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.'

Kwaito is Dead

Please get out your good chair as this is going to be quite the post. Comfy? Great.

So I am a white South African female and I honestly know nothing about kwaito. It's sad really. 22 years in this beautiful country and I can't even tell you what kwaito is. The internet, being the often cruel and unforgiving place that it is made me want to write about kwaito from a new perspective. I don't want to pretend that I am some sort of kwaito historian. Instead I am going to embrace my ignorance and give you an account of what it's like to get into kwaito for the first time.

First, a story. In 2011 I stayed in Johannesburg and did freelance photography. One day I had to photograph an event in Alexandra township. I wasn't very good at navigating the city of gold at that stage so I packed my GPS and hoped for the best. I got to the supposed venue and there were many people but it did not resemble the event I was supposed to be shooting. Eventually I pulled my car over and asked some people for directions. They said that they couldn't help me but they knew someone who could. A phone call later and a jolly looking man came out of a house and greeted me. I have sadly forgotten his name but he proceeded to get into his car and help me try find the venue I was supposed to be at. We drove up and down the streets of Alex to no avail but I will never forget that day for as long as I live. All the people going about their daily business on the streets, everyone laughing and interacting and most importantly, the music. The streets were filled with it. All the little shop radios trying to outdo each other. It was beautiful and sad at the same time. Beautiful because I got to experience a whole other world and sad because the suburbs paled in comparison. Yes we have better and more efficient access to electricity and water and yes we are better looked after by the municipality but the suburbs can be so devoid of life and culture. I did not know my neighbours' names and I didn't care to ask. We were all just hiding behind high fences and self-importance.

So let's get back on track. That anecdote is what I immediately think of when I hear 'kwaito.' I think of people having good times in the streets and not sweating the small stuff. To me, kwaito is carefree but not in the whimsical sense and it's about having a good time. Scrap that, a great time!

Even though it is now a big cash-generating industry it is still a form of music that makes me think of the people. Even though it would never be my go-to genre of music, I have started gaining a thorough appreciation for it. Most of it comes across as so DIY and a bit cheesy. I even find it humorous but I'm unsure if that's an insult or not? I still have a lot to learn about kwaito but in these coming weeks I hope to be shown a thing or two.

I will leave you with this music video by Big Nuz, according to a source they are pretty big right now.

Review: Provider Lacrimosa EP

Before I get into the review, we need to go back to a time when dish towels were still absorbent and they didn't sell premixed alcohol. Around 2005 to 2009 the Durban hardcore scene was thriving. Not just the hardcore scene but the whole Durban music scene. There was Sibling Rivalry, Fruits and Veggies, The Rising End, Go! Go! Bronco, Colin Grove, City of Gates and many others. Kids were going to shows, bands were giving it their all and there was a general feeling of stoke in the air.

I remember getting home from shows, lying in bed and feeling as though I was a part of something. At some point all of that changed. Bands disbanded, crowds decrowded and people unpeopled. Durban has always had the mist of apathy floating around the humid streets but it felt like a whole lot of factors gathered together and bid the scene adieu.

Whenever new bands form in Durban we cling on to them as if they are a beacon of hope, a beacon of what once was. It was the same with Provider. Will they single-handedly reignite the scene? Will they make me feel the way I felt about music when I was 17?

They refer to themselves as a screamo influenced hardcore band and I can't put it any better myself. Listening to their album is arduous and I mean that in a positive sense. The theme of mortality features in all the songs and it really takes it out of you. The instrumental is beautiful and emotive, and Will Edgcumbe's vocals feel like they are coming from the very depth of his being. With that said, when I listen to it, I can't help but feel like it would be better to experience it live. The recording isn't bad but it lacks something. The sound doesn't feel as full as it should be.

Also I expected something a bit less generic. Yes they have procured a nice blend of hardcore and screamo but with the members of their band being as immersed in music as they are, I thought there would be more progression and musical-boundary-pushing.

The real stand out track for me was 'The Pearl.' I am a sucker for gang vocals but it feels so brutally honest and simple. With the lyrics "it's a terrible thing to die too old, it's a terrible thing to die too young" being shouted out over and over again you get lost in thoughts about life and death.

Overall it's a good effort but in the future I hope they take more risks. It feels as though they have so much potential yet something is holding them back and I hope they break down those boundaries and produce something that really blows you away and reignites the hope that one day our scene will be returned to the glory that it once revelled in.

You can check out Provider here and get your hands on their album here.

RAMfest 2013

So Durban has been getting quite a few international acts lately. RAMfest really did us a solid and bought Pendulum, Rise Against and Bring Me the Horizon to our shores. Durban has been known to get the raw end of the deal. Even when Sum 41 were supposed to play here the weather did its thing and that was that, no show. With all of this in my head I went to watch Rise Against and Bring Me the Horizon at the Wavehouse on Friday night.

My night was a bit of blur and the next day I heard a story about a guy having a big ol wank in public after the show. I guess some people express their enjoyment in different ways? Anyways, on with the review.

I have to say that I miss the excitement I used to feel when I was young and going to shows. I don't know what it is (cynicism?) but I don't feel the way I used to about live shows. Maybe my expectations are too high? Maybe I'm not watching the right bands? But I haven't left a show in a while feeling really blown away and impressed.

I have to say that Bring Me the Horizon and Rise Against did not disappoint. The sound was good and it felt like I was 17 again but therein lay the problem. It was almost too nostalgic. It's the same as always, bands usually come here when they are past their prime. By then you have usually moved onto other acts. Yes, you can still enjoy their performance but I can't help but think how great it would've been a few years ago.

waiting

Maybe that's just me though. The Facebook feedback was fully positive, the turn out was great and I found myself thinking 'where are all of these people when local bands are playing?'

With all of that said, you have to commend the people organising RAMfest. They are one of the few institutions helping to bring big acts over and you can't fault them on their work. It is handled very professionally and I'm excited to see who will be on the lineups in the future.

This Is Kwaicore

Isn't it strange how two siblings can be so different? Same parents, same upbringing, same environment, two polar opposite personalities. One wears jeans and the other prefers baggies. One eats peas, the other got scurvy last year due to a Vitamin C deficiency. One of them has the Lost box set and the other, well, they are into Californication.

This phenomenon is not specific to families. We see examples of it everywhere. Authors writing books on opposing sides of the literary spectrum, television channels playing soap operas during the day and documentaries at night. Something connects them yet something separates them too.

Where am I going with this? Kwaicore of course. A musical genre forged on the sun-scorched streets. A hybrid combining all the good facets of kwaito and hardcore punk, churning out a powerhouse of unashamed passion. Music for the people by the people.

Both hardcore punk and kwaito have beginnings in social change. As the strongholds of apartheid began to fall, kwaito found its voice and in a way, it provided the soundtrack for the transformation that lay ahead. Early punk musicians were unhappy about the way things were at the time, politically and socially, so they used music to amplify their opinions. Hardcore then took this ethos and turned the traditional song structure on its head.

The two genres had a certain shock factor at the time and as the years progressed and we as a society became increasingly desensitised, it took something radical to grab our attention. With this kwaito and punk started fading into obscurity. Two genres on two very different sides of the musical smorgasbord yet rooted in very similar ideals. Each fading away yet morphing into something new.

This is about their comeback.