitter feed feels like you're dealing with an entirely different person. It makes you wonder how much of him is persona and where does the real Tyler start and finish.
Either way, he has spun rap in a whole new direction and who knows where he's going to stop turning.

TGIF

It's Friday, it's the weekend, it's party time, it's time to get LOOSE! There is just something about waking up on a Friday. All the worries of the week disappear and your sights get locked onto those two glorious days ahead.

Whilst looking for a bit more information on kwaito I came across a weekly feature that Dont Party does called Pantsula Fridays. Don't let the name of their blog mislead you, they want you to party, they really do and if anyone knows anything about partying, it's them.

Pantsula and kwaito go together like moms and afternoon sandwiches. It's all about getting out your best moves and grinding your feet on that floor until the sole of your shoe is so flat you can't even walk into a Checkers without slipping and sliding down the aisles.

The music on offer has come a long way since the original kwaito but man is it good. Instead of evolving into something completely removed from its roots, it's been renovated. The initial product is still there, just better. If you're not breaking it down in your office chair in anticipation for the weekend, you're doing it wrong. There is something for everyone so you have no excuse.

Go give it a listen, now!

If links aren't your thing, here we go, you're welcome.

That Festival Feeling

Hey! Hello! I'm back!

Firstly, sorry it took so long to resume posting. When I go to festivals, I go to festivals. There is no in between and so I came back a broken human. But I have my energy back (kinda) and I'm ready to get this blog back on track!

It's hard to write about festivals. So much happens and you don't want to write a mini thesis on your experience. So instead of relaying my Splashy Fen stories (of which there are many) I decided to look at festivals in general.

I have attended quite a few festivals around South Africa which means I have a tendency to compare them. They all have their pros and cons and you really notice how they differ from province to province. KZN festivals are more relaxed and friendly, Gauteng festivals are more 'survival of the fittest' and Western Cape festivals are always so goddamn beautiful.

One of the greatest things about music festivals is discovering new music. Generally it's hard to get out of your comfort zone but at a festival you have nothing else to do but live in the moment, so why not go and watch a band/artist that you've never seen before?

It's good to venture out and not let your tastes stagnate. Even if you watch a band that you don't like, it will make you appreciate your favourites even more.

Out of diversity comes beautiful things, like Albany Best of Both bread, Snuggies and kwaicore of course. So get out there and watch some new music!

Special mention goes out to Shortstraw and Al Bairre for producing such rad sounds at Splashy. Here's to next year.

Be Right Back

Hello everyone, I'm heading to Splashy Fen today and will be back on Monday. Posts should resume by Tuesday. Keep it real!

Bridging the Divide

Kwaicore is quite funny when you think about it. Even though kwaito and hardcore punk have somewhat similar beginnings, they have morphed into two genres that are oceans apart from one another. Even with our complex human minds it is hard to imagine what kwaicore would even sound like. Kwaito with a more furious, punch to the face kind of sound? Or hardcore punk with a dancier, chilled out groove? Even though it is hard to envision the two coming together, there are a few bands out there who have successfully melded two different worlds into one crowd-pulling whole.

Without further ado I give you, Desmond & The Tutus. They have always had something special about them. For as long as I can remember, their internet description has been 'kwela-indie-pop-rock' and they really do have that township vibe about them. As a band, if you can create a popular genre of music whilst still giving it some local flair, you are doing it right! Even their website is based on traditional healer flyers that get handed out at the robots. People are so quick to eschew their heritage without realising that it can be a massive source of inspiration. The culture that you grew up in is a big help with the quest for the holy grail of creativity, originality.

excuse me, rainbow coming through

Despite being super talented, I think a lot of their success comes from the fact that they are so relatable. When you listen to them it gives you that South African nostalgia. Their lyrical content doesn't even touch on it but whenever I hear them I think of playing marco polo with my friends on a sweltering afternoon or taking out my lunch box at break to see what mom had packed for the day.

The point I'm trying to make is that good things can happen when two worlds collide. You are constantly getting a fresh perspective from each side and you will never find yourself stagnating or caught in a single-minded bubble. With that in mind, can a kwaicore collaboration please just happen already!?




Above is the promotional video they did for their album 'Mnusic.'