If you imagine international pop music as a landscape, you may well envision an idealised California – sunny skies, palm trees swaying in the wind, the warm glow of Coachella at night. What you may not immediately picture is Sweden, a country which for long stretches of the year is buried under the kind of…
Ever since their ‘Caffiene Diet’ EP in 2016, I’ve had a soft spot in my heart for Durban’s Brit-indie inspired garage punk band, Hated Related. You see, I really fucking enjoy bands like The Cribs and The Libertines and it was very clear that so did Hated Related. With their latest EP, ‘Depressive Repulsive’, that’s…
Cape Town-based producer and co-founder of the label Capeclub, Andriques Petersen, better known as Omar Morto, started his musical journey jamming with friends which grew into a band. Thanks to different tastes and ideas in the group, as well as an increasing interest in dance music-influenced metalcore bands such as Enter Shikari, Attack Attack! and…
The hustle and bustle that is attached to me as I walk in the concrete port of Johannesburg known as ‘em tee en’ with the advent of everything being sold, anything you can get your hands on you can find legal or illegal. After passing the performance space on my left gathered with numerous amounts…
Having released his BBC Radio 1 Essential mix in January, stalwart of the gqom scene, DJ Lag kicked the year off with a bang. The pioneering producer and DJ from Clermont in KwaZulu-Natal has gone from strength to strength with increased international and local interest in his driving gqom sound. Currently he is preparing for…
I’ve mentioned it a few times on this site that I have a love/hate relationship with the sheer volume of music on the internet. It’s wonderful that every day I’m discovering something new, yet it sucks that every day thousands of artists go undiscovered. Well, undiscovered by me. Usually by the time I do find…
Super group from the 90s Native Tongues paved the way for hip-hop’s unity and over exercised the genre’s mandatory license for freedom of expression. With their open-minded songs they discussed race, sex and just having fun, muting the negative stereotypes that are associated with hip-hop. In the same way the members of the Native Tongues…
Over the last few years, ByLwansta has steadily been building his name as one of South Africa’s most relatable rappers. His come-up has been one built on consistency, growth, and respecting the audience, whilst flexing his creative dexterity. And while he’s not at the top of the mountain yet, he’s well on his way –…
The origin of iNDiGO the new album by Sipho Languza better known by his rap moniker Sipho the Gift is rather unusual. The MC originally from the Northern Cape was left feeling creatively frustrated after moving to Johannesburg. Many months of frustrations led Sipho to deciding to pursue opportunities in other creative fields which resulted…
Being a song about Cape Town ‘Mountain Coast’ by dJinns makes sure that you are inserted into the lush ambience of the city’s waves with its peaceful aura. This is exactly how the music video invites you to this magical world powered by shoegaze sonics and a montage of bromance inciting the idea of home…
I don’t know if the rest of the country had it, but there was a time in Durban where everyone was into house music (they still are tbh) and rooftop foam parties were a THING. From Joe Kools to The Pavilion Shopping Center, belly button piercings were on show as teenagers pushed the boundaries of…
The brainchild of stylist and art director Lenzo Mangonyane, Living Dlozi is a sonic character and artist that expresses himself through sound and music. His first project, “Check your voicemail”, is a visual series comprising of a mix and stills. Shot and art directed by Francesco Mbele, one half of a visual duo alongside Lenzo…
