Catch up with some of the latest and greatest music from South Africa with Brett Lock and Leon Lazarus of the brilliant Tune Me What? podcast. As usual, the show draws from across different decades, genres and styles to serve up the eclectic mix of music from South Africa's rich and vibrant musical marketplace.
The Soul Brothers are one of the highlights of this week's show. The band was formed in KwaZulu Natal in 1974 and has produced over 30 albums since then. Their mbaqanga sound shows a polish and slickness that sets them apart. Combine that with an act that draws on the style and choreography of American soul music and you have a winning combination. Although a number of members of the original band have died in the intervening years, two of the original Soul Brothers in Moses Ngwenya and David Masondo continue on to this day. If you have not heard this band previously, their song 'Imali' (Money) is a great place to begin.
Mfiliseni Magubane is another native of KwaZulu Natal and, like the Soul Brothers, he has enjoyed a long career and a loyal fan base. His resume includes songwriting for the hit musical Sarafina and tours of Europe which won his great acclaim. He is most noted for his pioneering of the Maskandi rhythm and his continued championing of South Africa's traditional musical forms. His song 'Ngis'amthanda Mina' (I will) is featured on this week's show.
Aaron 'Big Voice' Jack Lerole's song 'Ten Tens Tavern' is a must listen for fans of the penny whistle. The song was recorded prior to Lerole becoming a founding member of the enormously successful Mango Groove in the 1980s. Lerole, who died in 2003, was born in Alexandra township outside Johannesburg. As children, he and his brother Elias performed on the penny whistle as street musicians. Lerole was the first Kwela artist to develop the signature deep rasping voice that defined him, and later adopters of the style, as a 'groaner'.
This week's show plays out with Amersham's 'Tin Man'. Known for their dynamic live shows and sense of humour, Amersham ruled South Africa's live scene in the late 1990's.
In between occasional musing about a traditional South African beer and how to give American beef a world-food twist, Leon and Brett manage to spin yet another hour of great South African music.
Starting off the show is the 'Princess of Africa' Yvonne Chaka Chaka with her energetic song 'Umqombothi' about traditional home brewed Xhosa beer. Chaka Chaka is one of the divas of mbaqanga music, a status she achieved overcoming a great deal of adversity. Her musician father died when she was young and she was raised by her mother who brought her and her sisters up on a modest domestic worker's salary. Never forgetting her own humble beginnings, Chaka Chaka uses her star status to campaign for economic justice, sits on the boards of several charities and even teaches literacy part-time at the University of South Africa. If the song 'Umqombothi' sounds familiar to you, it may be because it was the opening song of the hit movie Hotel Rwanda in 2004.
Next up is Ismael Mohamed-Jan, better known to jazz fans as Pops Mohamed. Pops is one of the famous alumni of the celebrated Dorkay House in Johannesburg. Playing a wide range of styles - including jazz, kwela, soul and pop - he even sits on the board of the Johannesburg Youth Orchestra. Featured in this episode is his track 'A Cup Of Jo(burg)' which celebrates the vibrancy of his home town.
Shifting direction, next up is The Helicopters, one of the more successful 1980s pop bands in South Africa. Fronted by Bernard Binns, the band was part of that decade's new wave movement epitomised by English bands like Duran Duran. The song 'Mysteries and Jealousy', played on this episode of Tune Me What, was a huge hit for the band in South Africa in 1984. After the split-up of The Helicopters, Binns moved to England where he continued to make albums.
The next track is a rarity: a relic from Brett's late 90s band One Large Banana. Written by lead singer Jo Edwards, the track 'Forgotten How To Breath' is from the band's second CD only sold to fans at gigs. After some national and regional station chart success with their debut 'Don't Feed The Animals' the band returned to Grahamstown to work on new material. The sessions produced this song, but the band broke up shortly afterwards.
The Kerels (Afrikaans for The Chaps) produced a great rocking song 'Golden Days' to open their garage classic 'Ek Sé' ('I say!'). This album gained the band an enormous following that cut across the boundaries of language and ethnicity. Apparently the album - made by the legendary Shifty Records - was produced in two days: the music played largely live on the first day, and the vocals overdubbed on the second day. Shifty Records produced many of the alternative, anti-apartheid rock bands. Gary Herselman, the leader of The Kerels, later played bass for Johannes Kerkorrel on the Voelvry tour under the pseudonym Piet Pers.
Nate Maingard is a South African-born singer/songwriter currently living in London. A low-key artist, he uses creative online campaigns to get his music heard with very little industry support. He's a prestigious young talent and his song 'Barefoot Romance' feels like a classic.
Following Nate Maingard is another young singer/songwriter by the name of Andy Fisher who is featured in the 'Tune Me Something New' spot (which introduces rediscovered or emerging artists). His album is out in June, but he gives us a taste with a newly minted track called 'Girly Movies'.
Folk-rapper Jack Parow teamed up with Afrikaans rocker Valiant Swart for an uncharacteristically gentle song called 'Teme Van Jou Lied' (Theme Of Your Song) accompanied by a beautifully filmed video. kykNET Musiek financed the video that accompanies the song through their MVP initiative. The video focuses our attention on unusual and inspiring individuals from the Western Cape region of South Africa who exhibit great hope in the face of adversity.
The Soul Brothers are one of the highlights of this week's show. The band was formed in KwaZulu Natal in 1974 and has produced over 30 albums since then. Their mbaqanga sound shows a polish and slickness that sets them apart. Combine that with an act that draws on the style and choreography of American soul music and you have a winning combination. Although a number of members of the original band have died in the intervening years, two of the original Soul Brothers in Moses Ngwenya and David Masondo continue on to this day. If you have not heard this band previously, their song 'Imali' (Money) is a great place to begin.
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Mfiliseni Magubane is another native of KwaZulu Natal and, like the Soul Brothers, he has enjoyed a long career and a loyal fan base. His resume includes songwriting for the hit musical Sarafina and tours of Europe which won his great acclaim. He is most noted for his pioneering of the Maskandi rhythm and his continued championing of South Africa's traditional musical forms. His song 'Ngis'amthanda Mina' (I will) is featured on this week's show.
Aaron 'Big Voice' Jack Lerole's song 'Ten Tens Tavern' is a must listen for fans of the penny whistle. The song was recorded prior to Lerole becoming a founding member of the enormously successful Mango Groove in the 1980s. Lerole, who died in 2003, was born in Alexandra township outside Johannesburg. As children, he and his brother Elias performed on the penny whistle as a street musicians. Lerole was the first Kwela artist to develop the signature deep rasping voice that defined him, and later adopters of the style, as a 'groaner'.
This week's show plays out with Amersham's 'Tin Man'. Known for their dynamic live shows and sense of humour, Amersham ruled South Africa's live scene in the late 1990's.
Tune Me What? is a podcast and blog by Brett Lock and Leon Lazarus that highlights South African music and artists at home and around the world. For more information, visit tunemewhat.com or facebook.com/TuneMeWhat.
