The Chiz : cd review

Punk Arise!

David — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 06:13:30 GMT

There’s the old joke that punk is not dead, it just smells that way. Well, here’s proof that it certainly isn’t dead: Lambination III!

The compilation is from Dead Lamb Records in Ireland and features underground punk bands from all over the world. Including South Africa. Cape Town’s Mutiny open the album up and Joburg’s Swivel Foot are more or less in the middle. It is 21 tracks of pure punk mayhem and enough to gladden the heart of any old punk. Or a new one for that matter.

The sound of the CD is interesting. Some of these guys clearly don’t have much in the way or a recording budget and in this sense, the album is REALLY old school. It seems very much the case that the idea is to get the sound as raw and real as the live sound. Stylistically, its pretty old school as well.. not much in the way of frills and extra’s… just plain old punk and roll.

Punk music over the years has risen and sunk like a corpse in the river of the damned. Its various incarnations and variations are enough to make your head spin. SO I am not even going to Try and catalogue that all here. But what I will say is that if you maintain any kind of interest in the genre, this is a fascinating snapshot of what is going on at a grass roots level with punk bands across the glob. One thing you will notice is that it does seem to include a lot of drinking. Some fiery political sentiments and a lot of drinking.

If you are an angry young punk kid, you will gain plenty of grist to add to your mill here. And if you are a crusty old punk kid, you’ll enjoy a trip down memory lane with some great new twists.

Check out the home of Deadlamb records here http://www.deadlambrecords.com/
and if you are keen on buying the album, go find it on www.interpunk.com
You can also go straight to his paypal link if you have Paypal credits.
https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr

The Kings Of All They Survey

David — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 05:43:04 GMT

When I was in the UK in 2003, 4 scraggly hill-billy looking guys were interviewed on TV and touted as The Next Big Thing! I laughed. How typical of the British music press I thought.

Well, 5 years and four albums later, I reckon Kings of Leon must actually be my favourite band in the world. Well, certainly alongside the Strokes and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs! I have suffered a renaissance in my interest in indie music and these guys were at the forefront of it.

Brothers and cousins from Hicksville USA playing southern country rock doesn’t sound like a recipe for success in the indie rock n roll market, but these guys pull it off somehow.

Their latest album Only By The Night features plenty of everything that is good about this band: harmony, arrangements, massive hooks and a quirky sort of humour that sneaks up on you. The massive first single Sex on Fire is pure vintage Kings of Leon and snares you right up with great hooks and intelligent arrangement.

The entire album is worth a solid listening. For me, their previous release still tops it, but then I have only had this one on heavy rotation for two weeks as opposed to 2 years!

Here in South Africa they are a little known act mainly due, one feels, to the lack of radio airtime they enjoy here. Which is a pity as they are truly amazing and will appeal across the board, being way more classic rock than anything fad driven. I mean they are being described by the international press as one of the great American bands of our time!

Check out their site for more back story, or the great profile on Wikipedia, but mainly, go and buy ALL their records!
www.kingsofleon.com

In My CD player this week…

David — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 04:35:00 GMT

It's no secret that I am a fan of SA rock. But even for me what is currently on heavy rotation in my CD player is a bit of a surprise.

I have 4 South African bands whose CD’s I am playing back to back. Well, not all of them are bands, making things even more curious.

So, here it is, my four most highly rated CD’s of the moment. (in no particular order)

340ML – Sorry For The Delay
I have ranted at length about this already. But this new 340ML is really transcendental. I love the fact that it is genre busting, sophisticated yet plain old fun reggae all at the same time.

Paul Flynn – Fields
Damn this is a brilliant example of a singer song-write at the height of his powers. Its lyrical, funny, emotional, intelligent and catchy. Flynn has always been know os somewhat of a master wordsmith and on this album he outdoes himself. Reminds me of Lloyd Cole, Elvis Costello and ole Morrissey (circa Smiths days) at their very best.

Rambling Bones – Watchin and Waiting
This is the debut solo effort from Fuzigish front-man Jay Bones. Its a weird mix of hill-billy country, punk ethos, folk and rockabilly. And it works magnificently. As with the Flynn album, there is a palpable sense of a singer having fun with what they do, free of the constraints that their band may be having on them. It's fun, clever and easy repeat listening.

Slashdogs – Hunger
This one was a surprise because I have never really been what you would call a fan of this band. But this record is magnificent. Throwing off the expectations of any kind of commercial recognition they have come up with a killer. Yes there are those hard driving Slashdogs numbers, but there are also some very clever and deep, quieter songs. They carry it off with aplomb.

As is traditional with most of this kind of stuff, you may battle to find it out there on the streets. I admit, all my copes have come direct from the artists or managers themselves, or even direct fro their label. But Look and Listen is always the best bet to pick up this kind of stuff so go and ask at the counter there somewhere, or go visit the band sites for more info.

Putting the Pieces Together For Unit R

David — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 07:29:00 GMT

The hype and the muttering has been emanating from Cape Town about Unit R for some time now. They came to Jozi City a while back and played a gig here as part fo a bigger line-up. According to all accounts they aquitted themselves well. So then it was with great interests that The Chiz headed off to Carfax on 4 April to see their album launch party and see for meself what all the fuss was about.

But before we even get to the band, let me note here that I was somewhat surprised to see that the gig was at Carfax. It’s a damn big venue, about 1000 max capacity, and its in Newtown, a place which is not a passing trade venue. It is a destination venue: one you only go to for a very specific reason on a very specific night. For a band that had playing only one previous show in Johannesburg, this for a start seemed like an odd decision. Either they were VERY confident, or they were VERY misinformed or they were just plain arrogant about their punching power in the Big Smoke. Either way, an odd choice. And then the kicker. kidofdoom as support act. Omigod, didn’t I write about this a week or so ago? It’s de ja moo: the feeling I am seeing this bull again!

Now, we have a band playing their second gig in JHB EVER at a very big venue, and they have pulled in a well-established band with a big live following to play with them. This says a few things to me
1) They don’t think they can fill the venue
2) They want kidofdoom’s fans to make the night worthwhile
3) They shouldn’t be playing the venue
4) Why are they then playing this venue?

Notwithstanding the sinking feeling I then experienced in my stomach, I went on off to said Carfax to see what was what. Predictably, the venue was far from full when kidofdoom took to the stage. Predictably, kidofdoom totally sucked in the crowd that had come to see them. They kicked ass. Predictably. Once they finished, most of their crowd left, leaving the venue even more empty than the pitiful showing of earlier. Predictably.

Unit R took the stage. Nice lighting, nice sounds, not much in the way of visual image or vibe though. Nice AV stuff happening. Not bad. But hang on, do I see a lip dragging on the ground? Omigod, I do! And oh yes, this was not a riveting live show. I mean they kind of tried, but the size of the crowd, the fact that in the cavernous reaches of Carfax there wasn’t much vibe, maybe it was jet leg I don’t know, but they were poor and they really looked like they were going through the motions. In fact, you could just see it plainly: they were miff that there was such a small crowd. Jesus Christ you Cape Town cretins, get a grip!

This is Johannesburg! There were at least 3 other big parties involving indie music on the night. This is your second visit to town… did you honestly expect the city to line up and suck your metaphorical dicks? If you had played down the road at the Bohemian or what have you, the place would have been full (with no more attendees than came to Carfax) you would have had a vibe and a successful album launch. No, you wouldn’t have made much money, but I am guessing you lost cash on this fiasco anyway. Massive tactical error. Apart from choosing the wrong venue and the wrong support band, as music professionals you owe it to yourselves to deliver the goods, top class, every time you play live.

To allow circumstances to get to you like you did at this launch shows me you have no back bone, which means I don’t think you’ll last, cos you have no guts, no staying power. If you’re up their playing only for the crowds my friends, you are on the slippery slope out of the business. The place was full of journalists, music industry types, other bands. What do you think they made of your bad attitude, your slip shod performance, your lips dragging on the ground? The editor of SL left before you were even finished. The only reason I stayed was I got talking to some cute female journalists who would rather speak to an old hack like me than watch the show. Ouch, Unit R… big OUCH!

The band’s management was kind enough to sample me with a copy of the album being launched, which I duly listened to over the weekend after the gig. The band really did do themselves a dis-service with the JHB launch. The album is not bad. On the whole, it is representative of the kind of copy-cat genericism which seems to be gripping the indie scene right now, but it had enough sparkle and kick to over come that. It is electro disco, indie style. It’s clever and light, and good to dance to. I do feel that with a slightly larger dash of inventiveness that it could be taken to far greater heights, but it is no worse certainly than most of its colleagues in the scene.

As someone though who grew up during the original synth pop explosion of the 80’s it does sound a bit tired, but then again, I am hardly target market, and to younger ears this sound is doubtless novel. Clearly their normal live show is riveting unless everyone I know in Cape Town is a low down and dirty liar! It’s the only way I can see how sensible people have been raving about this band… in other words, you guys blew it here in JHB, because you just came across as mediocre. Face it: you can’t take a short cut to the top by booking big venues, playing with bigger bands and hyping yourself to the max. You have to deliver, hard and repeatedly so that people take you seriously, or you have to spend fortunes buying your way to the top. Back to the drawing board for Unit R.

Strange and UNusual

David — Thu, 29 Mar 2007 05:13:27 GMT

In my black 501’s and ex SADF issue Dorp T-shirt I was out of place in the Wits Theatre foyer last night, and the teller’s face said so. It was the album launch for one Marcus Wyatt, jazz trumpeter and muso extraordinaire

The occasion was the release of his 3rd solo album, “language 12”. Regrettably, I don’t think the gig had been marketed all that well, and the theatre was only about half full. If a good journalist mate of mine from CT hadn't been in Jozi and told me, I would have not known about it! A pity, cos everyone who wasn’t there missed out.

Check out the man's home page on www.marcuswyatt.com

What I know about jazz is dangerous, but I can recognise sheer technical and passionate virtuosity when I see it, and there was plenty of that on stage last night. I wouldn’t even actually call what Marcus has recorded here Jazz really… it’s a kind of mesmeric, live world music, but even that is casting long shadows that I don’t like. It’s mystical, moving, highly technical but deeply passionate music that moves through jazz, blues, afro pop and more.

Displaying the kind of at-home, comfortable stage presence that’s a clear result of his international work and the sheer volume of his workload, Marcus was a funny, if not voluble front man. Content to let his music speak for itself, that is precisely what he did. Absolutely amazing.

Buy this album by clicking herere

The weird thing is, Marcus and I were briefly at high school in PE at the same time, he played the cadet band and the school orchestra, and I was just learning the basics of bass. Obviously he was the better student! I also went tout with one of his older sisters for a while! Hahah! How’s that for name dropping!

But regardless of my personal connection, I was blown away last night. This album is amazing and everyone should buy one right now! It’s just unique and totally South Africa but without the unfortunate baggage that you might automatically assign to that idea…

soooo, its all true then!

David — Thu, 08 Feb 2007 02:25:10 GMT

When this idea was first mooted to me, I said that it was a terrible one, that the past was the past and that I didn't think there was any merit in resurecting it. I went on to express doubts as to whether it would do Arno Carstens' solo carreer any good, or in fact might damage it. Well, the album is very nearyl done, this is the final artwork, I am led to believe, and it wil be on shelves in March.

And then, we will see! SonyBMG are touting it as the biggest and best thing to happen to local alternative rock in a while. I would really like to have my initial skepticism proved wrong!

Roll on March.

What do you think of the SNG re-forming? Is it a good idea? Or is it an act of folly? Go on, tell me!

Closure... what's that?

David — Wed, 25 Oct 2006 04:45:00 GMT

I had heard of J because I know his manager, Danie, and he had invited me to a gig. I was pretty impressed, skinny, very young little kid who could certainly play his acoustic guitar and had penned some good, moving songs. I was impressed, but I honestly didn’t think that much more about it.

Since then, that skinny kid has been doing well for himself! He’s got a great manager on board, a publishing deal, and now, a record deal. The deal here is in South Africa with Just Music. Just Music is owned by Karl Anderson, someone older hands might remember from his time on 5 FM with Barney Simon (and ack! Me!). Karl also used to do the local stuff for RPM at EMI, so he knows his stuff. But Just music has not exactly built a reputation for signing locals bands since it started. That, thankfully appears to be changing, with the release of a raft of products this year, and this J album is one of them.

You can buy this album online, by simply clicking here

The album is entitled Closure. For a young artist as this, perhaps a somewhat portentous title. But it’s a beautiful package! The photography in the insert is top notch, and the super high gloss varnish of the product really makes it stand out. All in all, a top of the line, international standard package. If I have one criticism, it is that the overall tone is quite dull, making it not really stand out amongst a whole bunch of CD’s… but that’s just quibbling!

J is essentially a singer song writer type, who up until now has played live with an acoustic and maybe a back up mate on another acoustic. This album is the whole kitchen sink… strings, keys, drums, programming you name it. It has the kind of smooth seamless feel of top international pop albums. And well it should, seeing as it is produced by one Anders Kallmark. Kallmark has worked with some of the best out there, invcluding Natalie Imbruglia's, Kylie Minogue, Hayley Westerna, Liberty X and Holly Vallance.

So, the original songs of sparse guitar and voice now have a depth and power that I had not heard before. It’s pure pop really, but without the overly sweet saccharine edge you’d expect. It’s the kind of pop that pop was before pop became a dirty word: simple, direct, honest, enjoyable. And bloody well done to boot. Kallmark has given the album a bit of an edge, a subtle gloominess (maybe that’s what the cover artwork is all about too I guess!)

Picking out top racks is actually really easy! The opener Consider Me? Is top class, you will probably have heard it actually, and not realised it was by some gangly kid here in SA. In fact the opening four tracks are stellar. It's a great album. If you’re some kind of hard core junkie, no doubt you’ll hate it. But for anyone who likes to say they like pop, real pop, you’re gonna find this quite rewarding. Not that it is massively deep or anything, it’s just totally honest and refreshingly strong. This is someone how is not afraid of taking his craft seriously, and who has gone out and done the whole nine yards with it. I mean, I just cannot imagine 5 FM refusing to playlist a thing off it. They would never know it was local, they would never realize that it might not be on format, it’s just that good.

So, feel like some honest to goodness old fashioned, top o’ the rack pop music? I can highly recommend Closure, from J.
Check out his site on www.jclosure.com to pre-listen to some tracks an check out his biog and pics… great site too!

Go Straight To Hell!

David — Mon, 14 Aug 2006 04:36:00 GMT

This is not a review, this is not even a vague attempt at objectivity, this one is a hard sell, and this is straight down the line.

I manage a band called The Hellphones. I happen to believe they are the best rock band in existence in South Africa right now. Doh! Of course I do, otherwise I wouldn’t be managing them cos managing bands is not a lovely job! Ask anyone who does it!

Damn cool pic by Liam Lynch, courtesy of Levi’s!

BUT one of the perks of managing a band is that you get to hang out and see and hear some amazing things in the world of music. And for once, just such an opportunity is available to you, readers of www.thechiz.co.za.

I am posting up here the invite to the Hellphones album launch party that takes place tomorrow night at The Bluesroom, Village Walk at 8pm. If you click on the contact me link at the top of the page and send me the names of you and your mates, I’ll add you to the VIP FREE guest list. If you don’t do that, you can come along anyway, but it will cost you ten bucks! Ooh, ow, eina! Goes the wallet.
No seriously, mail me; I’ll add you to the list. Oh and probably to my mailing list for gig updates etc if you like!

The Hellphones’ album is entitled “This is How” and is released by Sheer. It’s an 11 track rollercoaster ride of rock n roll tunes and sensibilities that barely pauses for breath. So, ideal tonic for depression really! But seriously, it’s their live set laid down carefully and precisely. Producer David Birch (he of Squeal fame and producer of so many cool albums I have lost count, but most significantly of that exquisite deluxe album…) has managed to capture the band energy without allowing it to spray out all over the place. This is a considered careful recording, but with energy and exuberance. You can hear the detail, you can hear the passion. I love. But I have to say that. No, but really, I love this record!

By clicking on this pic, you can buy the album online, cheaper than in the shops!

The band has been gigging around SA for about a year now, and mostly, the reactions have been brilliant. Levi’ has sponsored them with some kit and likes to use them on their party bills. Appearances at OppiKoppi, Woodstock, Splashy Fenn and now Aardklop are ensuring their name gets all over the show. A single has been released to radio from the album… reactions pending! It’s been a good year. In fact their progress has been fast and atypical. Some have said that this is because I am such a good manger, I actually think its just because they are such a good band, all I have to do is point them in the right direction and let them off! They definitely have sound that is now, and in demand. So, if this is your first whiff of them, come along on Tuesday night and check it out, it can’t hurt, I promise!

Visit the Hellphones at their home on the web here!

Getting All Reckless In A Skirt

David — Mon, 10 Jul 2006 04:35:00 GMT

Saturday night in the big smoke, what to do, what to do? Luckily for me, a little birdie told me that The Diesel Whores were playing at The Bohemian in Richmond, and that what’s more, they were supporting Rokkeloos.

Now, I have had the new Rokeloos album on my desk for a couple of weeks, and I have been busy ignoring its imploring looks to be reviewed. So, I thought to myself, here’s a great opportunity to review both the band live and the CD at the very same… oooh! Multi tasking! (very un-masculine)

OK, so I saw Rokeloos live last year some time, at the Ladyfest at the Roxy. I don’t remember being particularly blown away by them, but suddenly there is a loud noise around the band, the CD’s are apparently flying off the shelves, and everyone seems very keen. A quick look around the room confirms that there is significant interest. Kevin Leicher (Plum, Arno Carstens etc) was there, as was Matthew van der want, Lorimer Wilmot, Steff (editor of Stage), Lloyd from the Mail and Guardian, and a host of others. Always a good sign when your audience consists of a good proportion of other muso’s and journo’s.

Album Cover: hmm, dunno about this one!

Let me start off by saying that I didn’t really think that much of the album. Rokeloos are going as a hard hitting Grrrl band, and the album for me doesn’t deliver the punch that their propaganda puts about. Live, they have far more balls and punch. I like this band a lot; they have daring, talent and a really strong “don’t give a shit vibe.” However, I still think they are bad. They are messy live, and Petro was singing flat most of the night. Can’t tell you if that was a specific isolate incident or not, cos I can’t remember the last gig I saw that well, but Saturday was bad in that department.

Also, for a band going as hard core, and into grrl power and all that, the playing in your underwear bit confuses me a bit. As she removed her t-shirt, Petro declared, “Ja we know sex sells, but that’s not why we play like this, its fucken hot up here.” Well, you know, I just don’t know. Even for bands with guys in, the whole take your shirt off and get sweaty thing is just so passé. And I am sorry, but playing in your bra for an entire set is just trying to exploit your sex. There’s no but or maybe in my book. Maybe I am actually just an old sexist after all, but I can’t believe that band that wants to be respected as artist and people with a message need to do that kind of thing. Non-one plays topless in JHB in winter… it’s too fucken cold. Sorry Petro, that was just not believable.

A certain member of the audience who I shall spare by protecting his identity is proclaiming Rokeloos as the female equivalent of Fokofpolisikar. Well I am sorry, but there is just no way. For a start, they don’t have the musicality. Secondly, visually, they have no such pull and thirdly, they don’t have the songs. By which I don’t mean that they are short of a few numbers, I mean that their songwriting does not have that stand out quality that allows bands like Fokof to cut across boundaries of genre, language and origin to attain the appeal they command. Rokeloos just aren’t good enough for that.

Having said that, they are far from a crap band and I enjoyed their set immensely. Re listening to the album the morning after the gig though, I was struck again by the contrast between the band live and on CD… live they have all the passion, the power and the believability. On disc, it is all lost and they sound clichéd and hackneyed. It’s a pity cos we are def short a credible grrl band. Rokeloos are good and strong, but they aint got the power to go all the way. But hey, I have been wrong before!

The Mystic Boer Returns

David — Tue, 27 Jun 2006 04:27:00 GMT

Valiant Swart – Horisontaal
Rhythm Records

As a soutie growing up in South Africa, Afrikaners were not my favourite people. Not because I knew any mind you, and certainly not from any kind of political motivation. We just used to have run-ins with them all the time in the veldt near where I grew up and they always wanted to fuck us up because we were rooinekke. And generally they did, because they remembered the Boer war and hatred for us burned bright in them and we were totally clueless.

Then, oddly enough, I spent a year and a half in the old SADF, learned to speak Afrikaans properly (Speak Afrikaans or Die!) and figured out this amazingly dry sense of humour, met some amazing people and realised a few things. Ja, so there are plenty of Afrikaaners who have not got over the Boer war, and from what I have read about it, I don’t blame them. To be honest, British Imperialists are pretty damn near the top of my shit list of all time idiots as well. But then there was this breed of person that I had never encountered before: the so called Alternatiewe Afrikaaner. Voel Vry was happening, and things were changing, and I met some very interesting people and heard some amazing music.

Now, on the whole I am pretty envious of Afrikaaners. Well, Afrikaans artists at any rate. You see, being defined by a language into such a small group, gives you an immediate audience of people who are interested in what you are doing, who “stel belang” as it were. Afrikaans rock bands have always out-sold English ones hand over fist. In fact if you look at it, nearly all the top rock bands in SA have been staffed by Afrikaaners. Yes there are notable exceptions however!

Which brings us by a very round about way to Valiant Swart. Die Mystic Boer has jus released another album, “Horisontaal.” Valiant has been going for ages now, and carved himself a legendary niche in SA rock music and in Afrikaans music in particular. His brand of folk/country infused rock and roll took up where Koos Kombuis left off, and followed on where James Philips had dabbled. It was raw, honest, uncompromising and very much Afrikaans. Valiant is one of the SA artists who just talks in South African and doesn’t care how shit some people might think that sounds. Not many English rock bands in SA can say the same thing. They mostly end up sounding self consciously English or American of just plain silly. Valiant made it very cool to be a South African.

Valiant: And my bird is THIS big, I swear!

On Horisontaal, you will find 12 trade mark Valiant tracks. There is some rock, some country, and some Afrikaans folk. And plenty of tongue in cheek humour. What you won’t find is mediocre musician ship, song writing or production. I live in hope that one day and English speaking Valiant will emerge from this country, be they black, white, male, female English of Afrikaans. I wish that purely so that they might cross over into the international market and show people what it really means to be South African a in a language the world market can understand. Meanwhile, for us here in South Africa, if you have any doubt, you can buy the new album here and listen to Valiant Swart, with an open mind all you souties!
Valiant, you go dude.

Ruder Than You!

David — Fri, 23 Jun 2006 08:19:49 GMT

The Rudimentals – Set it Proper
Independent

Cape Town Ska Doctors The Rudimentals are finally back with a follow up album to their brilliant debut offering, Mo Fire. Set It Proper is instant pure Rudi’s… chock full of ska grooves, jumpy guitar and good times.

The Rudi’s stormed onto the scene somewhere around 2001/2002. Flying in the face of convention at the time, they were a rock band that you could really really dance to. And over the years and several personnel changes, that one thing has remained constant. This is without the most danceable stuff you can slap into a CD player at any given time.

Set It Proper sits at a nice 12 tracks... although there is one repeat from the debut album. Their sound has definitely matured into something that can honestly be called Afro Ska. Ska as a genre is such a bastard sound in the first place, so there’s no room for purists yelling “Sell Out!” and the Rudi’s have really made the sound their own. Modern ska has traveled a long road from Jamaican sound systems to London town and all the way down south to Africa. Curiously though, the sound the Rudi’s now peddle bears more relation to the early Jamaican entity than the British explosion of the eighties.

The opening track, Radio Skaweto tells you all you need to know, you’re in for a smoking run of good tunes here. It’s actually a bit unfair to any of the tunes to single any one out for special praise. The Rudi’s are tight and well versed in their craft. And yes, they play a very specific genre. So if you happen to not really like ska, you might find this a bit of a tedious listen. But for me, there are enough forays into straight reggae, a bit of modern raga and nice, ballsy rock moments to add some spice to the already heady mix.

I have been waiting for this record for over a year, so my next hope is that I don’t have to wait that long to see them take the dam thing on the road with an album launch tour! I won’t be in Ct anytime soon, so I really hope they come and visit me here in JHB!

So, strap on your boots, get your sharp hat out the closet and sharpen up your credit card! Click here to buy it direct off Kalahari.net!

Buy this disc. You’ll be skanking happy if you do!

Go Get You A New Outfit dude!

David — Tue, 13 Jun 2006 07:14:00 GMT

Tykoon Suit - Smart Casual
Brokeasssuperhero records

Tykoon Suit is yet another one of these cooler than fuck bands that seems to emerge from the Cape Town scene with nauseating regularity. Mean, I know that Jozi is a way cooler place that The Mother City will ever dream of being, why the hell do they get all the cool bands? And, as with most cool as fuck stuff coming out of Cape Town, this one comes via African Dope Records. Not directly, but Roach and Fletcher did master it. Oh and it's distributed by Loophole. What a coincidence neh?

But, gratuitous Slaap Stad bashing aside, this is damn cool stuff. Tykoon Suit is a hip hop hybrid... acid jazzy, funky, greasy sleazy, drop dead cool hip hop. Not that gangsta rappin’ inner city stuff, they’re more thinking man’s beat twisting titty crimping crazy kind of stuff. Consisting of three well known cats from the Mother City Scene, Tykoon Suite is perverse. I like that. They remind me a lot of Fun Lovin Criminal in a way you know, no regard for what they are SUPPOSED to be doing, they just do it!

So ja, we have Denver (ex Moodphase 5ive) and Bang Bang up front with MRMO of Mofunk fame twist and swings the decks. And what’s so special about that? I don’t know. It’s got something to do with the sensibility that African dope have cultivated over the last 8 years… that anything goes, that what you know is cool that sit totally fine to gooi local sounds and voices and ideas into an international idea and come up with something that only faintly resembles its progenitor.

The album also sits at 17 tracks of way coolness… that’s good! And from one track to the next you never know what is going to be coming your way. The funk and disco roots of Moodphase 5ive as channeled by Denver are there, there is some straight up hip hop grooving, some very crazy broken beat moments and pure Cape Flats exuberance. It’s a damn fine combination and for this white assed suburb dweller, it’s just the kind of thing I like. That’s kind of a warning if you’re a hard core hip hop head I guess. But musically I think these guys get themselves totally out of their genre and therefore are accessible to even the usual anal retentives who like their sound undeviating from the bible of rap.

Hmm, you gotta go get this one. If you like the Fun Lovin Criminals, Massive Attack, Sneaker Pimps, you gonna like this!

Hypnotic Fishy Beats

David — Thu, 18 May 2006 04:06:00 GMT

Goldfish – Caught In The Loop
Black Mango Music

Goldfish are a jazzy electronic duo from Cape Town comprising ex Dorp saxophonist David Poole and his Breakfast Included side kick Dominic Peters. And the music they make is best described as jazz influenced, down tempo electronica.

Not that that description tells you an awful lot. The beats are kind of slowed up lazy house, with infectious jazzy guitars and horns smeared lazily over the top. Guest vocalists provide the voices and vocal tones in a mysterious mix up of ideas and feels. One of the more surprising guest vocal turns comes from one Suanne Braun, who the more mature of you might remember from her days as a TV continuity and show presenter. I have heard this album described disparagingly as Café Del Mare light, but I think it’s more interesting than that.

The thing about this record is the hypnotic nature of the beat and the way Goldfish have combined differing genres and sounds to create a uniquely disquieting kind of down tempo record. This is not your average chill out mix for playing round the pool when the folks and your sibling’s kids are over. Although they may not notice anyway.

To my ear, quite a lot of chill-out music is lazy, and the one thing that Goldfish have not been is lazy. Both Dom and Dave are serious musicians, and they reproduce this material in a reliable live context as well: Dave on Sax, Dom on double bass, spinning the decks and the sampler as they improvise their way through the album set in clubs and live music venues.

In fact, I believe Goldfish is about to hit the road on a bit of a tour, so you are advised to check out their website, www.goldfishlive.com to see if they are coming to your town so you can catch them in action. They have recently been cleaning up on 5 Fm as well, where they have been number one on the Hi5 @ 5 for three weeks in a row!
To save yourself the hassle of actually leaving the building, order their album online here, and get the pleasure all for yourself!

Fetish: A Simple, Breezy Obsession Now Available Online!

David — Thu, 11 May 2006 04:15:00 GMT

Fetish: Remains
(Just Music)

Fetish remains entrenched in my mind as one of the very best bands to come out of Cape Town and indeed South Africa. In a business dominated by male voices, the power and aggression of Michelle Breeze as singer, person and front woman of a band was over whelming.

Regrettably, as is the case with so many truly talented south African bands, by the time the rest of the country, and the record labels began to realize this, the seeds of their destruction had already been sown and the demise of the band was as inevitable as sunset. Spectacular, interesting, but sad none the less.

Remains therefore is some kind of time capsule, retrospective release. The band no longer exists, but they left behind a lot of recordings that never saw the light of day. And these are they. It is important to realise that much of the material on this record was never finished in the proper sense of the word. These tracks are I many ways demo’s for what would become of them in a recording and gigging process. Some of them are more complete and regular concert goers may well recognise some of them from the bands live set.

The record though is pure Fetish. Michelle’s unmistakable voice soars over and through it like blue-white light. The same intricate yet delicate guitars and keys, Jeremy’s solid bass grooves. You can’t miss it. A couple of gems reside in here as well, “King of America”, “Anything You Want” are good examples. This I not just one for the serious collector, it is a good listen and the only draw back to it is that it is not quite as good as it could be v=by virtue of its nature, which also means it is not quite as good as Fetish always was. But in the absence of the actual band, I will take it.

This CD is now available online, however, order it here!

SurferBilly Choons from KZN

David — Wed, 10 May 2006 05:24:00 GMT

The City Bowl Mizers – Lights Out
Independent

The Mizers are a bunch of kids from Durban… all in more or less their late teens except for old fart drummer Adam who is 24. ‘Lights Out’ is their debut album, and showcases their surf-rockabilly sound to good effect.

The Mizers seem to have sprung fully formed from the loins of KZN about the middle of last year when they came up to JHB and blew everyone away with their super cool sound and posing on stage. Not bad for a bunch of teenagers, we all thought. Since then they have refined the live show and the songs and come a long way.

This album is pretty well produced, and is faithful to the genre of music that it represents, and the Mizers certainly know how to do this rock and roll lark. The tunes are effortlessly catchy and feel-good summer vibey. Technically there’s some pretty good instrumental work as well. However, I do find that, despite his strengths as a front man, singer Martin Barrios is not always totally convincing. On some songs his vocal quality does get a bit thin, as if he is struggling and the result is a lack of the kind of power and depth that I would expect from a top class rockabilly vocalist. But as I have already noted these guys are young and to nit pick is hardly fair. I am sure this is something they will all grow into.

Which brings us to how well this record might go down. Now lets be honest here, this is tightly niched stuff. The Mizers play a seriously old school form of music that most kids their age don’t even know existed. However, they do seem to be pulling it off live, with good attendance at shows. The more punky elements that they have injected into the formula make it accessible to a young, modern audience, but only time will tell if they can pull it off and go from being just another bright young band on the horizon to be being a serious mainstay of the rock scene. My opinion on the likelihood of that? Hmm, hard to say. They have the skill, they seem to have the drive, and they are technically adept. I think they stand better than a 50/50 chance!

Visit the Mizers at their home page and order your own copy of the album!