BPM MAG - Mar/Apr'13 by BPM Magazine

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MAR-APR’13

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CLASS OF 2013 MARKUS SCHULZ | YOUNGSTA | LOUIE CUT | DJ REGAN

BREATHE SUNSHINE AFRICAN MUSIC CONFERENCE

URBAN MUSIC CULTURE

C.9INE | MUZART

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PEOPLE

CONTENTS

MAR/APR 2013 EDITION 66

• MUSIC

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D.RAMIREZ - SLAVE RECORDINGS : INTERVIEW English DJ/producer D.Ramirez is loved and appreciated for his upbeat electro house and more recently in the realms of...

MAGAZINE ENQUIRIES: info@bpmmag.co.za BPM Mag is published six times per Annum in SA only

SYMPHONIX RETURNS TO SOUTH AFRICA FOR LOVE & LIGHT : INTERVIEW Symphonix returns to South Africa for another installment of Love & Light progressive day time bliss...

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TRAKTOR DJ FOR IPAD BY NATIVE INSTRUMENTS Native Instruments has released Traktor DJ for iPad. Is this the future of DJing? Well, consider that 10 years ago most would not have pointed to the laptop as the primary tool for the ‘modern DJ.’ SKRILLEX TOUR - SOUTH AFRICA - 15 THINGS TO KNOW 15 Things to know about Skrillex ahead of his tour to South Africa. Skrillex, real name Sonny Moore will be in South...

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EDITORS NOTE & CONTRIBUTORS THE WALL MUSIC NEWS THE LITTLE MISFIT SOULCANDI: CLASS OF 2013 MARKUS SCHULZ SOUND APART AT THE SEAMS: BLOOMING ELECTRONICA LOUIE CUT DJ REGAN YOUNGSTA WIN A DJ COURSE FROM SOULCANDI INSTITUTE OF MUSIC THE DEEP END WITH LUO 5 MINS WITH MS. COSMO CHRIS SEN ALBUM REVIEWS BREATHE SUNSHINE AFRICAN MUSIC CONFERENCE PROGRAM ALBUM REVIEWS ALBUM REVIEWS SHOW US YOUR SKRILLEX FACE DJ TOP TEN CHARTS PARTY INFO & EVENTS ASTROBABBLE - PISCES & ARIES

HOLI ONE COLOUR FESTIVAL FOR 10 000 PEOPLE AT GRAND PARADE This past Saturday, ten thousand happy, colour loving people in Cape Town made their way down to the city central Grand...

EDITOR’S NOTE WHAT’S IN A NAME? ’ve been having some really crazy thoughts lately - most of them about DJing and electronic music and the acronym that has become a dirty word to some; EDM. For those who don’t know, it stands for Electronic Dance Music. Now this phrase was coined ages ago. I remember Holly Jade using it in her Pondering Blonde column a good 4 or 5 years ago in BPM Magazine and back then nobody thought it to be weird or un-cool. In fact it always served as an easy way to holistically refer to dance music culture. So I am a little bemused by its negative connotations today. An example is an online comment made recently about the acronym; the person claimed that all dance music is electronic and that calling it ‘electronic dance music’ is simply for the purpose of the ‘dumb American’ market who needs everything spelled out for them. Really? Is all music made for dancing, electronic? So what happened before computers and synths? Did people not dance? Ever heard of the Tango or the Waltz? Music composed for these dances were primarily written for people to dance to. See what I am saying? My point is that there seems to be a lot of elitism going on with regards to dance music culture these days. When I partied nonstop for 12 hours for the first time, what I loved about the experience was the togetherness and lack of judgement that encompassed the dancefloor. Today it seems like too many people are looking over their shoulders to see if what they’re doing is cool or not. That old chestnut, ‘one man’s poison is another man’s wine,’ springs to mind when I think of those who scorn the ‘Dubstep generation,’ or laugh at the ‘jocks dancing to trance.’ The positive side to all this, I guess one can argue, is that at least we’re all so passionate about dance music that we’re prepared to get into heated discussions about it. So with this in mind, welcome to our Mar/Apr edition of BPM Magazine, filled with features, interviews, album reviews and opinions. We’ve covered quite a few bases from urban house to trance to psytrance to hip hop, electronica and just plain old house too. It is called EDM, I believe. Have something to say? Say it... via any one of these feeds below.

Find me here: dave@bpmmag.co.za | Twitter: davemac77 | Facebook: dave.mac.mckinley BPM Magazine: Facebook: facebook.com/bpmmag Twitter: twitter.com/bpmmag DAVE MAC Editor-in-Chief

EDITORIAL CONTRIBUTIONS: FEATURE WRITERS AND COLUMNISTS Mary Honeychild - Mary is a fusion queen, her love for music is defined by her roots of drums, saxophone and deep bass. She discovers the break and combination in genres and takes us on journeys into the origin and amalgamation of scenes such as Jazz, Hip Hop and EDM. The Little Misfit - The Little Misfit is an anonymous observer who has been around the electronic music scene for more years than most. She’s seen it all, done it all and has the tales to tell. Not much surprises her any more although she is still wholly excited by music, dancing and socialising within this scene. It’s with this passion and experience that she casts a slightly jaundiced, feminine eye on the many components that add spice to Cape Town EDM Culture. Tendai Luwo - Recovering blueberry muffin addict, dj, remixer and voice over artist, Luo first firmly sank his teeth into music while working for Rhodes Music Radio (RMR 89.7fm) in 2009 and has never looked back since. Now a loyal disciple of all things deep and soulful, He can be found roaming the streets and alleyways searching for his next dose of good 'ol house music. Nathan Kabingesi – Nathan is a selfconfessed house junkie; you can usually spot him in a corner of the dance floor getting high off the DJ's supply. Appreciating the finely spun mix, he's not shy about calling out the occasional slip of the needle. Expect incisive and considered opinions on everything from the latest album releases to trend developments in the world of EDM. Jonathan G Shaw – Production Tips – Jon is a professional record producer who has worked with a multitude of artists and record labels in a freelance capacity. Outside this, he lectures music business at the University of the Witwatersrand and provides business consultation to the music industry. jshaw@smstudios.co.za Dave Skinz - DJ, Music Manufacturer, Wordsmith, Record Store owner, Promoter, and gamer par excellence are some of the multi-faceted roles that Skinz has played in his 15 year love affair with dance music. When not indulging himself in MMA footage and band practice, he spends his time waiting for Arsenal to take the treble. Www.daveskinz.com Donovan Leon - Donovan Leon is a Producer/ Engineer for DCL Studios and has had the opportunity to work and collaborate with many top artists & producers such as: Crighton Goodwill, Robin C Khol, L’loyd Cele, Jamali, CH2, Denim, Thembi Seete (Boom Shaka), Kwesta, Zubz, Sasha P (Nigeria), Jae, Ziyon (Liquid Deep), Verona, 37MPH and many, many more.

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6 INTERACT

THE WALL GOT SOMETHING TO SAY? NEO SEHLABANEDJ VISHNU & DJ VEEZ Disco Legends (Pietermaritzburg) We love BPM & look forward to every issue. With all the tech reviews it allows us to constantly review our equipment so as to deliver superior sound & lighting quality to our clients. BPM please do an issue on the mobile disco scene & oh yeh, please keep us in mind. Keep it up with an excellent mag. TDOE MALUNGA Thanx for the insight bpm. it’s hard to access bpm mag in zambia distribution here would be good MIKE THERON I run a club in Grahamstown. Champs Action Bar. How do i get your mag for my DJ's? BPM Mag: Hi Mike - please email Chantal at admin@bpmmag.co.za , thanx ABONGILE GEORGE MRGDEEP I am who I am, I am Abongile, I am George! I'm Mr, I'm G, I'm Deep! Believe it or not I am 100% fan of "MR G DEEP", and last but not least I am 100% fan of Bpm mag! www.soundcloud.com/mrgdeep YULE DARQ DLAMINI Because reading the magazine (more than twice) isn't enough for me, I've gone and started collecting the podcasts. Loving them more and more. CRAIG WALTERS Awesome, I'm the 12000 th person to like BPM, do I win a prize? PAUL FOUCHE Ummm are you guys the organisers of [BPM Festival]?? They have similar font to your logo too :P would be kinda cool. BPM Mag: We aren't, this is an annual Mexican festival but it's a fun coincidence. GEORGE HATTINGH Thanks for the vino!

TDOE MALUNGA Bpm mag is deep MLUNGISI TWALA I would most definitely appreciate the support, please do join our group named Music - Intrusion here's the link http://m.facebook.com/groups/13015648047 3741?ssc=0&ref=stream&_rdr

and from all across the world. We don't have the opportunity to review them all, every time it gets sent to us. Keep doing what you do, if we come across your work and have the time and capacity to review it, we will. MICHÈLE MACNAB Thanks so much for the prize at Alien Safari this weekend - it was such a treat to do it in style in such lovely accommodation!

NYTXPRESS MOLEFE Bpm mag best mag ever in the world love it... guys thanks a lot providing the information ever im a the person that I am because of the information you provide

THOMAS BLANE Guys can you send this mag 2 me guys plz BPM Mag: The free subscriptions have been capped as they have reached full capacity.

PRODIGY XOLA Received my @BPMMAG and it surprised me with one of my favourites Kojo Akusa on the "Dj Q 'n A #UrbanMusicCulture

MPHO HARMONY I think you should have a TOP 10 list from Sound Cloud... there many unknown very Talented Producers out There.

BULELANI NXALA Thanx a milli tyms bpm family for a wonderful mag. May the best of your past be the worst of your future. I love u guys happy new year.

MIGUEL PONE Look out for Just Move Records next year... Some more great releases and local talent bursting with groove. Music In Motion

ASTON CLAY EGELHOF Woke up early this morning to see if santa has dropped off the rez tickets under the tree.... The suspense is killing me :)

DAVID AGSTERIBBE Right 1 x Review for BPM Mag submitted, now to put some time into my live set for Slippery 'n Wet presents Neelix & Seamus Haji @ E.S.P.on the 20th March 2013.

MARK MELODIK MATROOS Hi how do I get u guyz to review my Ep? MARIO ROACHDJROACH PIETERS You gotta suck sumones Bollocks. After jumping through 78912 hoops. They need someone to deal with it for them. I will volunteer myself to cover local western cape releases. Particularly the hip hop scene. Depends if they have budget for a new fresh perspective... There are tons of things coming out monthly, as well as older classic stuff that's never been covered. E.g. DoubleStory, Isaac Mutant and Hemelbesem. Just a suggestion. BPM Mag: Hi Mark, please feel free to continue to forward us your music. However, we have a high influx of artists requesting reviews of their work daily, in South Africa

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THE NEWS THE LATEST CLUB AND DANCE MUSIC NEWS FROM SA AND AROUND THE WORLD

NEWS FROM SOULCANDI B’UTIZA – REDEFINES AFRICAN HOUSE

says “Artists like Deep Xcape are the reason Deep House Chronicles was invented - they’re so hot they simply have to be heard and we’re proud to give them a platform.” Deep House Chronicles 9 hits the streets in March and will feature entirely original productions from the duo.

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country. His new artist album, For Headz Only will feature collaborations with a host of vocalists and is due for release in April.

DJ WHISKY THE REBIRTH

HOUSE HEAD: CUEBUR

There’s a huge buzz on the streets about B’utiza’s self-titled artist album. Having been in the industry for over 5 years and lending his vocals to massive hits from the likes of Euphonik, Mphoza, Dr.Duda and Vusumzi - it was only a matter of time before Bu’tiza released a solo project. Since its January release the debut single Somandla is on high rotation on radio stations around the country. His Zulu songs ride afro house grooves traditional African sounds with a modern house twist. Pay attention.

DEEP HOUSE CHRONICLES 9: DEEP XCAPE Bubbling up from the underground, Katlehong-based Production duo, Deep Xcape are next in line for the ninth instalment of Soul Candi’s Deep House Chronicles. Known for unearthing some of the scene’s freshest talent, the highlyregarded series has proved itself to be an essential guide to the new stars of SA house music. Describing Deep Xcape, Soul Candi’s label manager Allan Nicoll

Cuebur has established himself as one of the scene’s hottest new artists since making his presence felt on the massive Candi Roots in 2011 and on last year’s Awakened Spirit. He’s consistently delivered solid tracks and done remixes for none other than UPZ and Charles Webster which accounts for his rapidly expanding popularity all over the

Bright new star, DJ Whisky is hard at work in the studio on his debut artist album - which is scheduled for release in May. After having all his studio equipment stolen a few months ago, Whisky had to start from scratch - which explains the title, The Rebirth. But instead of focusing on what he’s known best for, Whisky has taken an eclectic approach to the album and will be working with the likes of Kwaito star Brickz, London-based Jonny Miller and songbird Nomfundo - who featured on his 2012 hit, Circles. All things point to an unrestricted and exciting audio adventure from one of the scene’s bright lights.

MUSIC NEWS

MIGGS TO DROP NEW MIX If you call Pretoria home and you’re into house music, you’ll be familiar with Miggs. One of the most respected and influential DJs in the game, Miggs is assembling the next instalment in his seminal Fo’ Real Sessions. As the last two releases will prove, Miggs has expert skills when it comes to selecting and mixing deep house - and the new mix will feature a blend of his own material and some special international guests. If you’re into deep house this is unmissable. Fo’ Real House Sessions Vol. 3 drops in May.

FUNK DEEPSTAR LAUNCHES NEW SERIES After the massive success of Deep House Chronicles 7 Let’s Play House, Pretoria-based Funk Deepstar will be launching a brand new series of the same name in May. Funk Deepstar has spent months selecting the perfect blend of delectably deep tunes and the compilation will feature 70% local productions. Of course, this is far from new territory - this rising star hosts his own hugely popular podcast and his mixes have been featured on some of the world’s biggest deep house portals. Not only that - the new mix will feature his own track Daydreamer which is demolishing the YFM chart right now. Let’s Play House Vol. 1 hits the shelves in May.

DJ QNESS RETURNS Critically acclaimed producer Qness returns after a two year hiatus and will be releasing an artist album via his new home - Soul Candi Records. “The album will show a more evolved sound,” says the seasoned producer, “obviously trends change with what people are listening to but my music will reflect me as an artist and how I have grown the last couple of years.” The album will feature a stack of collaborations and up-and-coming vocalists. “Instead of featuring the same vocalists I like to bring new artists into the studio - I feel that showcasing fresh talent sets my release apart”. The release date is set for June.

KID FONQUE STEPS INTO THE STUDIO After many years selecting and collecting as a DJ, bringing the right sounds together for superb events and records - Soul Candi label boss Kid Fonque has finally stepped into the studio. His debut release as an artist, Kid Fonque and Friends is the culmination of all his previous endeavours - uniting all his influences and like-minded musicians he’s met on his journey. It’s a blend of everything that Kid Fonque is loved for: broken beats, house, jazziness and a hint of hip hop. The release will feature a long list of interesting collaborations - Zaki Ibrahim, Okmalumkoolkat, Jullian Gomes, Marc De Clive Lowe, Jonny Miller and more. The only bad news is that you’ll have to wait until June to get your hands on it!

OTHER NEWS

BEATPORT PURCHASED BY SFX American promotions company, SFX has agreed to buy dance music download store, Beatport for an amount reported to be just over $50 million. As the New York Times reports, the entertainment promotions giant, founded by Robert F.X. Sillerman, has purchased the digital music retailer as part of a "plan to build a $1 billion empire on the electronic dance music craze." SFX was founded in the '90s as a promotions company before being sold to Clear Channel. It was revived last year in a bid to enter the nightclub and dance music market. Beatport's CEO, Matthew Adell, is quoted as saying that the purchase would allow them to enter developing markets around the world, as well as turn their attention towards live events.

SA’s Protoculture plays ASOT600 in Mexico City to over 20 000 people A State of Trance 600 in Mexico City was the third ASOT Tour that South African Progressive Trance export, Protoculture has performed at. He was first featured on the tour in 2011 in Johannesburg and Cape Town. Protoculture, real name Nate Raubenheimer, admits that the experience has been “a real eye opener” ...having had the opportunity of playing at parties like these. “The production is mind blowing and the support from fans around the world is phenomenal. As much as I loved 2011 in South Africa, Mexico was just on another level. The stadium, which has played host to acts such as Linkin Park and more, is enormous. They

managed to cram twenty thousand party goers in there. While I've done bigger crowds, it’s the vertical scale of the venue that really impressed me. From the stage you're literally looking at a wall of people in front of you. It was definitely a night to remember and I’m looking forward to next year!” It didn’t stop there; Armin and his team are known for always staying connected with their fans, and for the ASOT600 tour they’re using Google hangouts to communicate with fans live during the shows. The interaction saw over twenty million people tuning in to the broadcast via Youtube, digital radio, and of course the Google hangouts with the artists.

Young Guru Scholarship Launched at SAE Cape Town

Last year, SAE launched an initiative that saw them partnering up with New York based sound engineer and tour DJ for Jay-Z, Young Guru. The partnership is between the ‘Young Guru Foundation’ and SAE Institute, in conjunction with local Cape Town NGO ‘Heal the Hood’. The idea behind the initiative was to facilitate the funding of a student to study a one-year, full time Higher Certificate in Sound Production at the SAE Institute campus in Cape Town. Young Guru launched the scholarship when he visited their campus to present a series of workshops. The workshops were well attended by the crop of Cape Town’s Hip Hop community, thought lead by a very intelligent and sensible man. All in attendance learned a thing or two about the origin of Brooklyn original Hip Hop and the birth of the genre. The scholarship winner was, a Gugulethu teenager named Abulele Ndenze who won thanks to his application essay. “I began writing rap songs, poetry, movie scripts, plays, short stories and R&B songs at nine years old. Ever since that time I’ve been writing and fixing writing errors that I made in previous scripts and I’ve been progressing ever since.” Says Abulele Ndenze. What was important was that the SAE Institute felt that he showed the virtues of creativity,

tenacity and determination that would most likely result in him taking the most advantage of the opportunity represented by the scholarship. In February this year, Abulele has already started at SAE Institute, an exciting time for him surely. SAE and it’s talented lecturers are looking forward to helping him take his dreams and impressive output of work to another level where he can live off his musical output. This is the first ever Young Guru Scholarship and applications will open again in May for the 2014 academic year.

OSKIDO'S TSA MANDEBELE WINS METRO FM 'SONG OF THE YEAR’ Tsa Mandebele by Oskido won the prestigious title of FM 'Song of the Year' at this year’s twelfth annual awards ceremony, held at Durban's International Conference Centre. The voting of the Metro FM awards is set up so that winners were chosen based on votes that were sent via SMS by their fans and followers. Oskido beat DJ Zinhle's My name is (Zinhle), Fistaz Mixwell's Hade Mabebeza, Zonke's Feelings, Lvovo Derrango's Palesa and DJ Tira's 4000, in the nomination. The 12th Metro FM Awards were held at Durban's International Conference Centre on Saturday evening with performances by Dr Malinga, Motswako rapper Khuli Chana, Afro-pop group Mafikizolo and more.

The lifetime achievement award was given to singer and long-time producer of the late Brenda Fassie, Sello 'Chico' Twala, who dedicated his award to the African National Congress during his acceptance speech, which saw former police commissioner Bheki Cele rising to his feet in applause. Donald Moatshe, who is best known for his songs Denial and Deserve, was nominated for six awards, and walked away with the best produced album and best styled artist/group awards. Another big winner for the night was Kwaito artist Professor Langa who won for best Kwaito album and best male album.

10 OPINION

By The Little Misfit

The Little Misfit

IT’S MY PARTY THE AGE OLD WAR BETWEEN ART AND BUSINESS

PSY here’s something stirring in the psy-trance ranks. A mutiny is bubbling up, heralded by this battle cry from SHIFT on Facebook: ‘Anyone in Cape Town noticed how every single outdoor event has the same local line-up?” It’s safe to say it elicited a barrage of comments - apparently the feeling is mutual. In order to delve deeper into this issue, I caught up with SHIFT: “Trance is huge right now. While this is obviously excellent for everyone involved, it also brings with it a lot of problems. It means more promoters doing events and more DJs coming into the system. The promoters are booking as many acts as they can, at one hour per act in the belief that more names on the bill will bring more people to the event. This creates a lack of flow and variation in line-ups. There is no fluidity to the event programme; it’s become a stop-start rollercoaster of acts slamming their biggest beats with little regard for the music before or after. This has the added effect of bringing ‘sameness’ to events.” He has a point, but there is another side to this psy saga. The promoters. First off, is it really like this? Or is it just perception that all the line-ups are same-same? One hour time slots help this perception, line-ups are simply bigger meaning that more DJs are needed, and hey presto, the billing starts to look similar. A counter argument would be to say that the promoter is entitled to book who they please - they are after all responsible for both the success or failure of their event. They absorb all the risks; from uncertain weather conditions, police roadblocks,

“THERE’S THE IMPRESSION PROMOTERS ONLY BOOK THEIR FRIENDS. BEING A DJ IS A CREATIVE PROFESSION, ONE THAT’S RULED BY THE HEART, AND IT’S EASY TO FEEL LIKE THIS.” licencing, and even human factors, like accidents, overdoses and thievery. Nobody is going to refund the promoter after an unsuccessful event - their loss truly is their loss. Plus bad events make for a bad reputation. So, shouldn’t they be able to book who they please? The guaranteed crowd-pullers? The promoters aren’t Samaritans of the scene, they, just like the DJs, need to earn a living. SHIFT agrees: “They can do whatever they like; this is just my opinion after all. I’m just disappointed with the lack of identity amongst most of the event brands and the resulting ‘sameness’ in line-ups. It’s always two internationals, the same four top local DJs and then any number of ‘no-name brands’. The guys in the middle tiers are gigging a lot less too, or if they want gigs they have to accept peanuts for pay.” SHIFT is certainly not the only one who feels this way. There are many talented DJs who are frustrated by the current state of affairs. But here’s where it gets tricky; perhaps some artists are simply not delivering the goods and use this growing sentiment as an excuse. There’s the impression promoters only book their friends. Being a DJ is a creative

profession, one that’s ruled by the heart, and it’s easy to feel like this. But, if as an artist you’re not getting booked, shouldn’t it be time to go back to the drawing board? To look at your ‘offering’ and re-evaluate your musical relevance? Succinctly put by an anonymous source: “The game has changed! It is about the music, but it’s also a popularity contest through social media and as always who you know. There’s no DJ in the world who doesn’t hustle for gigs, even those at the top.” You have to ‘hustle’ not only to remain relevant, but indeed to book the gigs because if you’re not doing it, there are plenty of other DJs who are. It’s the age old war between art and business, and a balance needs to be found in order to be successful. I wish I could close off this article with a clever turn of phrase, a nifty solution. But I think that would be presumptuous. Politics between artists and promoters can no longer be ignored. Not only do promoters fight between themselves, but often DJs get dragged in unfairly and are seen as ‘favouring a particular event company’. SHIFT says you may get: “branded a traitor for working with the wrong crowd and never see a gig with the competition again.” We’re at the beginning of the end here. The psy scene has grown exponentially and what a magical journey it’s been - but it seems now we’re reaching a crisis point, a power struggle. Let’s resolve it before we destroy the best scene in Cape Town - I know I don’t want to party in nightclubs. Read the full transcript of our interview with SHIFT @ bpmmag.co.za

DJ Craze video

12 COVER FEATURE

By Tendai Luwo

THE CLASS OF 2013

SOUL CANDI PROVES ONCE AGAIN TO BE AHEAD OF THE URBAN HOUSE GAME, AS TENDAI DISCOVERS, CHATTING TO SOME OF THEIR BRIGHTEST NEW SIGNINGS. WELCOME TO SOUL CANDI'S CLASS OF 2013...

Muzart: Star Pupils There is a calm and jovial air when one is in the presence of Soul Candi’s latest act, Muzart. Despite coming from spectacularly different backgrounds, they all seem to gel like old friends sharing childhood memories and happily welcoming you into their world to share in their experiences as a growing band.

Marking the register. Muzart is an emerging talent coming out of Soul Candi. As one of the star products of the Class of 2013, they have huge shoes to fill but something makes me feel they’d much rather kick off their shoes and leave their own barefoot prints in the sand. The group is made up of five artists, Tshegofatso ‘Tazzy’ Lehutso, Victory ‘Vic’ Chauke, Rorisng ‘Rori’ Thandekiso, Nkanyiso ‘Nka’ Khanyile and Sol Mosetle. Patience is one of the key ingredients in the pot of success and it seems this eclectic group of individuals has it in bucket loads! When they first started out, the group tells me they decided to send their demo CD to Soul Candi, but it took a year before they got any feedback from the label. This included a whole three months where the label was trying to locate them and a further three months before they

had made up their mind on the deal. All this waiting didn’t deter them though and they kept refining their craft. Now they feel they fit comfortably under the wings of the same label that has released shining stars such as Mi Casa and The Layders. Fuelled firstly by a desire to glorify God’s name, the group cheerfully describes their sound as “modernized old school”, a fitting description for their mature and yet ever so funky grooves. Their main goal though is to provide music that listeners across all borders can relate to. A tough order for the group but certainly one they plan to tackle head on.

Star pupils In the midst of all the laughter that laces the interview, I enquire how they feel working under Soul Candi has influenced their career. They unanimously agree that now, more than anything, they are aware of the music industry and how it functions. After working independently, signing to the music powerhouse has allowed Muzart to break into the public domain and receive a steady amount of recognition and attention. Their lead single, Jukebox has enjoyed heavy rotation in DJ sets and on radio stations. Interestingly enough Tazzy mentions that

this single, a song he penned, took three months to make but only two hours to record even though it was only the second time they had met band mate, Rori! However long the song took to see the light of day, the end result is clear to hear. Jukebox has managed to garner the attention of individuals across all borders and has seen the group being invited to perform as far out as Japan!

Graduation By the time you read this, Muzart’s album will probably be on every music store shelf and in even more digital baskets. There is no denying that Soul Candi is onto something here. A group of talented friends before they are musicians, one gets the sense that the mutual love and appreciation for each other’s talents will be the elixir that will see them ascend their dreams. Without as much as a music video they already have the ears of the masses glued to their speakers and there are no signs of them letting up. These Soul Candi graduates will undoubtedly continue to be the proud torch bearers for their record label and we doubt Soul Candi could have found any one better!

C.9ine - Head of the Class In the class of 2013, C.9ine sits comfortably at the top of the register. As long standing Soul Candi alumni, they’d mostly likely scoop every other award there is to offer if the label was to have a speech night. However, it doesn’t so until that day comes - they’ll just continue to keep pushing the boundaries of their music and excelling beyond everyone’s expectations. Meeting the two artists that make up C.9ine, Danny and Skitzo, is an interesting experience to say the least. Their music is known across all corners of the house nation but besides the live shows and an album cover; few people can put a face to their great music. When not making music, Danny and Skitzo are a pair of down to earth guys and even they agree that they’d like to be more visible and step out of their somewhat shy personas. So it’s inevitable as we sit at a little café not too far from the Soul Candi offices, that our interview casually turns into a conversation between three music lovers sharing their experiences.

Lesson number one C.9ine is known for picking amazing and equally ‘off the beaten path’ type artists, so my first question was what inspired their choice of artists to collaborate with? “The people we work with, like Kholi, Joao Orecchia, P'Oliveira and the like, are all people who understand our sound. They are not just vocalists but also talented musicians who bring their own expertise to a song.” This then leads

to the collaborations that will be featured on their third album, A Million Sprockets, and true to form they’ve stepped out of the musical box and pulled artists from all spheres of the musical world. A Million Sprockets features collaborations with Ziyon from Liquideep, Garth Brown, Mpumi Dhlamini, Cosmiq and more!

Late Registration Sound Garden was a hugely successful album for C.9ine. It was well received across the board and firmly launched them onto the international scene as one of South Africa's top groups. According to them, the album itself took just three months to make and all the vocals were recorded over a single weekend! But since then it has been three years since the duo released; why the delay? "One of the challenges was trying to make an album that's different to Sound Garden. We wanted to paint a different picture. Even our album art and title paint a different picture. It was also a challenge fusing all these different artists.” Whatever challenges they may have faced, they definitely blew them away and are back harder than before. The lead single from A Million Sprockets, 2gether, is an infectious, feel good jam featuring Mr Dex. Danny and Skitzo laugh as they recall how the single changed over twenty four times! “It started as a break beat but something was missing. After Mr Dex laid the vocals though, we knew we had to change it until it felt just right.”

A New School C.9ine weren’t always under Soul Candi but they had wanted to work with the record label for a while. Fortunately for them when they finally got a chance to join forces with the label, it turned out to be a match made in heaven, “They definitely handle things in a more professional manner”. Soul Candi has also given the duo a chance to spread its wings beyond their own music. “We have our own artists we’d want to release in the near future like Garth”. We can’t wait to hear that! It’s easy to forget that these two friends are only two albums deep into their career, yet they continue to grow their musical clout at an alarming rate. They are a perfect example of letting the music speak for itself; one can’t help but hope that in time even more people are exposed to the unique and proudly South African sound that is C.9ine. Check out these and other top release from Soul Candi: soulcandi.co.za

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16 FEATURE

By Sergio Pereira

MARKUS SCHULZ LET ME HEAR YOU SCREAM, SOUTH AFRICA arkus Schulz is someone who needs no introduction. Over the past decade, he has become a criticallyacclaimed and respected DJ/producer, who is often touted as the biggest influence in trance and progressive dance. Last year alone, in terms of accolades, Markus was voted the #1 DJ in the USA (ahead of other heavyweights, such as Steve Aoki, Skrillex and Diplo), and 13th overall in DJ Mag’s Top 100 poll; thereby, cementing his place as EDM royalty.

Nasrec Expo Centre EDM IN AMERICA Johannesburg Bearing in mind that the US has always 15 December 2012 been considered the Holy Grail of https://www.facebook.co genuine global success in music (financially, m/events/2837313717315 anyway), the America’s top DJ gong probably 28/ holds more value than the Top 100. Correct? “[It’s] not something I’d stopped to think about before,” Markus declares. “I guess, on balance, it probably does mean more, or at least something markedly different. It was certainly a great year to poll that kind of result, considering electronic music’s momentous shift over the last 18 months in the States.” Indeed. The electronic music revolution in the States has been so massive that Billboard has recently launched its own EDM chart. Markus weighs in with his thoughts on the new chart, and the possibility of the genre getting even bigger in the US. “It’s an enormously positive thing not to mention somewhat ironic, given America’s hand in giving birth to electronic music in the first place. Living in the States for a long time, there were periods, listening to the radio, hearing the dominance of other genres that I began to wonder if it would ever enter the mainstream. In terms of getting bigger, most certainly. Right now, it’s really only neck-and-neck with R&B and hip hop. If

“I HAVE A REASONABLE IDEA OF WHAT EDM DIRECTION A COUNTRY – OR REGION – IS HEADING IN...” EDM history around the rest of the globe is anything to go by, I think it’s just getting started.”

SCREAM FOR MARKUS In 2012, Markus released his fourth album, Scream, which he dubbed his most diverse one to date. Asked if he will be heading down the diverse route again on his next album, he replies, “I’m lucky [that I’ve had] my Markus Schulz Presents Dakota CTICC moniker, which, for the last few years, has Cape Town provided me with the most diverse, 16 December 2012 creative outlet possible. With that, I get to https://www.facebook.co channel techno, house, electro, progressive m/events/1069643261285 and other sub and micro-genres. So, I’m always82/?fref=ts looking to go down a diverse route of sorts.” In the press release for Scream, Schulz stated that the title was also the album’s mission statement. So, everyone wants to know: was his mission successful? “That box can go down as ticked, I think. The reactions to the tracks, especially the singles to date - as they had the most exposure - have been even greater than I dared hope for. I’ve heard plenty of screaming over the course of the last 6 months, and I’m happy to say it was the right kind! Think the polar opposite to the screaming in Scream, the movie, and you’re there,” he jokes. Fans will probably continue screaming (in a good, non-scary way) throughout 2013, because Markus has promised that the material will be coming as thick and fast, as it did in 2012. “Always! What is a producer that doesn’t produce?” he smiles. Already this year, he paired up with Armin van Buuren for the scintillating track The Expedition, and now he reveals what will be the subsequent follow-up. “My next single will

be The Spiritual Gateway - it’s the theme to Transmission 2013 - one of Europe’s biggest arena-sized trance events, which took place in Prague in January. I headlined it this year and this was my fourth year of doing the anthem; so, suffice to say, I’m a big fan. Between that, The Expedition and the World Tour: Best of, I think it’s [been] a pretty good kick off [to] the year.”

WHAT SOUTH AFRICA CAN EXPECT In early March, South Africa will receive Markus Schulz again. It has been a while since he was last here for the Smirnoff Nightlife Exchange Project in 2010, but he says he has a good notion of what’s been going on in our local scene. “As a DJ, who goes around the world many, many times a year, often playing 150 gigs or more, I have a reasonable idea of what EDM direction a country - or region - is heading in. I’m looking forward to getting there in March and seeing how tuned in I am.” Additionally, Schulz also elaborates on his favourite South African artist - and surprisingly, it’s not Die Antwoord. “I certainly respect what Protoculture has been doing over the last few years. In terms of EDM, or trance at least, Nate [Raubenheimer] definitely has it going on.” When asked if he tried anything different on his last visit to South Africa, Markus responds, “If we’re talking different, in a musical sense, not specifically so in South Africa - or any other country for that matter. Those variations tend to take place more floor-to-floor. People are generally aware that I play across the range - everything from deep progressive right up to really pumping tough trance. Going into each set, I have a clear idea of the tracks I want to play and the order in which I want to spin them. You do get gigs where the audience, as a whole, is looking for you to take it deeper, or harder, more vocally, or in another direction - in which case, you react to that and adapt.”

TRANCE NEVER DIES In closing, Markus explains why trance seemingly never dies, even if other genres and sub-genres of dance appear, disappear, re-appear, and so forth. “It’s a very adaptable style for one, as witnessed by its many sub and micro-genres. It’s often very ‘musical’ too - relative to some other EDM sub-genres, anyway. The use of melody and harmony means, in addition to its instantaneous instant impact, it leaves more of a subconscious impression.

That gives it longer-term appeal; has more people returning time and time again to its tracks. I’d also say its sense of community - the whole ‘family’ movement - has played a large part. I feel it’s a combination of all those aspects wrapped up together,” Markus concludes. Check out our review of Scream on the album review pages. For more information on Markus Schulz, please visit www.markusschulz.com.

MARKUS SHULZ South Africa: CPT: Venue: The Sideshow Date: 8 March 2013 JHB: Venue: Nasrec Expo Centre Date: 9 March 2013 Tickets: quicket.co.za

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20 TRIBUTE

By Mickdotcom

SOUND APART AT THE SEAMS BLOOMING ELECTRONICA he Nineties was a curious decade – motley. Trajectories that had been building since the 40’s had seemingly collapsed in the morass of neon excess otherwise known as the Eighties. Music had become either soldout or sombre - Gothic hangovers recast Rock as Grunge, all gloom and heroin and slovenly riffs; Alternative pop took to dark, delicious corners. Hip-Hop, one of the few genres at the time to wield fresh libido, was hacking away into corridors of the past to reconstruct its future. Its culture of sampling riffs and snippets from pockets of time was to have far-reaching influence on popular music to come. And a new species of sound was attaining sentience... As early as the 1900’s, composers of the perversely creative bent had been entertaining purely synthetic music. But these individuals were few and far between, and were closer to mad scientists than to the received notions of musicians/composers. Since the 1920’s, Edgard Varese had been incorporating industrial percussion and electronic sounds into his work - his attempt to mirror the shrieking mess of everyday technology coughing and stammering the urban soundtrack of 20th century life. The Forties saw John Cage injecting electronic components, chaos and chance into his compositions, leaving segments for Fate to compose; while Egyptian Halim ElDabh assembled the first musical piece to utilize manipulated tape recordings and found sounds, in 1944. Their experiments didn’t exactly become all the rave (ahem), not yet anyway. These sputters of proto Electronica were conducted mostly in isolation, until Robert Moog’s range of reasonably userfriendly synthesizers found a foothold in Sixties Funk, Rock and Fusion. But purely electronic music remained simmering in shadow until the Seventies, when German alternative outfits like Kraftwerk began parodying the mechanistic nature of the Industrial world by composing stark, repetitive electronic dance music. This led to the emergence of the Dance/Electronic music scenes of the late Eighties and early Nineties - the birth of Doef Doef. And lo the newly hip gathered in illicit phosphorescence, chomping shiny new pills, and jerking in symmetric abandon to the hyper locomotion of Techno and Rave. It was the new Tribalism - shiny happy people

MICKDOTCOM PAYS TRIBUTE TO AUTECHRE, APHEX TWIN, SQUAREPUSHER AND OVAL holding hands in abandoned buildings. Still underground, or at least nichebound, Electronica would soon spill over into the streets, clubs and bedrooms of the masses. And, eventually, into the most popular and mundane of media.

TIME WARPED The fractured mosaic of the Nineties lent itself to disruption - consistency tapered off, clarity was unsustainable, stability could not last. And so it was with music. Genres were ripe for collapse, or explosion. Electronica, starting out with the robust symmetries of Techno and Rave, swiftly bifurcated into Jungle, Acid House and Drum ’n Bass. From this synthetic fertiliser four artists/groups emerged who would tap into the uncompromising originality and experimentalism of fast forward-thinkers Stockhausen, Cage and Varese. The result of the Nineties output of Autechre, Aphex Twin, Oval and Squarepusher would definitively alter the map-work, and the very definitions, of music and musicality - introducing whole new planes and vistas of compositional possibility. Autechre and Aphex Twin were sometimes confused with one another, and often compared. Aphex Twin’s work was more derangedly freewheeling with eerie undercurrents and super-kinetic armies of percussion (and ominously distorted kiddies’ voices) now elevating, now toppling beautiful melodies compared to the exotic hyper-precision of Autechre’s alien orchestras - where the

percussive and melodic elements seemed different parts of the same sonic organism: squelches and shudders and whirs and thumps and coos and swishes mere aspects of the same hypothetical ‘instrument’. Recalls local electro-acoustic composer Brendon Bussy: “Around the time I discovered MP3's - I got a bunch from a friend (dN, now Captain Asthma). Included were the first 6 tracks of Autechre's EP7. The oddness of the opening track (Untitled) left a big impression. How can I describe it now? Rippling, liquid - a shattered and eroded beat... Driven by an underlying walking rhythm, but one leg slightly shorter than the other? Just what I was looking for. Something towards a beat structure, but veering, just past. A satisfying near miss.” Squarepusher was influenced by Aphex Twin’s self-exponentiating percussion, his rhythmic audacity, but buoyed said in fat Drum ’n Bass, and in warm, analogue Funk.

Aphex Twin

Warrick Sony: “I was given a copy of Squarepusher’s Feed Me Weird Things CD in 1996 by Jay Savage of Sony Music. It blew me away. The album changed my sense of what music was... and what it was to become... and I felt a huge desire to be part of what music was going to become. I like the fact that the guy could play his instrument very well - he was like Jaco Pastorius playing Drum ’n Bass. Also opened my mind to programming drums. Still one of the best drum programmed albums ever.” These three artists, along with a slew of other digital creatives, were all part of the Warp Records roster, and had massive, gamechanging impacts on the likes of Bjork, Radiohead and Hip-Hop outfits like OutKast, and later the entirety of R ’n B and Pop. A more obscure entity, dubbed Oval, was operating at the same time as the above three, but seemed to be in a parallel reality where the latter’s output had already been analysed and quietly toyed with for a decade. Oval also threw a fistful of cosmic skunk into the face of petty human notions like creativity and authorship - Its first, obtusely brilliant releases were ostensibly the produce of computer programmes, designed by its human co-conspirators. Said human trio (later streamlined to central member Markus Popp) would mutilate CDs, squiggling on them with markers or scratching them, then feed the remnant ‘tracks’ into said programmes for ‘re-interpretation’. The resulting, balletic twitch-works led to ‘Glitch’ Electronica. Says chord sculptor and sometime Electro ambient Givan Lotz: “Thee first thing I heard from Oval was the 24 minute ‘Do while,’ off the 94Discont album. Even though I heard it 10 years after the fact (2004), I was struck with its immediate beautiful otherness, like listening to a scratched compact disc with your fingers - somehow simultaneously on both the fast-forward and reverse buttons.” By the end of the decade, the century and millennium, the disparate quartet of pioneers were all but overwhelmed by the tumultuous heave of their wide-ranging influence: Aphex Twin resigned from official commercial releases in 2001 with the trixy innocence of swan song Druqks, while Squarepusher’s output became unpredictable in style and quality around the same time, and Oval all but disappeared.

Oval

Photo: Nana-Anase

Squarepusher

POST-APOCALYPTIC BLOOZE.

Autechre

Photo: Tom-Jenkinson

As of 2013 things are swell for the four horsemen of the future. Aphex Twin has been releasing a steady assault of EPs and pseudonym-signed albums over the last six or so years, keeping fans hungry and guessing; Squarepusher’s been expanding his canvass with

reckless talent, unleashing albums that bravely re-imagine live music. Autechre - the most consistent of the four - have merely carried on mining rich seams of strange beauty; their last release, 2010’s Oversteps, considered to be among their best works, and their new one out as you read this. Oval, typically, reinvented itself with its first release in a decade - occlusive digita swopped for actual samples of brightly squirming guitar and percussion, manipulated into signature, glorious otherness. Ah! Bright, shimmering horizons!

22 ARTIST Q ‘n A

By Jayson Geland

LOUIE

CUT ortuguese DJing prodigy Louie Cut is a man on the rise. After having achieved unprecedented online chart success in 2011 and releasing his breakthrough Minimal dance album, Some Change, in 2012, the Lisbon born phenom is now embarking on a world tour. He’ll be visiting some top SA night spots along the way, earning legions of new fans no doubt. Jayson caught up with him to talk about his world and music.

When did you first decide that DJing was something you wanted to take seriously? I started out playing private parties. Then, after a few months I began promoting both myself and international artists. After that I got into music production. The initial response to my first release was great, that’s when things got really serious. What was the EDM scene like in Lisbon when you first got behind the decks? It hasn’t really changed that much since I started. Perhaps the recent financial crisis has decelerated night life spending from both partygoers and investors, but our club scene here in Portugal is still a great one. You've been quite successful on dance chart sites like Beatport, having over forty tracks feature on their Minimal Top 100 in 2011 alone, then going on to be nominated for their esteemed 'Track of The Year' in 2012. Do you pay attention to your progress on such charts, and do you feel it's made you better?

I do pay attention to the charts. It’s important to like your own music, but also to consider the opinions of your audience and contemporaries. My chart performance has been more of a confidence boost than anything. How important would you say possessing a strong online presence has been for you in your career? Nowadays a strong online presence is vital, current technology has made information in general so much more accessible. It also provides me with a direct connection to my fans, allowing me to thank them for their unyielding support. When playing live, what kind of experience do you strive to provide for your audience? My style of Minimal is an eclectic blend of retro and funk imbued with noticeably modern elements. I think of the Louie Cut experience as a time machine, swaying back and forth through the zeitgeist. What is your favourite memory from a live performance? One of the best memories was at the Inox Club in Toulouse, France. As I ended my set, I saw some fans calling me over. One of them was in a wheelchair, and he absolutely loved it, having a great time. It was a beautiful moment. What for you sets minimal dance music aside from more convoluted arrangements? My philosophy pertaining to Minimal is that less is definitely more. Minimal is less heavy, less noisy when compared to other styles of EDM and it’s just really enjoyable music.

In 2011 you started your own record label, Strict Recordings. What was the thinking behind this move, and what are your future plans for the label? Strict Recordings was created to be a platform for new and established artists to release their music. Besides the record company, Strict is also a booking agency and promotion company. You're going to be touring the world this year, playing in countries like Spain, Brazil and Mexico.You must be excited to be hitting the road in a major way... I am really excited for my South American gigs, they’ve been my greatest supporters and I really enjoy playing there. This tour will be a great opportunity to present my 2012 debut album "Some Change" and also some brand new tracks I’ve been working lately. You'll be navigating Pretoria, Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town in the South African leg of your tour. Have you played in South Africa before? It's my first time playing in South Africa so I'm looking forward to meeting the country, culture, night scene, food and people. I always wanted to visit Cape Town, so this will be a great opportunity, I hope I can find some time to do some sightseeing and enjoy your country. Facebook.com/ louiecutofficial Check our events page for the full itinerary of Louie Cut's South Africa Tour

24 FEATURE

By Malu Lambert

“MORE STAGES, MORE INFORMATION, MORE COMMUNITY, JUST MORE!”

REGAN ADDICTED TO MUSIC

hile at university I wrote down some guidelines for life,” says Regan Tacon. “They were: empowerment, education, entertainment, and enlightenment.” The hubbub of a coffee shop swirls around us. He lives in Hout Bay with his wife, Monique, as well as his young daughter. “I still live by those words.” Regan is a self-confessed music addict. He’s one hell of a guy to introduce, but let’s try: he’s part of the original psy set - the producers who first started making trance music in the late nineties. He’s both DJ and Label Manager for Nano Records. Plus his events company puts on two of the biggest outdoor psy-trance parties every year: Earthdance Cape Town and Origin Festival as well as two alternative festivals: Nu World Eve and Flamjangled Tea Party.

“

“I just don’t stop,” he says. “The events aren’t just me though, Monique holds down the fort, plus there’s a strong team around what we do.” In 2000, Regan held the first Earthdance, and since then the festival has grown exponentially. “For me it symbolises the essence of what the trance scene is: a forum to communicate not only music, but art, ideas and a sense of community - social activation, that’s what’s important. We’re always trying to do something more than just having a thrash.” “It’s definitely going where I want it to go,” Regan says when asked about 2012’s festival. “But there’s still so much I’d like to do. More stages, more information, more community, just more! More for people to participate in and more for people to leave with.”

And the second stage? “The techno floor is a bit rougher and edgier, but that’s the point; I want to get those edgy kids out of the city and maybe smooth off some of those edges,” Regan relates this with his characteristic big grin. For Regan it’s always been about music: playing it, promoting it and partying to it. From being a kid with a ‘mad music collection’ to the bands he played in as a teenager, notably Seven Head Scream, a metal band he was in with his brother (Gareth from The Commercial Hippies); and to the underground dance music radio station he hosted at university. A Cape Town local he grew up in a ‘very arty’ household, not only was his mom an art teacher, but he also studied it. “The art workshops we had at Origin this year were awesome. We’re working hard to promote that kind of culture.” Origin Festival has one of the most exciting international line-ups of the entire outdoor calendar, an intentional move. “We want Origin to be the more ‘international’ of the festivals. We actually have groups of people that travel from overseas just to come to the event.” Recently Regan played at the Boom Festival in Portugal. A set he remembers with glee. The day he played, so did a host of other Nano artists, a gesture he says was to celebrate ‘10 Years of Nano Records’. And fittingly it tore the proverbial roof off. Nano Records is one of the most successful psy-trance labels around. “Every day I feel like throwing in the towel,” Regan says ruefully when asked about the future of the label. “It’s hard to justify spending so much time on something that’s so difficult to monetise. But... the power of the label lies in the promotion and connecting with the right people. Promoting our family; I’ve always seen the artists as such.” The Flamjangled Tea Party is a break away from the psy events. The annual festival is a melange of live music, electro swing and fancy dress. “It’s a festival for post ravers,” says Regan. “It’s more chilled than trance parties but it still has that twisted psychedelic vibe to it.” The other alternative festival Nu World Eve is centred around ‘worldbeat’. It’s an electronic musical festival in the same spirit of the Tea Party: fun, whimsical and light-hearted. Regan often DJs at both under project Circus Swing with Toby 2shoes. “It’s easy to diversify between the festivals, as a DJ and as an events organiser: good music is good music, and I’m doing what I’ve always done - promoting music I like.” Find Regan here: facebook.com/regantacon

26 FEATURE

By Mary Honeychild

YOUNGSTA THE WYNBERG MC

“IT SOUNDS LIKE SOMETHING NEW THAT’S BEEN AROUND FOREVER. ONCE YOU GET OVER MY ACCENT YOU'LL FIND A WHOLE LOT OF SUBSTANCE IN WHAT I’M SAYING.”

first saw Youngsta (real name Riyadh Roberts) perform at The Assembly in Cape Town back in 2011 at a Good Hope FM Hip Hop Party. A few other local Hip Hop acts performed before and after him, yet something about the earnest fervour of his stage persona solely grabbed my attention. This doesn’t happen often but when it does, as a music journo, you feel the need to dig a little deeper. We wrapped up an interview with the young MC that following week on BPMLife.co.za and have since watched him grow, gaining more respect, more recognition, and local success in the space of two years. He’s opened for a number of big international acts on SA tour such as Lil Wayne, the Kev Brown and J-Live Tour, Talib Kweli and the Hudson Mohawke and DJ ATrak Tour. Last year he was invited by the Red Bull Studios to record his latest mixtape and also collaborated with Tumi Molekane of Tumi and the Volume. This experience opened his eyes to one or two things… “I was always unsure if big name cats would embrace me but after Tumi and Reason gave me a nod for my work it kind of offered me the assurance that I was on the right path. Also with Redbull allowing me to record my new mixtape in their studio, I

knew I was slowly moving in the right direction,” says Youngsta. The interesting thing about Youngsta is his honesty and transparency, the kind that true artists exhibit. His delivery is a hybrid of the original Americanized identity of Hip Hop, combined with the freshness of a Cape Town ou flow. He describes it as… “It sounds like something new that’s been around forever. Once you get over my accent you'll find a whole lot of substance in what I’m saying, and that’s where the Wynberg slang and lifestyle falls into play.” Having just turned twenty one, he is still relatively young in the game. His persona and alias represents the character quality of today’s young South African men, who despite age, resource or circumstance believe with bulletproof tenacity that they are geared up for doing great things. In 2010 the year after he left school, he recorded one hundred and fifty tracks and released them for free. His ‘taste before you buy’ marketing scheme gained him a following for his interpretation of local Hip Hop. His performance at Rocking The Daisies last year on the Red Bull Music Stage (predominantly reserved for electronic dance music) saw his fan base grow even larger. After treating the audience to one of his energetic deliveries, Youngsta walked off stage with a searing natural high having overcome his senses.

“I knew the genre I was going up against had a lot of energy and a strong party element to it. I had to perform tracks to keep people energized and pumped up, but in no way was I ready for the response. Giving people a good show is my main goal. They have to go home wanting to know more about 'the young guy rocking the mic,’ ” Youngsta states triumphantly. In his track 1 Thing 2 Understand he says "I'm Muslim, I salaah, you don't understand Allah. I'm killing Hip Hop, I ask forgiveness up in Makkah" revealing a clash between his spirituality and his desire to be in the music business. Riyadh elaborates… “We as Muslims are often told that music is against our beliefs but at the same time I was blessed with a gift. It all comes down to what you do with what you’re given. You need to use your talents in a positive way. I am in no way the best Muslim but as long as I live life with discipline and always pray then I think I’ll be fine.” Youngsta’s grounded sense of self plays a vital role in his Hip Hop future… “I’m part of the Y-Generation. I’m still a student to this industry, I’m learning as I go along so not for one moment do I think I know it all. I’m here on behalf of all the youngsters living life, feeling lost and hopeless but still dreaming.” Web: youngsta.co.za

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32 COLUMNIST By Tendai Luwo

THE DEEP END WITH LUO AFRODESIA MP3: THE END OF AN ERA TENDAI INVESTIGATES THE DEMISE OF SOUTH AFRICA’S ONLINE STORE new year is always filled with new opportunities and brand new horizons to explore. It brings with it hope and a fresh start for all. But the local house music industry has been dealt a serious blow. Our beloved AFROdesiamp3 digital music store has packed up shop and shut down. Its closure serves as more than just another website closing down; it’s a dent to our music scene’s heritage and pride. Although house music belongs to no one and welcomes everyone like your grandmother’s Christmas lunch, AFROdesia was one of the few elements within the house music realm that we could proudly call our own. It allowed us to stand tall on the international scene and beat our chest with pride. But now it’s gone and has left us asking, what now? When I first heard that the site was closing down I didn’t pay much attention to it. My initial reaction was a simple; ‘it’s probably due to all the illegal downloading that goes on’. AFROdesia themselves listed a lack of improvement in sales as one of the core reasons they had to close the company. But one then asks where does this leave us as a deep house nation? There is word on the street of a few players in the industry that are looking to fill the void left by the store but I don’t think that’s the issue here. Rather, why is the most prominent locally based online music store shutting down amidst a seemingly booming period for the house music industry? I’m genuinely curious whether the local artists are concerned by these developments. And if they are, what are they doing to remedy the situation. The issue here is, without AFROdesia there is currently no easily accessible and equally credible platform to host local content. Sure there’s Traxsource, Beatport and even Soundcloud, but those are a whole different league. Besides being large sites, they don’t offer the niche service that AFROdesia did. Essentially this then renders the majority of our local

producers about as noticeable as goldfish (not the band, Ed) swimming in the sea. On the other hand the new sites that are coming up could learn something from AFROdesia. First and foremost with all the changes in the game that are occurring, companies with vested interest in the industry continue to overlook the prominence of mobile users in South Africa. A significantly large percentage of the house music consumers in this country solely rely on their cellphones to download, share and listen to the house music they acquire. This then means it is imperative that online stores make their sites as mobile friendly as possible. Furthermore, these same individuals hardly ever have access to credit cards. This then means even if they have access to the site, purchasing content proves to be a challenge, thus they resort to illegally

downloading the music. I also personally believe the notion that people don’t want to buy music to be utterly false. The likes of DJ Cleo easily sell over 100 000 units of their singles on various mobile platforms. This then means that people are more than willing to buy the music as long as it is easily accessible to them. Simply put it is far easier to follow a few prompts and spend R5 on a song than the perceived tedious process that is buying music online. Although these changes are essentially simple in nature, they stand to be the difference between cultivating a truly prosperous industry and repeating the same costly mistakes. It’s no secret that South Africa is the new safe haven for deep house music; we just need to figure out how to furnish our ‘house’ so we can all live in it comfortably.

FUN STUFF

5 MINS WITH...

MS. COSMO

WE GRAB 5 MINUTES WITH SOME OF OUR FAVOURITE DJ'S & ARTISTS AND ASK THEM... WELL... JUST ABOUT ANYTHING WE FEEL LIKE!!! s Cosmo, aka Nonqaba Nozuko Rwaxa, realised she had a talent for beat mixing when she made mixtapes to play in her car or at intimate house parties and they’d continuously

mysteriously disappear. She enrolled at DJ Zinhle’s FUSE Academy, perfecting her skills on vinyl before advancing to CDJs. She does a live weekly DJ mix for YFM’s YTKO feature and also a video mix

for Channel O’s Bassment program. Recently she was chosen to open up for global Hip Hop sensation, Kanye West on his SA tour. We grabbed her for a 5 minute chat...

1. Likening your personality to a drink is an art that... paints a picture of who I am.

14. Luck is something normally associated with... opportunity and hard work.

2. House parties in Joburg’s Northern Suburbs are a lot like... an anomaly. Totally non-existent anymore. I wish we could revive the movement.

15. What is your biggest love and loathe at the moment? I’ve recently developed a love for chocolate and have to have one every day. I loathe the sound of polystyrene and cardboard!

3. Being half Zulu and half Xhosa means... I’m the stubborn fighter. Xhosa’s are known to be a strong, opinionated, proud, and stubborn. Zulu’s are bold, striking and hot blooded fighters.

16. A golden ear has to be able to decipher what exactly? A golden ear has to be able to decipher a classic song from a one hit wonder.

4. Getting a college degree before pursuing a career in the stars is... the smartest thing I could have ever done for myself. Now I view myself as a business and carry myself as one. 5. Making a bumping mixtape is all about... the perfect verse over a tight beat. The first thing that catches my attention about a song is the beat. 6. Opening up for Kanye West on his SA Tour gave you the realisation that... the big boys are paying attention. Knowing that I shared a stage with one of my favourite artists and was selected out of many DJs in South Africa is a blessing to say the least. 7. What does an alter ego offer an artist other than a feisty stage name? It gives you the chance to show off your imaginary friend that you’ve been hiding inside you all these years. 8. DJ-ing is an art best left to... those that can’t sing or rap [Laughs] it’s an art on its own. It’s a platform for the producers who’ve always had an ear for music to display their talent to recognise the next best hit. 9. What is the one thing you know how to do really well in less than five minutes? Drive on the highway from the

17. Live mixing for radio is all about... the listener. Live mixing for radio is a totally different ball game from mixing in a club. 18. If you were a street artist what would your tag name be? Cosmolicious

“I DON'T SKIRT THE BEAT, I BE THE BEAT”

19.You were... the token black girl... in High School. 20. Ambition and drive... makes a male attractive.

Johannesburg CBD to Sandton. 10. 'Pap en wors' or 'Butchers Grill’ on the square? I really can’t do pap. It’s like an instant sleeping pill. Definitely Butcher’s Grill. 11. When someone calls you by your full name what are you reminded of? My grandmother! 12. The thing about Diepkloof, Soweto is that... it’s got so much culture and vibe. 13. DJ Zinhle’s FUSE Academy is the kind of place you... are able to hone your skills as female in a male dominated industry. They equip you with not only the skills to be a DJ, but a brand in entirety.

21. When do you lie? When I’m late. 22. What is the one promise you keep making to yourself that you always break? That I’ll always be on time. 23. There will never be enough... Opportunity... in the world. 24. If you lived in a fantasy cartoon world where all the characters were DJs, your catch phrase would be... “I don’t skirt the beat, I be the beat” 25. An authentic South African sound is... A fusion of TKZee, Kalawa, Pro and Khuli Chana.

COOKING THE DECKS

By Tendai Luwo

he local house industry continues to grow but one individual stands out in particular for his unique and equally infectious sounds. His name is Chris Sen. The young producer is the go-to guy for many artists when they need a dance-floor-filling remix; and he always delivers! Chris took some time out of his tremendously busy schedule to chat to Tendai about his music, ghost producing and something called a ‘little phatty’.

Who is Chris Sen? I’m 28 and was raised in Polokwane - now based in Pretoria. I started DJing at age 15 which led to the production side about 6 years ago. My “9-5 job” (or sometimes 3am) is music. What was the moment when you first realized you had a passion for music and could make it a career? The passion was always there, it’s a choice you have to make, a very tough and serious decision. I gave up my studies about 6 years ago (which I don’t recommend) and later realized there was no turning back. Committing to this career and lifestyle is harder than most people think. Luckily it paid off! We know locally a lot of the big name DJs source the services of a ghost producer. How do you feel about this occurrence in the industry? A lot of big names in the industry don’t have the time or knowledge to produce or engineer their own music, but they have the ideas. With their big brands and platforms the song can generate twice as much as it would have without those two key elements. As long as the contract is fair and you are fine with the fact that you are not getting credit for your work, it’s up to you. Have you ever ghost produced for anyone? Yes... but giving away their names will take away my mysteriousness of being a ghost. [Laughs] Your remixes are always dancefloor favourites; please take us through your production process from the moment you first get the parts to the remix project's completion. I listen to the parts over and over before I start to work on it, to make sure I can make it work. Next I focus on a hook line- it may be a melody, vocal stutter or bend, even a drum fill or a percussion arrangement that gets stuck in your head, then combining this with the key parts of the original. This can take a couple of hours or even up to a week sometimes. Then I focus on the tone or feel of the track, should it be more progressive or mellow when creating my synths and basslines. Once these 3 steps are done I send over a minute loop to the label or artist for their feedback- I am always open for any kind of input or constructive criticism if the person knows what they are talking about. If they are happy I move forward and start with the layout.

JUST WHO IS…

CHRIS SEN? I use Ableton Live as a DAW, together with Massive, Nexus, Sylenth and a Moog ‘little phatty’. We recently saw the closure of AFROdesiamp3. As a local producer, how do you feel about this and what effect do you think this will have on our local scene? I salute Afrodesia for their effort as an independent online record store, but competing with Traxsource, Beatport and now ITunes SA is tough. DJs always want to be the first one playing the next local hit and it’s very difficult getting hold of local music when it is still fresh, and that was exactly what Afrodesiamp3 had to offer. But with people sharing music and illegal download sites it’s not just tough for the artists these days but also for record companies, or in this case an online record store.

“A LOT OF BIG NAMES IN THE INDUSTRY DON’T HAVE THE TIME OR KNOWLEDGE TO PRODUCE OR ENGINEER THEIR OWN MUSIC, BUT THEY HAVE THE IDEAS.” Lastly, what is the one thing you fans would be surprised to know about you? I’m a self taught producer. Follow Chris Sen on Soundcloud to stay in tune with all his latest releases: soundcloud.com/chris-sen

38 ALBUM REVIEWS

1. Ganyani’s House Grooves 8 - Soul Candi Records

4. Fistaz Mixwell - Addictiv - Soul Candi Records

<House> Ganyani is no stranger to the accolades within the pages of this magazine. It seems like every time we’ve reviewed one of his releases, we’re always remarking on the quality he puts out. So it’s no surprise that Ganyani’s made it to the eighth House Grooves album. The sheer quality of his product speaks for itself. House Grooves 8 achieves exactly what a solid house album should do; it takes you on a journey. Ganyani’s track selection ensures that all moods are catered for like a 5 star deep house buffet. Starting off with the hard hitting Xigubu, the album flows seamlessly into hits like Be There featuring Mlu and Big Nuz, and Master Ganyani featuring Jerah. Tracks like Satisfied and Waiting will most certainly also become album favourites. To younger DJs looking for a perfect example of how to craft a story from beginning to end, without the need to rely on any one single track (although he does include some big tracks) you can start by listening right here. House Grooves 8 is a definite winner from Ganyani. Reviewed by Tendai Luwo

<House> It is more than 10 years since Fistaz Mixwell released his first album simply titled It’s Time [1999]. Even back then he was producing his own tracks. Few people have managed to maintain the level of consistency set by Fistaz and his series of compilations. His latest offering is Addictiv and true to its title, one just can’t get enough! Fistaz has stayed true to his tried and tested formula; soulful dancefloor friendly tunes. With gems like Clear Skies by Brazo Wa Afrika, Pada Pada by Risalsounds and Fistaz’s very own smash single with Vaalsow, Hade Mabebeza, it seems the man can do no wrong. Addictiv certainly upholds the high standard set by this deep house legend. With the art of compiling fast being diluted by the flooding of the market, it’s safe to say compilations like Addictiv comfortably keep his head above the waters and swim against the tide of mediocrity that prevails in the deep house industry. Thirteen sublime tunes that hit all the right notes with no fillers in site, this is definitely a quality release and worthy of any deep house lover’s collection. Reviewed by Tendai Luwo

2. Soul Candi The House Of - Soul Candi Records

5. Stereo Candi 6 mixed by DJ Claude - Soul Candi Records

<House> Soul Candi The House Of… is a two disc offering from the major label. Disc one offers both tracks by SA producers or international tunes remixed by local boys. These are selections that have been rocking the airwaves like Da Capo’s remix of Over The Rainbow [original by Cosmic Gate & J. Something] and C.9ines’ interpretation of I Got This Feeling, [Mr O & Funk Deepstar Ft. Ckenz Voucal]. Other notable tracks include Jullian Gomes’ remix of You Know What You Mean To Me by The Layders and Crazy White Boy’s radio hit, Zoma gets a reworking by Kyle Watson. By contrast disc two heads overseas and presents all the international hits like Hallelujah Anyway by Candi Staton, a lovely rendition by Atjazz & Jullian Gomes called Overshadowed and some surprising inclusions like Gui Boratto - This Is Not The End (Ame Remix). The compilation tends to be a little bit hit and miss and lacks some cohesion, mainly due to its attempt to cover too many styles. Although it’s above average, when pitted against some of the other Soul Candi releases, it definitely comes a bit short. Sudden transitions and ‘not so exclusive’ tracks take away from what could have been a great compilation. Reviewed by Tendai Luwo

<House> The sixth instalment of Stereo Candi plays it safe. From tracks like, Close Your Eye by Miguel Migs, to Oh I (I Miss You) by Dj Spen and The Muthafunkaz, the long player sticks to a steady flow of familiar deep house hits. Although this might make the album easy on the ears of ‘here and there’ house music listeners, the album might prove too typical and in my opinion a little too middle-of-the-road for the hardcore house fan. Regardless of your level of loyalty to house, Stereo Candi 6 still remains a well put together compilation; it’s just that there are no real surprises. On a more positive note the album carries a few pleasant inclusions like the repeat worthy, Jonny Montana & Blick Bassy - Boum (Deeper Mix). All in all Stereo Candi 6 achieves what it intended to do as a compilation but doesn’t quite make itself stand out from a crowd filled with similar sounding collections of house music. It certainly is an above average compilation but as a release from SA’s leading house label, Soul Candi, it runs the risk of getting lost amidst some of the other excellent releases we’ve become used to. Reviewed by Tendai Luwo

3. Soul Candi Presents House for Lovers - Soul Candi Records

EP Review Muzart - Jukebox EP - Soul Candi Records

<House> Soul Candi is fond of their themed compilations, especially the love series. House for Lovers is aimed directly at the ‘sucker for love’ house fan and lands the perfect killer blow. The double disc compilation is filled with most of the more recent love infused deep house ballads that we’ve been singing along to over the past couple of months. Split into a local and international disc, Soul Candi manages to find a balance between sticking to the lovers theme and still offering a smooth flowing blend of house. Reel People’s Golden Lady and Lovesong 28 are the sure fire winners on this compilation. The only downside to an otherwise accomplished collection of tracks is the omission of possibly the biggest deep house love song in recent years, Take Me To My Love by Ralf Gum which would have really completed the album. Otherwise House for Lovers is sure to serenade the hearts of most starry eyed deep house lovers, in erm... Love! Reviewed by Tendai Luwo

<House> In anticipation of their debut album we listened to the first single - Jukebox from Soul Candi’s latest signing, Muzart. The EP contains 5 versions; the original plus remixes by De Capo, DJ Whisky, Jonny Miller & Kid Fonque and Lulo Cafe. The original is super soulful with jazzy keys and gorgeous vocals whilst each remix introduces a positive variation serving up a dancefloor version to suit different DJ styles. Watch out for Muzart. These guys are heading for the top! Reviewed by Damien Albetto

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44 ALBUM REVIEWS 6. A$AP Rocky - Long.Live.A$AP – Sony Music

<Hip Hop> A$AP Rocky. Every now and then in the midst of radio Hip Hop we get treated to a rapper with a taste for nothing but spitting and producing, the real. Mainstream? No sir, this is when mainstream gets it right, best believe. This album is an absolute representation of the pieces that make up his life, the bulllshit, the good things, the ugly, the sexism, and most of all the truth. Artistry is not always wholesome or perfect, it’s true. This Harlem native hits it on the head. F**kin’ Problems is just a taste of that street swag, so original and without desperation to sound like a trendy 90’s throwback or any modern EDM hip pop. His sound is a drawling mellow gangster delivery with enough drums and exertion to get you excited, not too much, just a little bit. Goldie, the second single off Long.Live. A$AP, is another example of the crème headlining this body of work; 808 drums and a distinct flute melody is the setting for some cool shit talk. PMV (All I Really Need) is my third favourite bumper. Imaginative, intuitive, and innovative. A definite change in the game. Perfect for a chillin’, sippin’ kind of listening session. Reviewed by Mary Honeychild

7. Swedish House Mafia - Until Now - EMI 8.

10.

<Commercial Dance> Swedish House Mafia, leaving electronic dance music before it leaves them? Perhaps, Until Now is their second and final compilation release as a trio, accompanied by a well attended global tour leading up from last year. It’s the collection for the fan. Old, or new, anyone keen to have a folder marked with the crème of their work. There isn’t much new to be found on this release by these dance music icons. A lot of the tracks are the best of their own work and remixes that they did for other producers. A few of these range from Euphoria by R&B singer Usher, Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall by Coldplay and The Island by Pendulum. Popular top downloads from this compilation would definitely be Greyhound, In My Mind, Three Triangles, and Euphoria. Don’t expect a story telling piece of work that reflects a musical journey though. Look forward to seventy five minutes of continuous boom thrilling, speaker bending, loud and euphoric beats that embody the essence of their live performances. For many a fan or show attendee, this will take you back to your spot on the dance floor. Get it to remember and rave in your room to it. Reviewed by Romy Hi Hat

8. Gazelle & Invizable - The Revolution will be Remixed - Electromode <Limpop> Limpop! Ever heard of this genre? Of course not! Us S’efficans love to make up our own styles - it goes hand in hand with our never-say-die resourcefulness that epitomises being from the land down south of Africa. The Revolution will be Remixed, may seem a tad corny for a title, (presumably taken from the famous Gil Scott-Heron poem/song The Revolution will not be televised back in 1970) but nonetheless apt since, although G&I’s music is not gimmicky, it certainly is not to be taken too seriously either. Fun, camp and varied, this double disc comprises of 14 tracks on Disc 1 and their debut album, Chic Afrique as a bonus on Disc 2. The first CD includes mainly remixes and as they appropriately call it, ‘a Pandoras box of musical surprises.’ You can expect an eclectic collection ranging

from the almost ‘Johnny Clegg meets Ursula 1000’ feel of the first few tracks to the downright deep tech sounds of cuts such as Golden Sun and Try. Also included is the hit collaboration with Jack Parow called Hosh Tokolosh, a firm radio favourite and already an SA classic. For newbies, or those who have not managed to get hold of their debut, the bonus disc is a welcome reminder of their sound, as it was; just a little naive, a teeny bit under produced, yet full of fun: thoroughly enjoyable throughout. Reviewed by Dave Mac

9. Focus on Daniel Dexter - Poker Flat Recordings <Minimal Techno> In the world of electronic music the label you release on can often be more significant than your own demeanour. Steve Bug’s Poker Flat Recordings has always been a label worth taking note of. If I think of the brand of techno and house this imprint tends to favour, it harks back to a bygone era where funk and fun in equal measures make up a prominent part of their sound. Party starter (their words, not mine), Daniel Dexter certainly oozes a level of funk, jazz and thankfully dabs of sexiness into a genre (techno, not house) that often is devoid of these elements. In fact a lot of minimal techno sounds Asexual to me. I mean imagine techno fans having sex? It’d be all mathematical and well worked out beforehand. Eish! Anyway I digress. Focus On Daniel Dexter displays the kind of finesse and general jazziness that sets it apart from just a simple percussive driven minimal-tech offering. I mean, hey... there’s actually melody and keys being played on this! This twelve-tracker segues seamlessly from track to track the same way a good set should, making it interesting, arresting and playable from beginning to end. Daniel Dexter - a name that should be popping up more and more, methinks. Reviewed by Dave Mac

10. Stefan Goldman - 17:50 & Live at Honen-In Temple - Macro <Techno> Stefan Goldmann is a serious cat and likes it that way. The press release to 17:50 quotes Miles Davis on pitch bending in one sentence “If you don’t add something to a note, it dies.” According to the holy grail of all techno phobes, Resident Advisor, “Goldmann’s productions don’t sound like they’re coming from the same universe as practically everything else on the shelves.” Whoever wrote that should expand their musical horizons! Nonetheless Goldmann’s compositions are textured, quirky and imaginative, albeit in a pretty serious, dour, chin-stroker kind of way. Not immediately easy listening, 17:50, his 2012 album, is certainly varied and some of it even danceable… but the trademark to Goldmann’s sound is sonic exploration that is off the tried-and-tested path of much of the minimal-tech stuff out there. Live at Honen-In Temple is a live recording of his one-off performance on the slopes of the Eastern hills of Kyoto, Japan and is a completely different beast to 17:50, further endorsing this avant-garde techno producer’s reputation for sonic dexterity. Significantly this live performance is devoid of a single kick drum and given the right mood and setting, proves to be absorbing listening. If you’re an electronic music trainspotter (and we sure have a few of those in these parts) impress your friends with some left-of-centre techno. Recommended. Reviewed by Dave Mac

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46 ALBUM REVIEWS

11. Circuit Breakers - Fragmented Reality - Nano Records 11.

12.

<Psytrance> Circuit Breakers is the combined efforts of producers, Burn In Noise from Brazil and Dickster from the U.K. Nano have diversified their releases quite significantly over the past couple of years, so one no longer knows exactly what to expect although quality is usually pretty high. Somehow, though, through all this diversity , their releases still seem to have a common thread [psytrance, duh!] and even though Circuit Breakers is only one half ‘pommie,’ [Dickster] the sound of Fragmented Reality seems to have very strong UK overtones, a trademark of the Nano sound of yesteryear. Mind you Burn In Noise also tends to favour those crunchy synth layers, remnant of the UK sound. So it’s a perfect match then? Indeed! This 9 tracker comes out all guns blazing on High Roller, a 144 BPM blaster and the pace only lets up long enough for you to catch your breath in the breaks. Expect loads of uptempo, squelchy arps, crunchy synths and phat basslines over a tight groove. All the tunes are written in major keys so their sound is very uplifting and energetic, but still with a dash of seriousness, thankfully. We don’t like our psy to be too happy now do we? Reviewed by Dave Mac

12. Symphonix - Time to Punk - Blue Tunes 13.

14.

<Progressive> Festival superheroes, the Wötanowski brothers have wowed audiences globally with their original and melodic style and built a reputation as one of the most in-demand progressive acts around today. The dreamy dance-synth laced, hyper energetic thumping rhythms are back in Time To Punk, the 4th Symphonix album. Welcome to the world of sky-high sound design and futuristic tech hooks on top of classy chords, and yes - every single track is even bigger than the last. The atmosphere this music creates has no other parallel but as a prime time dancefloor experience, overwhelming at the very least. As the hallmarks of the Symphonix style has always been the finer details and dynamics of their music, they have had no trouble whatsoever shifting to a more up-front sound in a deeper and far more mature way than what may have been heard before. The Time To Punk is now close at hand as Symphonix return to Cape Town to headline at Love & Light Festival this month, a spectacle not to be missed. Reviewed by Stefan Wyeth

13. Twelve Sessions - Self Awareness - Free-Spirit 15.

<Psyprog> Twelve Sessions is the psychedelic trance project of Pedro Thiel a.k.a. RPedro, from Brazil. This is psytrance music with driving bass lines and awesome energy, perfect for the early evening. The first track, Spiritual Senses, has a beautiful atmospheric feel yet keeps lifting the emotions with banging bass and perfect synth sounds. Out of Sight enveloped my whole being with warm bass and chirpy effects. 8 Hours of Madness by Braincell remixed by Twelve Sessions is a powerful dance floor tune. The fantastic collaborations with Sheiknah on Own Nature and

Journey on Twelve Journeys are both super tunes. Light Within is a more serious sounding tune with a cool launch sequence of vox samples. Crazy synth and moody melodies created a cocoon of enjoyment and bliss in and around one on Acid, a collaboration with Mental Broadcast. From The Ashes has many stunning troughs and peaks to explore with the mind and feet. The final tune is also the title track and a superb ending to a fantastic production. It was great to be treated to such pure psychedelic and exciting music again. Highly recommended. Reviewed by Riqardo

14. Zyce - Alignment - Tesseract <Progressive> This is Zyce's second solo album and the balance between chanting, vox, effects and actual music is perfect. The Spirits of the opening track prepared me for the beauty to come. Ayahuasca has an interesting message and a soothing melody. In Awakening of the Slavic Spirit I was carried off by the chilling and beautiful chanting to a forgotten time in Eastern Europe. With Psychedelic Concept I was introduced to further thought-provoking ideas and a laidback beat infused with stirring melody. Eagle Horison also has some rousing female chanting with a chugging beat. The swirling melodies and electronically manipulated vox on Magic Shrooms created a feeling of delirium and it was a great sensation. Just beyond the middle of Ingredient there is a perfect build up, reaching of climax and then a break down to silence just to build up again to a new awakening. The moody atmosphere created by Extraterrestrial will have you looking over your shoulder. Zyce has left the best for last as World Rebirth Party touched all my psychedelic pleasure zones. The smooth build-ups, groovy melody, echoed synth and a bass line that could be the new sex - this is perfection. Highly recommended. Reviewed by Riqardo

15. Lish - Best of our Sets Vol. 8 - Iboga Records <Progressive Tech> The latest installment in Iboga Records’ highly successful compilation series has landed in the form of an extremely DJ friendly double disc put together by Lish. Known for their infectious yet euphoric sound and irresistible grooves, Lish have set a precedent with a sound synonymous with both clubs and festivals alike and as they have become more diverse as artists and DJs - it made absolute sense to choose 2 distinctive styles to cover (or conquer) with this release. The 1st disc features a more club friendly style of massive pulsing progressive house, tech and minimal beats, featuring tracks from artists like Karl Johan, Gleb Gold and Fusco & Dorkian as well as great remixes from Ticon and Dual Drive. Disc 2 is an absolute progressive psy fan fest that is sure to shake your moving parts in true windup toy fashion. Household firecrackers from Flowjob, Gaudium and Ace Ventura are sure to finish any outdoor festival in fine style. [Nobody thought of bringing Lish to South Africa yet? - Ed] Reviewed by Stefan Wyeth

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50 DJ CHARTS

MAR/APR’13

DJ CHARTS RYAN SULLIVAN (Triplefire Music / House|Techno) 1. Ryan Sullivan - A New Feeling For Me (Triplefire Music) • 2. Lady M - A Feeling (Triplefire Music) • 3. Smart Wave - 0.25 (Ryan Sullivan Rmx) (Triplefire Music) • 4. Helmut J - Gone Wrong (Triplefire Music) • 5. Steve Clarke - The Gates (Ryan Sullivan Rmx) (Triplefire Music) • 6. DaSmokin'Frogz - U Got Me (Triplefire Music) • 7. Ryan Sullivan - Non Believer (Triplefire Music) • 8. Tom Deibel - Beats Are Drumming (Triplefire Music) • 9. Helmut J & Ryan Sullivan - Distant Communication (Unreleased) • 10. Ewan Rill - Power Of Freedom (Triplefire Music) KINETIC (Endow Rhythm Records / PTA / Hip Hop|House) 1. Johnny Fiasco - Keeping It Deep (Original Mix) (Chicanotrax) • 2. Max Padovani - Everybody Get Up (Original Mix) (Sound Division) • 3. Lu Chase, Christopher Wilde - Bitter Sweet Feelings (Club Mix) (Night Drive Music) • 4. Goldfish - Woman's A Devil (Eelke Kleijn Remix) (EMI Holland) • 5. Deeptronic - Don’t Forget Me (Original Mix) (Exklusive Records) • 6. Pablo Fierro - Vida (Afro Mix) (Vida Records) • 7. Wayne Williams -There Was A Place (Wayne and Terry in the beginning main mix) (Ts Box) • 8. Kinetic ft Mutinta - I Found Love (Original Mix) (Endow Rhythm Records) • 9. Christian Scott - His Grace (C. Scott Deep Tech Mix) (Melomania) • 10. Scope - Quid Pro Quo (Office Gossip Remix) (Urban Torque) DJ MARK CPT (Psytrance) 1. Super Duper High - Waio, Avalon (Solartech Recs) • 2. Headphase - Ilai (Grasshopper Recs) • 3. Kinetic - Hydraglyph (Goa Recs) • 4. Around Temples - Ital (Grasshopper Recs) • 5. Lets See Now - Joshlive (Ovnimoon Recs) • 6. Cbr Headroom, Zen Mechanics (Tron Remix) (Bmss Recs) • 7. Sonic Infusion - Waio (27/7 Recs) • 8. Kyma X - Waio (Cyrus The Virus Remix) (Wired Music) • 9. Maldek - Ilai Remix (Catalyst Recs) • 10. Out There -Tristan, Avalon (Nano Recs)

GIFT ADAMS (Addicted Soul Recordings / Jhb / Deep House/ Soulful House/Afro Deep) 1. Betasweet ft Holi - Jehova (Original Phatgruv Mix) (Phatgruv Entertainment) •2. Black Coffee ft Toshi - Buya (Original Mix) (Soulistic Music) •3. Ralf Gum ft Kafela - Burning Star (Sir Lsg Vocal Remix) (Gogo Music) • 4. Da Capo ft Kaylow - Out There (Deep Mix) (Dnh Records) • 5. Room806 ft Holi Darkness (Betasweet Teabag Perc Mix) (Atal Music) • 6. The Layders - You Know What You Mean To Me (Jullian Gomes Remix) (Soul Candi Recordings) • 7. Black Motion - Dig That (Super Afro Beat Original) (Kalawa Jazzme Records) • 8. The Layabouts ft Portia Monique - Tell Me Now (The Layabouts Vocal Mix) (Reel People Music) • 9. Punk, Musicafella - Listen To Play (Main Mix) (Surreal Sounds) • 10. Soule Villian - Africa No Go Die (Original Mix) (Soul Villian Music)

LIQUID SOUL (Iboga|Mikrokosmos / Psy Progressive / Switzerland) 1. Zentura - Mind Is God • 2. Liquid Soul - Purity (Timelock Rmx) • 3. Major 7 & Vertical Mode Major Mode • 4. Astrix - Vicious Cycles • 5. Zen Mechanics & Avalon - Naked, Stoned & Exalted • 6. Sonic Species - The First And The Last • 7. Major 7 Relevation Dawned (Liquid Soul Rmx) • 8. Liquid Soul - Dreamdancer 2013 • 9. Son Kite - Game & Watch (Liquid Soul Rmx) • 10. Liquid Hook Polished Chrome

LOUIE CUT (Strict Recordings / Portugal / Minimal|Techno) 1. Louie Cut & Avrosse - The Pink Panther (Droplet Music) • 2. The Advent - Nexus 22 (H Productions) • 3. Format B - Hot Rod - Hot Rod (Recovery Tech) • 4. Louie Cut - Fat Bee (Droplet Music) • 5. Hermanez - Served (Quartz Rec) • 6. Richie Hawtin & Steve Bug - A Night Like This (Poker Flat Recordings) • 7. Louie Cut - Agent Minimal (Piso Records) • 8. SQL - Distorted Reality (SK Supreme Records) • 9. Richie Hawtin & Alex Under (Richie Hawtin Edit) - El Encuentro (Minus) • 10. Louie Cut Remix (Original Chris Lawyer) - Right on Time (Bosphorus Underground Recordings | Rabies Rec)

GEOFF K (InPhaze Studios|Dirty Pogo / JHB / Low Love Chart) 1. Detboi - Never Let Go (Cheap Thrills) • 2. Worthy - Dip (DirtyBird) • 3. Chicken Lips - He Not In (Eats everything Shicken Tits Rewix) (Defected) • 4. The Other Tribe - Sing With Your Feet (Shadow Child Remix) (Relentless Records) • 5. Tony Blitz - Cat Fight (Cheap Thrills) • 6. Doorly Ft. Soraya Vivian - Rush (Mad Decent) • 7. KryWolf The Flood (Food Music) • 8. Gorgon City - Thor (Black Butter) • 9. Justin Martin, Eats Everything Feather Fight (Hypercolour) • 10. Tube & Berger Never Work (Bangbang!) DJ VICE (Kinkysoul Records / Polokwane / Deep & Soulful House) 1. Boobjazz - Too High (Stir15) • 2. Motorcitysoul Carry On Cowboy (Carry On) • 3. Harley & Muscle feat Lem Springsteen - Number 1 (Charles Dockins Remix) (Soulstar) • 4. Pablo Fierro - I Don't Speak About House (Original Mix) (Stimulated Soul Recordings) • 5. Migosy - Skyline (Sean McCabe Vocal Mix) (Hi: Rise) • 6. Moodymanc - Father (Original Mix) (LANDED Records) • 7. Chymamusique - Uber Vibes (Cannon Soul Remix) (Chymamusiq Records) • 8. Sole Kitchen Inspiration To Write (Jullian Gomes Mix) (Seasons Limited) • 9. Blue & K-White - Decimal Deep (Drumshift JazzTek Touch) (Bluepoint Recordings) • 10. Dee Mac - Feel It (Original Mix) (Seasons Limited)

52 | BPM

Fri 29 Mar | Divas on Decks Party | PTA @ Recess/Passion Nightclub | Dj's: Divas on Decks | www.ladylea.co.za / (012) 663 7862

Sat 30 Mar | Battle Of The DJ's | DBN @ Joe Cools, North Beach | Feat: Where all the top 3 DJ's from the previous months will compete for the Grand Prize of R20 000 cash & loads of other cool prizes from RED Bull, Jimmi Jagga & Mainstay | www.joecools.co.za

Mon 1-2 Apr | Breathe Sunshine African Music Conference | CPT @ Cape Town City Hall | Industry Players: Jack Parow, Euphonik, T'BO Touch, Francois Van Coke, Donavan Copley, Suga, Wulf Gaudecker ( Hugh Masekela & Vusi Mahlasela), Siya Mthembu, Deon Maas, Brian Little and many more | Feat: The conference aims to encourage networking and the sharing of information between all involved in the African music community. It includes Workshops, Panel Discussions, Presentations, Exhibition Stands, a networking lounge and a concert showcasing African talent | General Access: R250, Executive Ticket: R450 & One Day Tickets: R180 | www.blackmangomusic.com Sat 6-7 Apr | Twilight III Dusk Til Dawn Open Air Festival | Hosts: Teknotribe, Science Frikshun & psy.ology | Magaliesburg @ Hornbill Lodge | Dj's: Whiptongue, The Commercial Hippies, Hydraglyph s & more | 9am 6 Apr 5pm 7 Apr | R240 @ Outlets, R260 @ www.webtickets.co.za & R300 @ The gate | www.teknotribe.co.za / Sat 6 Apr | LiquidBASS VII: Lucky Number 7 | JHB @ Emerald Casino Resort,Vanderbijlpark | 6 of SA's greatest drum n' bass and dubstep DJs! | 17h00 | R250 | www.webtickets.co.za Sat 6 Apr | JHB Holi One Colour Festival | JHB @ Emmerentia Dam | Dj's: The festival hosts local electro-music artists, which add to the vibrant atmosphere of the event. Holigoers can expect to be bombarded by brilliant musical talent (as well as paint) | 12pm-10pm | R190-R290 incl 5 colour powders | www.webtickets.co.za Sat 6 Apr | Pietermaritzburg Day Festival | KZN @ Royal Show Grounds | Dj's: Lady Lea, Trixy T & more | www.ladylea.co.za Sat 6 Apr | Psychedelic Slipper | P.E @ Faclon Rock Country Retaurant | Dj's: Zhagini, Edu, 2012, Tera, Anestetic, @nt, Absynth & more | 14h00 on 6 Apr - 15h00 7 Apr | R100 inc Camping | www.facebook.com/events/267194833413911/ Fri 12 Apr | Blackout feat: Kutski (BBC Radio 1 - UK) | DBN @ Origin Nightclub | Dj's: Kutski, Elemental, Psycho Keaton, Ryan The Deejay, Will Vandal, Pscyche and many more | 20h00 | R105 | www.facebook.com/events/365818386850577 Sat 13 Apr | Funkadelic-Jungle Boogie | JHB @ Hugos Place Kyalami | Dj's: Slax, The Dynamix, Psyco Elf, Senjo, Stereo Fiction, Michael Lesar & Sonicdruid | Feat: Swimming Pool, Fully Licensed Bar, Continental Restaurant, Stalls, Crystal clear sound, Intelligent Lighting & Weather Proof | 12h00 | R90 | Damian @ 073 987 9017 Fri 26-28 Apr | Jungala Festival 2013 | CPT @ Buffalo Drift, Ruigtevlei Farm, Gouda | Dj's: Freakulizer, Sidhartha, Khainz, Menog, 2012, Rosa Ventura, Zaghini, Nerv and more | 10h00 | Fri 26 Apr | Louie Cut Pink Panther Tour | PTA @ Arcade Empire | Host: Superclub by i.llegal Music Agency | Dj's: Louie Cut (Portugal), Locky (Portugal), Nick Grater, Michael Lesar | Feat: After been nominated for 2012 Track of the Year, Louie Cut comes to South Africa for the first time for a 4 Gig's Tour! | Presale: R40 & Door: R70 | www.facebook.com/i.llegalmusicagency Sat 27 Apr | Back To The City Hip Hop Fest 2013 | JHB @ Mary Fitzgerald Square | Feat: 3 Stages, 1 Surprise International Act, 40 LocalMcs, 12 Dj's, 12 Graffiti Crews, Bboys, 6 Dance Crews, Bmxers, Skaters, Beatboxers, A Hip Hop Summit (Museum Africa), Beer Garden, Game Zone & Chill Zone | Price:R60-R100 | www.facebook.com/events/333259223456566 Sat 27 Apr | Battle Of The DJ's | DBN @ Joe Cools, North Beach | Feat: Where all the top 3 DJ's from the previous months will compete for the Grand Prize of R20 000 cash & loads of other cool prizes from RED Bull, Jimmi Jagga & Mainstay | www.joecools.co.za

Sat 27 Apr | Louie Cut Pink Panther Tour | JHB @ MiHouse | Host: Superclub by i.llegal Music Agency | Dj's: Louie Cut (Portugal), Locky (Portugal), Ryan Dent, Audio Villains | Feat: After been nominated for 2012 Track of the Year, Louie Cut comes to South Africa for the first time for a 4 Gig's Tour! | Presale: R40 & Door: R70 | www.facebook.com/i.llegalmusicagency Sat 27 Apr | Louie Cut Pink Panther Tour | DBN @ Rooftop Party (XS Club) | Host: Superclub by i.llegal Music Agency | Dj's: Louie Cut (Portugal), Locky (Portugal), Ryan Dent, Amigo | Feat: After been nominated for 2012 Track of the Year, Louie Cut comes to South Africa for the first time for a 4 Gig's Tour! | Presale: R40 & Door: R70 | www.facebook.com/i.llegalmusicagency Sat 27 Apr | Vogue Presents Lady Lea | DBN @ Vogue Night Club | Dj's: Lady Lea | www.ladylea.co.za Tues 30 Apr | Louie Cut Pink Panther Tour | CPT @ Zula Bar | Host: Superclub by i.llegal Music Agency | Dj's: Louie Cut (Portugal), Locky (Portugal), Floyd Levine, Danalog, SoundLanguage |Feat: After been nominated for 2012 Track of the Year, Louie Cut comes to South Africa for the first time for a 4 Gig's Tour! | Presale: R40 & Door: R70 | www.facebook.com/i.llegalmusicagency

54 ASTROBABBLE

By Lois Siddhu

PISCES 19 FEBRUARY - 19 MARCH

MARCH 2013 MERCURY GOES RETROGRADE AND PLAYS HAVOC WITH TECHNOLOGY AND CAREFULLY LAID PLANS. LEO | 23 Jul - 22 Aug | FIRE There will be a visible change in how you perceive your responsibilities and duties in life and where your boundaries lie. This will also affect your relationships and your responsibilities towards others.

SAGITTARIUS | 22 Nov - 21 Dec | FIRE You need to detach from old set patterns of thinking as these will hold you down and tie you to the past. You need to move into the future and to realize that you do not need to conform to the belief of others.

TAURUS | 21 Apr - 20 May | EARTH The purpose of your life is to maintain stability, which does not mean you have to have substantial possessions, but rather means that your main possession is your sense of earthly harmony and wholesomeness.

VIRGO | 23 Aug - 22 Sept | EARTH You need to be aware of your own emotions as these are often the triggers that create discord in your relationships. It takes two to make an argument but considering the impact of your communication on others creates more harmonious relating and interaction.

CAPRICORN | 22 Dec - 19 Jan | EARTH You need to become more objective and contented with your feelings and you can use your natural sensitivity to recognize others hidden emotional pain. Look at your dreams too in order to perceive what is not obviously visible to you.

GEMINI | 21 May - 21 Jun | AIR Self love has very little to do with how you feel about your outer self. It's about accepting all of yourself unconditionally.You have to accept the fool in yourself as well as the part that gets you going.

LIBRA | 23 Sept - 22 Oct | AIR Actions speak louder than words and you will be accountable for your actions and the repercussions of them. The decision lies within you to express through your actions the truth of your heart.

AQUARIUS | 20 Jan - 18 Feb | AIR Your desire to serve is appreciated when you expose to others your perception of their inherent value. Recognizing the inherent worth of others gives you trust in your own vision of their perfection. This reinforces mutual self-worth.

CANCER | 20 Jun | 22 Jul | WATER Your acute awareness of others' feelings can be used negatively to exert emotional blackmail or it can become a ray of healing. Avoid being an apology for yourself as a result of feeling neglected or neglectful.

SCORPIO | 23 Oct - 21 Nov | WATER When you let go or allow someone else into your inner confidence there is an alchemical release and your sting is transformed from a defensive weapon into a healing lance. You can be relied on to have deep and genuine emotions.

PISCES | 19 Feb - 20 Mar | WATER By trusting the overall picture you intuitively perceive, you are able to interject your ideas of justice and fair play into situations. This brings about a higher level of cooperation but does not offend others.

ARIES | 21 Mar - 20 Apr | FIRE You can be a social activist on any scale, bringing into the tangible world the subliminal, and hidden aspects of yourself are required in order to express your creativity. You will experience stress if you resist the process of growth.

ARIES 20 MARCH - 19 APRIL

APRIL 2013 THE FOCUS IS ON ACTION AND FORWARD MOTION.

ARIES | 21 Mar - 20 Apr | FIRE Taking the line of least defense and waiting for others to sort out situations that are not according to your own wishes will bring about an underlying dissatisfaction and make you feel depressed and disgruntled.

LEO | 23 Jul - 22 Aug | FIRE By being aware of your own values you are able to relate compassionately to others' desires without losing integrity. No matter how hard you hold on there will always be those happenings that cannot be controlled and accounted for.

TAURUS | 21 Apr - 20 May | EARTH Relationship issues are the cause of great tensions as this is currently the area of prime expansion. Blaming your partner/s for malfunctioning situations will not resolve the conflict. You have to live and direct your own life.

VIRGO | 23 Aug - 22 Sept | EARTH When a few tasks become many, allow yourself to not feel guilty or inadequate if you don't cope with all of it. Discover what you are capable of and you will then realize that you need not be so hard on yourself.

CAPRICORN | 22 Dec - 19 Jan | EARTH It is unresolved issues that create inner fear and tensions. If you took courage and addressed them, you will find that they are old habitual fears, inherited from past incidents and probably not even applicable to your present situation.

GEMINI | 21 May - 21 Jun | AIR By trying to please everyone you remain in the same old groove and tend to blame others for things going wrong. You need to face your hidden fears, jealousies and anxieties and accept who and what you are.

LIBRA | 23 Sept - 22 Oct | AIR It is not easy to shine out and light up the world. Obligations and liabilities have to be approached and new lessons are to be learnt in order to expand in your personal growth. Creativity has to be actualized in a practical sense.

AQUARIUS | 20 Jan - 18 Feb | AIR This is a time to adopt a very pragmatic view of your situation and decide what action will help move forward and resolve your problems. It is self-defeating not to listen to others and go through life with a tunnel vision.

CANCER | 20 Jun | 22 Jul | WATER Apply yourself to the tasks at hand and take decisive action in situations that are not to your liking.There are always those that you cannot please and the answer is to please yourself and know what you are aiming at in life.

SCORPIO | 23 Oct - 21 Nov | WATER If you create an imbalance by only giving and not receiving, it brings out the overly critical side of you. When you resist the flow of challenges in your life you become trapped in old patterns of self-pity and martyrdom.

PISCES | 19 Feb - 20 Mar | WATER It is best not to draw conclusions and get into arguments and repetitive, petty squabbles. Expand your own viewpoint to include rather than reject the viewpoint of others. After all, you are not necessarily always right.

SAGITTARIUS | 22 Nov - 21 Dec | FIRE Your tendency to solve each problem with a quick, verbal answer and a promise will back fire on you. You will have to supply the results to your problems in a practical way through physical manifestation.

Lois Siddhu lives in a circle of mountains in the Baviaanskloof. For professional Astrological Counseling CALL 049 839-1178 or Email: masonwaspstudio@telkomsa.net

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