Appreciating 'African' music...

I had the immense pleasure last night of interviewing one of South Africa's hottest DJ talents, a man who is mixing house music with hip hop, and spreading this African blend of musical love around the UK. He's based here and has residencies across London - our very own export - DJ Mo Laudi!

And not only was he all the things that I love about a true creator - passionate, interesting, inspired - but super dedicated. While chatting it came out that it was his bday yday and yet there he was doing a media interview with all the focus and enthusiasm as if it were any other day of the year!

We chatted about the increasing African music scene and the worlds' growing interest in music from more exotic destinations, and we spoke about Mo Laudi's musical creations and what he loves doing... which is a little bit of everytyhing... crossing samples and genres and styles... and it is this multi-mixing mentality that always gets me most exuberated about South African music...

South Africa possesses such a superb variety of influences, cultures, experiences and cross-polinated creative people, that one never knows what will be created next... and with that shared Africaness as a label of pride, I was most impressed to see a post on a website yday from Dale Stewart, the guitarist of LA-based, SA exports Seether... where he was invited to submit his eight fave tracks right now ... and right in there with The Pixies and Deftones, was our dearest Johnny Clegg. Crossing all sorts of boundaries and geographical borders, South African music is osmosising into the hearts and pysches of the world!

And so, with only a week to go until the first MTV Africa Music Awards, I still have some research to do into HHP (Hip Hop Pantsula), DJ Cleo and Jozi as I promised. And meeting Mo Laudi fuelled that desire to really find out what the fuss is all about in this self-evolving genre of music captivating South Africans.

Rock on to discovering new music,
x

PS. For those fans of Plush - catch lead singer Rory Eliot tonight at The Watershed in Wimbledon!

August already...

And so it goes that the summer days make time fly! And much music indeed, as always.

Treated to the intimacy of Plush at my recent debut of the Islington Academy- an up-close-and-personal plush experience of crowd participation at its utmost best! With some industry boys around for this showcase, not even being 2 band members under quota could stop these guys!

Alas, Rory and Ben were flying virtually solo as the 2 guitarists got bounced at Heathrow and sent home on the next flight out straight after arriving!!
But with drummer Ben adding just the gravitas that the venue needed, the 2 belted out a bunch of brilliant tracks! With Mann Friday on support the crowd was also well warmed up when they came on! Wonderful evening!

And the next night (26 July) saw South Africa's current Ibiza locals doing a night of their Goldfish toons! Described as amazing in many diff ways by those who went!

And so it was that Friday before Goldfish that it clicked in my head when looking at adorable Ben of Plush and hot blonde Dominique of Goldfish that I realised not only did they look oddly alike in nose and facial structure, but strangely so they even had the same surname...

Hmmmm, coincidence this could be... or not!

Well, connecting South African artists family trees aside (though this could be an interesting exercise to link which families are more musically blessed than others!)

As for other music in August - ooh, we've got some good solid SA rock coming up... Prime Circle, Parlos, Mann Friday and Starseed battling it out at Surface Unsigned (tomorrow night) and then not forgetting the one and only Johnny Clegg at the end of August!

Rock on rock music!
x

7 weeks til 2008?

I heard something scary today... a wake-up call really! Most of us will take it in different ways, but at the realisation of 7 WEEKS 'TIL 2008, one is left to wonder how one will best spend this time, and what one still has to tick off the '2007 To Do' before we can launch fully into 2008!

I for one am excited by the thought of 2008. Partly cos it has a good ring to it (and 8 is my lucky number), but also cos I was once told by a palm reader in Thailand years ago that 2004-2008 would be dark years for me, and that 2008 would see a new phase. Hmmmm... funny how something so irrelevant stuck in my brain.

But pressing pause on looking forward, lets make the most of what's left. And when it comes to SA music in and around London, there is loads of it!

First up is Just Jinjer who feature in this weeks South African paper with a few Q&A's and 3 things you probably didn't know about Just Jinjer! They will be rocking their usual venue at the Shepherds Bush Walkabout next week Wednesday and Thursday!

Also coming soon are the SAMA Best Rock Album 2007 winners, Cassette, who will be playing a Monday gig at the Halfmoon on the 26 November! Having reviewed their album in the South African only last week, I am very much amped to get some of their groove live and in my ears. Their debut album is a fabulous one for sure! Check it out!

And in light of new years ahead and old ones past, it was with much interest that I read a message from Rory Eliot and the Reason (ex-Plush), stating that their Evolution is complete and that they will, from now on, be officially called Plush, again. Sometimes its good to stick with what works!

And sometimes its good to try something new! If it is new you're after, then head on down to the Aardvark this Sunday for a SA charity music event called "I Can Move", in aid of a quadriplegic charity in South Africa! The day kicks off at 10am and goes on through to 2030, with Dorp headlining and closing this SA day! But even Dorp is a common name around here on the gig blog! Lots of other artists to check out - Feral Sun, User2beSyris, Nadia Walsh and Dave Diss... should be a good day with many a Savanna and Castle on hand too!

So check out the gig blog listings, and most importantly- watch this space!

Rock on Movember,
x

ps. Anyone out there growing a mo (aka a 'tash) for the charity who renamed this month in aid of charity?

6 degrees of sad separation

Here's something a bit more interesting to add to your SA Music trivia. Most of it is quite sad this week, but more so amazing how many SA Music artists are interlinked in the strangest of ways...

1. Fevertree arrive in UK, backed by Musketeer Records, for first gig on 12 September 2007

2. Musketeer Records started with the band Saron Gas, then to become Seether, who they made famous and got them signed in the States

3. Living in California, lead singer of Seether, Shaun Morgan's brother Eugene jumped to his death out a hotel window a month ago on 13 August 2007

4. Eugene was a good friend with Chas Smit, lead guitarist of Plush, who was killed by a drunken driver exactly two years ago on 18 September 2005

5. Ironic also that Seether's last released album, two years ago to the day on 19 September 2005, was called Karma & Effect

6. And currently promoting her upcoming tour in the UK is one of the few SA artists alongside Seether & Just Jinjer, to make it in the States, Karma (ex-Henry Ate)

If you have one, then please share your 6 degrees of SA music separation with us!

Rock on SA Music,
x