THE LAKE #024 by THE LAKE MAGAZINE

THE LAKE

THE LAKE WE ARE FOOLISHLY Ambitious

#24 / 151218 “We are brothers. We are brothers in what we share. In pain, which each of us must suffer alone, in hunger, in poverty, in hope, we know our brotherhood. We know it, because we have had to learn it. We know that there is no help for us but from one another, that no hand will save us if we do not reach out our hand. And the hand that you reach out is empty, as mine is. You have nothing. You possess nothing. You own nothing. You are free. All you have is what you are, and what you give.” - Ursula K. Le Guin, The Dispossessed

CONTENTS REGULARS:

PUBLISHER

Advertising / MARKETING

News 04 Wax Junkie 70 Print Run 74 Plimsoll 76

THE LAKE MAGAZINE PTY LTD info@thelake.co

Brett Bellairs brett@thelake.co

Editor / Art DirectOR

ONLINE EDITOR

ART:

Stefan Naude’ stefan@thelake.co

Mandy Nash mandy@thelake.co

Submissions

SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS

PHOTOGRAPHY:

info@thelake.co

Stalker 10 A place that is not my home 26 Aberration 36

COPY EDITING

www.thelake.co.za @the_lake_magazine www.facebook.com/ TheLakeMagazine

MUSIC:

COVER

Framework 16 Formerly known as Skullboy 45

Living in the past Teeth Dreams Staring at the sun Band on the run

22 30 52 64

Christine Stewart

LIFESTYLE:

Photography On the cover Styling Creative Direction Lighting / Studio Retouching

Escape from reality 42 Recycle 58

photography

contributors

Justice Mukheli Jansen van Staden Zach Lees Sarah Hugo-Hamman David Bloomer Jacqui van Staden Pieter Retief Kayleigh-Anne Kirsten Joshua Stein

Lani Spice Jacqueline Flint Zach Lees Dan Charles Tymon Smith Rick De La Ray Frantz Birkholtz BUjin Xavier Nagel

cONTENTS PHOTO Joubert van Staden “Ditch Disaster” - Soweto / 2018 www.name.co.za The views and opinions expressed within the editorial and advertisements of THE LAKE do not necessarily reflect those of its staff, nor any of its associates.THE LAKE and anything contained within is copyright. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form whatsoever, copied or stored electronically without prior permission in writing from the publisher.

Oliver Kruger Twin Weaver Nico Myburgh Stefan Naude Big Time Studios Naomi E’Camara

PRINTING Tandym print Tel: +27 21 505 4200 Email: print@tandym.co.za

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NEWS VANS / Space Voyager Collection Vans commemorates NASA with a time honored collection of footwear and apparel that pays homage to six decades of space exploration and discovery. Inspired by the original space suits, the Space Voyager footwear collection showcases unique design details including exposed foam and interchangeable patch insignia. This launches a cosmic tribute on Vans timeless silhouettes including the Sk8-Hi and Old Skool, in addition to classic apparel and accessories pieces. INFO: www.vans.com

BIG BUDDHA TATTOO BUTTER BIG BUDDHA TATTOO BUTTER is firstly a glide and comforter for when you are getting tattoo, secondly tattoo aftercare to promote healing and prevent infection and finally a daily moisturizer and sunscreen. YESTERDAY, TODAY, TOMORROW anolin, Petroleum, Synthetic and Paraben FREE. 100% Vegan & All Natural Made from Shea & Cocoa Butters, Coconut. Hyaluronic acid & Essential oils with antiseptic and aggressive healing properties. Big Buddha Butter has many benefits. INFO: www.bigbuddhabutter.co.za

HURLEY / STREET READY LEGGINGS From the beach to the street, the versatile Street Ready Women’s Surf Leggings are built to be worn in and out of water. Constructed from compression-tight, but comfortable stretch fabric, it’s the perfect item to wear every single day. Surfboard shaper and visionary Bob Hurley started the Hurley brand in 1999,embracing a life informed by the ocean and the spirit and creativity of youth. INFO: www.hurley.com

Lubitel 166+ The Lubitel 166+ is a loving reinvention of the Soviet-era classic. Based on a design that dates back over 60 years, this mid-century masterpiece has been updated with stunning new features, including the ability to shoot both medium format and 35mm film. Shoots 35mm and 120 Film. Four Photo Formats. Shutter speeds from 1/15 sec to 1/250. Apertures from f4.5 to f22. Bulb Setting. Hot shoe for external flash. On-camera exposure guide. Focus from 0.8m-infinity. Standard cable release and tripod threads. INFO: www.exposuregallery.co.za 04

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HURLEY.COM 05

NEWS SUPERDRY Transporting you to the sounds of grunge music blasting from the boom boxes of 90s Venice Beach, this season’s collection envisages a hazy vision of an eternal sun-drenched summer. Washed out pastels, remixed patterns, colour blocking and distressed details – Superdry brings a laidback mix and match approach, executed with utter confidence. Sneaking out, road tripping, skate boarding, outdoor adventures - the Superdry summer collection is brazen youth and ever-lasting summer memories. INFO: www.superdry.com

adidas Originals / Fresh Yung-96 adidas Originals steps forward with new iterations of one of its most popular contemporary silhouettes this month, applying a range of striking colorways to the Yung-96 model Channeling elements of ‘90s footwear design in the silhouette, the release places the nostalgic appeal of classic sportswear aesthetics front and center. adidas Originals steps forward with new iterations of one of its most popular contemporary silhouettes this month, applying a range of striking colorways to the Yung-96 model INFO: www.adidas.co.za

UBUNTU BIKES If you are an individual who wants to ride a bike but doesn’t want lycra, doesn’t need carbon fibre and certainly doesn’t enjoy the overwhelming experience of walking into a ‘bike shop’ full of expensive race machines and staffed by pushy patronising ‘experts’ telling you want you need and upselling you something double your budget, then get in touch. Do you want to expand your service offering to your customers, particularly in the tourist industry? Then Ubuntu Bikes can assist in realising your vision. INFO: www.ubuntubikes.com

RAY BAN Ray-Ban’s latest campaign taps into something familiar for holiday season, Proud To Belong. It’s a campaign built on returning to your rediscovering your sense of self. A sense of place and identity are linked, but more important than geography is what and who you find there, and how they can define you. It doesn’t matter what your story is, or how it’s changed – friendships merge, gender roles are shed, new lovers are introduced, race becomes immaterial – it’s about exploring what it means to you. INFO: www.ray-ban.com 06

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The Continental ADIDAS ORIGINALS RELEASES The Continental 80 Silhouette adidas Originals continues the revival of the archival Continental 80 model this month, presenting the casual silhouette from 1986 in new essential colorways. In keeping with the shoe’s classic ‘80s aesthetic, this latest release retains the Continental 80 model’s classic leather upper and rubber cupsole construction.

Other elements also hark back to the design aesthetic of the era, such as perforation marks on the toebox and sides, a branded ‘window’ below the lace eyelets featuring the Trefoil logo, and two-tone webbing tape along the sides. An EVA midsole provides timeless comfort to complement the rubber cupsole, while Trefoil logo branding on the heel, tongue and midsole complete the picture. Offered in fresh colorways, the finished product is a classic archival adidas release that brings the enduring appeal of ‘80s Court style into a modern context.

www.adidas.co.za #continental80 @adidasZA THE LAKE

THE LAKE

> INTERVIEW - LANI SPICE

PHOTOGRAPHY - Justice Mukheli

STALKER Justice Mukheli

“I wanted to show the Soweto I grew up in; I wanted to show my personal experience of this beautiful and most amazing place. I wanted to capture love, happiness, pride, joy, dignity, beauty, soul and authenticity.” To dive right in, tell us about where you are from?

You shoot on both digital and film. Do you have a preference and why?

thoughts on this and why it’s important in your work?

I was born and raised in the Southern Township of Johannesburg (Soweto). I grew up there and spent most of my young adult life there. Soweto is such a beautiful township, famously known for the uprising and the heroes of the iconic struggle that lived there.

Haha yeah! I shoot on both. Digital is amazing and flexible for most advertising work. Film is the best for all my personal projects because of how it forces me to be in the present moment, because every shot counts, I cannot “just shoot and sort it out in Post”, everything needs to be right as you shoot.

I think that our voices have been silenced for many years before us and even now during our time. But, I cannot deny the fact that we have a lot and much better platforms from which to be heard and seen, or simply speak more than the ones before us, had. So, in my work, I aim to inspire those with voices who can speak and be heard; inspire others to tell their own stories from their own point of view. Because by me simply being a guy who grew up in Soweto, I am relatable to many like me that didn’t have voices, so, through seeing me speak, they gain confidence to speak too. Our narrative can only be true and powerful if it is written, captured and spoken by its own people.

When and how did photography begin for you? Photography began for me when I was in advertising; I worked as an Art Director for about 6 years. I worked on South African brands, and when we put together campaigns, the images we used were not of authentically South African people. This made me realize that there is a big gap between brands and their target audience, because people, or rather their consumers, could not relate with the brand because the face of the brands were people they don’t see in themselves. So I decided to photograph some of the work for the campaigns I worked on, just for presentation purposes. Through shooting my own presentation images, the work became good enough for clients to trust me to photograph the actual campaigns. While I was on my journey of reframing the face of some brands to their consumers, that process made me realize the importance of telling our own story and documenting ourselves. As I already mentioned, I am from Soweto, and Soweto is famously known for the uprising movement and the resistance during the apartheid times. As important as that part of history is about Soweto, it left a somewhat negative image to most. People think it’s dangerous there, they think Soweto is poor and that it’s a dark place. So it became immediately important to me when this realization sunk in. I wanted to show the Soweto I grew up in; I wanted to show my personal experience of this beautiful and most amazing place. I wanted to capture love, happiness, pride, joy, dignity, beauty, soul and authenticity.

In addition to photography, you are an incredible filmmaker. How did this element of your practice develop? Thank you! Before I am a photographer or filmmaker, I am a storyteller. I have always been interested in telling stories, through all of my other artistic disciplines. I started by drawing, then I became an illustrator, got into photography and then filmmaking found me. It has been a natural progression for me to get into filmmaking. I don’t know what’s next. I read somewhere that, in your work, you aim for South Africa and Africa to tell their own stories. Could you share with us more of your

Portraiture seems to be a strong focus in your work too. Could you tell us why this genre of photography appeals to you? Eyes tell you a lot about a person before you even speak to them. When I create photographs or capture moments, I am mostly looking for emotions I have felt or emotions I am feeling in that moment. Eyes carry

HIGH FIVES Iman Omari

fujitsu

Dev Hynes

Ali Farka Touré

Mereba

Energy - EP

Corals

Negro Swan

Niafunké

Bet

2014

2017

2018

1999

2016

Empire Distribution

Chillhop Records

Domino

Hannibal Records

soundcloud

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emotions and stories in depth. So portraitures gives me the opportunity to capture my emotions and express them through other people’s eyes. A fair amount of your analogue work is medium format. What cameras do you use and what type would you say is your favorite? My favorite camera is hands down the Pantex 67ii, it just has a way of making photographs that have such a beautiful feel. I shoot mostly on the 105mm f2.4. I also enjoy shooting on my Leica M7 with the 50mm sumicron. Leica cameras live up to their hype. I really really enjoy shooting commercial work with the Mamiya 67RB, it’s so sharp and has a feel that is unmatched for commercial work. Then I enjoy my Rolleiflex 2.8f for travels because it’s compact, but the image quality is superior to a 35mm and the images are so dreamy. Do you ever shoot commercial work on analogue? If so, do you experience any frustrations? Hahaha! Yes I do, and the frustration is always about not having enough options to share with the client

and to choose from. Also, the turnaround time for the work is extended, as I have to process and then scan. You were once in a successful photographic collective called “I See A Different You”. Would you mind sharing any insights on this venture? My brothers and I together started I See A Different You in 2011. It is such a beautiful project/collective and one that will always be very close to my heart. But with time we grow, and our interests and the views we stood by, change. I felt the need to pursue my purpose, and that journey needed me to walk it alone. You have quite a large following online and in this time of Instagram being used more and more for creatives as a portfolio platform, how do you feel it adds to your career? Instagram is a big part of what gets me work. I have a love/hate relationship with it. I have begun to manage my intake of it as if it is a drug. It actually is a drug. I love how I have connected with many people and brands across the world. It has gotten THE LAKE

me work I would never have dreamt of getting. My highlight was connecting with my most favorite musician when I was in LA. I got to spend a day with her and also photograph her. Who or what inspires you locally and internationally? I am inspired by everyday life. I am inspired by selfless people who do for others without expectation of return. I am inspired by artists who create without any expectation or hope for their work to be celebrated, but who care more about making with a purpose. I am inspired by Gordon Parks, Peter Magubane, David Goldblatt, Sam Nhlengethwa and many more. Do you have any projects in the making that you would like to share? I am working on my book that I am planning to publish next year sometime. INFO: www.justicemukheli.com INFO: @justicemukheli 15

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> WORDS - Jacqueline Flint

PHOTOGRAPHY - BLANK GALLERY

FRAMEWORK BRONWYN KATZ

A sense of place is clear as quartz. We remember places as in a vivid dream: down on my haunches, maybe even prone; the earth is very close to my face. Red, crumbly, slightly damp earth which clumps into clay-ish balls if you squeeze it. The vision has a smell, of rain, which is warm because it falls in the summer months; the steamy smell of rain evaporating fast from the red earth. This is the place in which I grew up. I haven’t actually lived there for a very long time - close to half my life. And yet the visceral, sensual realness of it is powerful enough to produce daydream hallucinations, if I am in a wistful mood. Spatial politics are the politics of our time. Writing about the land as a white person in South Africa is very tricky. How dare I have such a longing and a love for a land that was probably appropriated by my ancestors from the ancestors of my peers with a viciousness, the aftermath of which is palpable even in our current climate of reform? And yet I do because, as Dirk Klopper has put it, ‘Memories may accumulate in the passage of time, but they are fixed in a spatial way, through relations of association rather than of chronology. To pursue memories is to re-enter the situations in which they arose, their inter-leading locations.’ For the last few hundred years – in this country and the entire Global South – people have been displaced by processes and systems imbued with inherent violence. Being systemic, the distancing effect of Imperialism, with a hefty dose of Capitalism mixed in for good measure, is internalized over generations. In the South African context, apartheid is the Imperial impulse on steroids and, although democracy has prevailed, the legacy of the system exists in the defensive and exclusive spatial planning of our cities. The distancing effect of that, over decades, is severe enough to sever current generations from the very language of their forefathers.

to rest. These places have so far included Kimberley, where she grew up; Cape Town, where she studied at Michaelis; Joburg, where she has found a for-now home, working out of the Bag Factory studios; Amsterdam, where she spent some time in residence, based in the south-east of the city surrounded by members of the city’s African diaspora; and Paris, where she was in a fancy place, and felt the minority experience.

The presence of a bed is the most certain indication that someone has taken a place and made it a home. The bed is a repository of memory that, when sliced into cross-section, mimics the land – topsoil rich in organic matter, spirals of metal below the surface. In Katz’s work, it is the land on which people birth, die, dream, fuck. The landscape (as bed) stands for a state of being, but is also instrumental in the formation of our understanding of what it means to be

– as individuals existing within communities whose histories have played out on and been informed by the territories that we call home. Katz’s political framework provides a solid critical foundation from which to spring, an ever-present undercurrent through all her work. However, her politics are not overt in the sculptures themselves. Instead, she has found a way to bring the politics home (if home is also where the heart is) by feeling her way through places and responding intuitively to raw material. Although she moves freely between Cape Town, Johannesburg and Kimberley, it is the former diamond mining town that Katz considers home. As it turns out, diamonds are not the only commodity to be mined from the depths of the Northern Cape – the area is also rich in iron ore, and heavy rocks of it litter the yard of her family home. Katz is at ease with metal – something she owes to her father, who worked as a welder when she was growing up and is now involved in the iron ore mining industry. Katz is currently set up in the garage of her parents’ home, putting together a new body of work for an exhibition at blank projects in Cape Town in early 2019.

TOP FIVE BOOKS Women who run with the wolves

Zami

The Ministry of Utmost Happiness

Indaba, my children

Collective Amnesia

Clarissa Pinkola Estés

Audre Lorde

Arundhati Roy

Credo Mutwa

Koleka Putuma

1992

1982

2017

1964

2017

Bronwyn Katz addresses these displacements through sculptural works made from deconstructed, salvaged beds – pieces of foam, the internal springs, floral and blemished quilted fabric. She combines these fundamentals with other bits and pieces that she accumulates in whatever place she happens to be working and laying her head down THE LAKE

Blommetjies - Salvaged mattress and wire, 135 x 90 x 10 cm / 2016

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LEFT // Droom boek - Salvaged bed springs and mattress, 180 x 150cm / 2017 RIGHT // Rooi Spoor iii - Salvaged bed springs and wool approx. 200 x 200 cm / 2018

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TOP LEFT // Untitled, notes on perception (ii) - Metal frame from used bedspring, wool, 80 x 170 x 80cm / 2018 BOTTOM LEFT // Op â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;n one time - Mild steel, foam and fabric from salvaged mattress, 196 x 47 x 51 cm / 2016 MIDDLE // Ouma grootjie - Cement bricks, sunlight soap, 185 x 22 x 22cm / 2015 RIGHT // Ouma - Cement bricks, soil stained cloth, 230 x 22 x 22 cm / 2015

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TOP LEFT // Water Leesing - Video, 00.05.32 (still 1) / 2015 TOP RIGHT // Wees Gegroet - Digital video, 11 min 25 sec (still 5) / 2016 BOTTOM // Grond Herinnering - Video, 00.03.52 (still 2) / 2015

In her most recent sculptures – most significantly in the work she produced for the Palais de Tokyo in Paris – Katz’s formal language is that of drawing. The spatial compositions created with woolwrapped wire, wire-wrapped stones, or floating discoloured discs of foam, indicate a three-dimensional understanding of the drawn line. She has pared her language down over time, and the resulting abstraction invites a meditative approach to both the creation of the work, and the experience of it. For her new body of work, her engagement with iron ore as a resource has led Katz, via her intuitive process, to consider the language

of her ancestors. Although her home language is Afrikaans, Katz’s family descends on the paternal side from the Korana people, whose language is !Ora – a language which is totally lost to Katz. For this body of work, Katz taps acutely into the role of language in memory formation. Armed with neither a denotative understanding, nor a sense of the phonetics, Katz’s engagement with the written !Ora language is like going down a mineshaft without a headlamp. Like this, written language is open to interpretation in the same way that drawing is. Katz has chosen to bring in THE LAKE

collaborators on this project in the form of a linguist and a violinist – for the etymological and emotional strata these practitioners can add to the multi-dimensional approach. Although the sculptures themselves are still very much in progress, they are already undertaking to indicate the morphology of the language, and a visual representation of Katz’s instinctual engagement with both language and the land of its original narrators, long since displaced. INFO: www.bronwynkatz.com INFO: www.blankprojects.com 21

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> WORDS - DAN CHARLES

PHOTOGRAPHY - Jansen van staden PHOTOGRAPHY live - zach lees

Living In The Past W.I.T.C.H.

“It’s Biblical at the same time, how the gifts and talents will open doors for you. For me, this is like a new lease on life. Most of my friends are gone and, still, we’re moving on with hope that our banner is being shown to the world and that the world will then be curious to hear this thing that people are talking about. I’m grateful that God has given me this chance to see the world at a time when I would have lost hope.” A part of me felt a bit guilty going into this interview with Emmanuel ‘Jagari’ Chanda the enigmatic frontman of Zamrock bastions W.I.T.C.H. (We-Intend-To-Cause-Havoc). I had arrived at Red Bull Studios Cape Town just before he was about to sit down to have a meal before his scheduled hosted discussion on the history of W.I.T.C.H. and Zamrock for Red Bull Music and there I was, preparing to sit down on one of the studio couches with him and make him tell the same stories that he’s about to repeat in the next half-hour. However, unlike his namesake Mick Jagger, Jagari does not have the airs and graces of an iconic performer - despite having his own sense of Mick Jagger-esque rock star status in his home country of Zambia. He gave his time willingly and graciously - after he had finished eating his hamburger. Jagari is just as engaging a raconteur as he is a rock ’n roll performer, armed with a repertoire of stories and jokes - from the band having to buy the masters of their songs back from a distrusting manager; to having to play matinees during a period of blackouts and curfews during a turbulent time in Zambia’s history; to rival bands vandalising gig posters in the early days of the band’s fame - that are as polished as anything in W.I.T.C.H.’s live set. You can tell that he has grown used to re-telling all of these stories but you can also tell that he relishes the fact that people are still eager to hear them and learn the history behind his songs. It’s this lingering curiosity around the lure of the 1970’s Zamrock scene that has kept the legacy of W.I.T.C.H. alive and has launched Jagari and the band into this new phase of their career. After the entire W.I.T.C.H. catalogue was re-issued through Stones Throw Records subsidiary, Now Again Records, in 2012, Italian filmmaker Gio

Arlotta fell in love with the band’s song Strange Dream and soon found himself traversing Zambia in order to trace and document the roots of this sound. Coincidentally, European baroque pop multi-instrumentalist, Jaco Gardner, and his collaborator, Nic Mauskoviç, had started a project around that time that was heavily inspired by African sounds and we were interested in travelling to Africa to see in which places the music of the ‘70s was still most alive. After having worked a bit on a yet-to-be-released W.I.T.C.H. documentary, Giomet with Jaco at a festival in the Netherlands pointed towards the sound of Zamrock and Jagari.

The connecting of Jaco and Jagari, orchestrated by Gio, soon led to the re-invention of W.I.T.C.H. that has seen the band perform on stages across the globe and has allowed Jagari to pass on his stories to a whole new generation of inquisitive music fans, just like the ones that had meandered through the entrance of Cape Town’s Red Bull Studios while I was speaking with Jagari before the formal discussion. Jagari has taken on the position of being something of an elder statesman for the Zamrock genre and, in a way, has almost brought to life the prophecy of one of his most iconic songs: “Living In The Past is like a premonition. It’s you trying to force the future while looking at your past. Naturally in Africa, as musicians, we start quite low and sometimes we don’t exceed a certain level and you leave with very little of an impression on Earth. But as the lyrics say, when I think of the past, THE LAKE

it’s nothing to write home about. But just give me a little while and things will get better. And, for sure, things are getting better.” It’s strange how sometimes the legend behind the music can somewhat rival the music itself in it’s appeal. But the history of Jagari and W.I.T.C.H. is important. The stories open up a window into understanding the political strifes that Zambia faced in the 1970s and how the people were still able to resist and find joy in that time. That might be something of an over-simplification of the significance of Zamrock as a social and musical movement and what the genre might mean to new generations of young black musicians who might not easily see their place in the predominantly Westernised world of rock ’n roll today. But there is a simplicity and a purity in the music of W.I.T.C.H. that can be used as the crux of a larger discussion, or it can just be used as a means to make us dance. And the night after this interview, on the Endless Daze Main Stage, that’s what everyone did. And, as more people around the world come to learn about W.I.T.C.H., more people will come to do the same. “A lot of people fighting for liberty came to hide in Tanzania and Zambia. So we had a bit of trouble when the president declared that we should have curfews and blackouts so that they would be able to capture those who they suspected had come to fight in the night. Unfortunately that didn’t help - there were still bombs in the country, refugee camps and bridges were destroyed and things like that. But you know what’s interesting? The things that happen in our lives cause us to write good music. It’s an inspiration that comes from the heart.” INFO: www.zamrock.org 23

“A lot of people fighting for liberty came to hide in Tanzania and Zambia. So we had a bit of trouble when the president declared that we should have curfews and blackouts so that they would be able to capture those who they suspected had come to fight in the night. Unfortunately that didn’t help...”

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DISCOGRAPHY W.I.T.C.H.

Introduction 1974 Zambia Music Parlour

W.I.T.C.H.

In The Past 1974 Zambia Music Parlour

W.I.T.C.H.

Lazy Bones!! 1975 Zambezi

W.I.T.C.H.

Lukombo Vibes 1976 Zambezi

W.I.T.C.H. Witch

1977 Teal Record Company Ltd. Zambia

W.I.T.C.H.

Movinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; On 1980 Shed

W.I.T.C.H.

Kuomboka 1984 R.N. Music Promotions

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A place that is not my home

PHOTOGRAPHY AND STYLING: Sarah Hugo-Hamman @sarah_hugo_hamman / Models: Amlindile Siyo @cherrystonezzz from @myfriendned Clothing: @assebliefvintage for @algorithm_archive THE LAKE

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> WORDS - DAN CHARLES

PHOTOGRAPHY - OLIVER KRUGER PHOTOGRAPHY LIVE - ZACH LEES

Teeth Dreams Twin Weaver

There are very few moments that aptly encapsulate the feeling of entering adulthood quite like getting your wisdom teeth removed - the procedure is painful, the recovery is awkward and, ultimately, you just end up paying far too much for something that you didn’t even really want to go through in the first place. It isn’t fun at all but it’s a process that you just have to endure when your time comes up and hope that you’ll remember how to smile again at the end of it. It’s a process that Helen Wells, Zanna Berry, Jono Valentine and Josh Berry (the alternative dream-pop band, Twin Weaver) have had to endure over the past year - not just dentally, but artistically. Since the beginning of 2017, Twin Weaver have been consistently crafting and putting out a slew of some of the most progressive and polished alternative pop songs ever to have come out of the synth-besotted, Kevin Parker-praising faction of the Cape Town psych scene. But 2018 saw the band taking a bit of a hiatus from their regular schedule of single-drops in order to focus on a more ambitious task - that of writing their first cohesive body of work in the form of their debut EP, Wisdom Teeth. With only 7 tracks in total, Wisdom Teeth quickly envelops you in the VHS-to-digital world of Twin Weaver, into which we have only had short glimpses before, through their previous singles - with punchy, glistening synths, fuzzy and warbly guitar tones, and lyrics that capture the excitement and uncertainty that comes with being a young person (particularly in 2018). But, as a very independent and self-contained unit that records, mixes and distributes their own music, the act of breaking their momentum and cutting themselves off from the streaming world must have been at least a bit daunting - particularly for Josh, the band’s chief producer:

The constant struggle of striving for perfection in the recording process, whilst still allowing yourself to bare some of the faults and cracks that enable a feeling of authenticity to shine through in the songs, is a difficult balancing act to get right. It requires a bit of distance from the project, that can’t easily be obtained when you’re the one controlling every facet of it. =

“I completely gutted the songs to try and make them sound as good as possible, as opposed to sounding as creative as possible. I forgot that they were songs and I started looking at them more like problems that needed to be solved.” Yelen also recounted the point when the EP was starting to sound a bit more clinical than vulnerable: “Basically, we left him alone to work on the songs for a while and then he played them to us and Jono and I were just like: ‘Woah, this sounds weird. Where

did that cool background noise or that funny little take go? Where are all the laughs and where are the friends?’” The most endearing aspect of Twin Weaver’s sound is not necessarily the glossy high-fi production of the songs, but the warmth of hearing a laugh that leaked into a vocal take or a bit of band-room banter that was accidentally captured on a track. It’s those sort of moments that make the songs feel less like songs and a little bit more like voice notes that a friend sent you from a place that you’d very much like to visit and hang out with later. That feeling can almost be summed up by what was said in the Carousal monologue delivered by Don Draper at the end of the first season of Mad Men, when he pitched the idea to Kodak that their device “isn’t a space ship - it’s a time machine. It goes backwards, forwards. It takes us to a place where we ache to go again.” Twin Weaver songs are a lot like that. They carry that too-soon sort of nostalgia with every melody, whichresonates so strongly - particularly with those that came of age in the late 2000’s.

HIGH FIVES The Strokes

Tame Impala

Porches

Sakawa Boys

Alvvays

Is This It

Lonerism

Pool

2014 Anxiety

Antisocialites

2001

2012

2016

2017

RCA

Modular

Domino

PLATOON

Polyvinyl Record Co.

“It was pretty frustrating because we’d take two months and then release a song and this time we had seven songs recorded over a year and it was just… not fun. You didn’t have that feedback and you didn’t know if you were doing the right thing. It’s draining living with those sort of things and, the more you live with it, the less fun it is.” THE LAKE

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“You’ve got to start realising that this sort of stuff doesn’t really matter and that the stakes are not that high”, says Josh. “The stakes are never going to be so high that you’re going to need to start worrying about these things because the moment that you start worrying is when it’s just not fun anymore.”

DISCOGRAPHY Twin Weaver Wisdom Teeth

2018 Independent

Twin Weaver Night Flowers / Castaway

2018 Independent

Twin Weaver I Don’t Know

2017 Independent

Twin Weaver Wholesome

2017 Independent

Twin Weaver Circular

2017 Independent

“It’s definitely always in there but I don’t know why!”, exclaims Helen. “Are we just sentimental people? Is that just kind of what’s part of being a young adult and, like, being in your twenties? You’ve got a few years to look back on and some of it was more challenging than the present and some of it was way easier than the present. But the songs are still quite rooted in the present.” No matter how far back the songs may take you, there is no denying that Twin Weaver is currently one of the most exciting bands operating within the South African music scene. Hearing how rapidly the band’s sound has matured on Wisdom Teeth, only makes you excited to hear how the band will continue to grow and surpass ev-

erything that came before it. But the growing pains that have come along up to this point are also testament to the fact that not everything is going to go right the first time around. The process might be painful but you just need believe that everything will work out once the swelling goes down. “You’ve got to start realising that this sort of stuff doesn’t really matter and that the stakes are not that high”, says Josh. “The stakes are never going to be so high that you’re going to need to start worrying about these things because the moment that you start worrying is when it’s just not fun anymore.”

Twin Weaver Stranger Things

2017 Independent

Twin Weaver Sunblock

2017 Independent

INFO: www.facebook.com/twinweaverofficial INFO: www.soundcloud.com/twinweaverofficial THE LAKE

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ABERRATION DAVID BLOOMER

GOING UNDERGROUND

Illegal mining is a story Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m currently working on. It is a story I decided upon a few years ago while working on a commissioned job in Krugersdorp, Gauteng. The location was a disused gold mine, with old gold-processing plants being the featured structures. Amongst these massive concrete structures I found young migrants from neighbouring countries, working the earth. Intrigued, I asked one young man what he was doing.

This project is also an observation of the distribution of wealth within South African over the decades, particularly in the mining sector. How the mining companies have worked the earth, moved on as the ground became depleted of wealth, and how the scavengers then emerge, to take the left-overs, tentatively watching over their shoulders as security forces loom in the background. Illegal mining in South Africa Is a multi-billion dollar industry with an estimated 30 000-strong workforce spread over roughly 6000 defunct gold, diamond, chrome and platinum mines. My story focuses on the illegal miners working the surface and underground in the massive network of tunnels underneath Johannesburg.

www.davidbloomer.co.za

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escape from reality Can’t Steal Our Vibe “Most people take surfing for granted, especially here in the U.S.—it’s a form of entertainment. But in other places, like the townships in Cape Town, surfing has emerged as an escape from reality,” Nash said of his experience. “Waves For Change’s commitment to these communities is life-changing; they are providing a safe outlet for youth to come to the beach, share their problems and heal through surfing. Witnessing the kids’ genuine positivity despite the adversity they are faced with was the most inspiring element of the film for all of us.” - Director Graham Nash

Vans presents the worldwide release of Can’t Steal Our Vibe, a documentary film about a life-changing surfboard drive in South Africa featuring pro surfers Patrick, Dane, and Tanner Gudauskas, and South African pro Michael February. Now available on iTunes worldwide, Can’t Steal Our Vibe is a passionate documentary that follows these influential surfers to Cape Town, South Africa on a journey to inspire youth in impoverished townships across South Africa.

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Driven by a mission to make a positive impact on communities through surfing, Vans hosted a major surfboard drive in 2017 to benefit non-profit organization Waves For Change in Cape Town, South Africa. As an organization focused on providing a safe space for vulnerable youth living in townships, the ultimate goal in supporting Waves For Change was to provide surf equipment to children and teens in under-served villages, and provide a positive outlet for them to overcome the adversities of poverty, violence and abuse.

With the help of native South African Michael February, and the Gudauskas brothers’ non-profit, the Positive Vibe Warriors Foundation, Vans was able to raise more than 750 surfboards, along with leashes and fins, for the communities. The surfboards were distributed to countries across the continent including South Africa, Mozambique, Somalia, Liberia, and others. Vans’ Can’t Steal Our Vibe film is available now on iTunes. All the proceeds from Can’t Steal Our Vibe film sales will be donated directly to the Waves For Change organization. Visit Waves For Change website to donate and learn more about their organization. All the proceeds from “Can’t Steal Our Vibe” film sales will be donated directly to the Waves For Change organization. www.Vans.com/cantstealourvibe 44

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> WORDS - TYMON SMITH

PHOTOGRAPHY - JACQUI van staden

LOUIS DE VILLIERS THE ARTIST FORMERLY KNOWN AS SKULLBOY

In 2017 the artist formerly known as Skullboy became the artist Louis De Villiers. Speaking from New York where he’s based, Durban-born De Villiers explains the decision to retire the moniker under which he’d produced art since 2006 as, “more of a graduation than an execution.” He says that when he turned 30 in 2017, “I decided to retire the pseudonym and continue creating work under my family name, Louis De Villiers.

During my early career I was experimenting and exploring different ideas and styles trying to find a voice of my own – I think that sentiment went for both my artwork and personal life.” Reflecting on the end of that era, De Villiers feels that, “skullboy became a convenient shadow-self that I could act out under – I could disassociate from the straight-laced Louis and become this wild alter-ego that didn’t give a fuuuck.” As Skullboy, De Villiers created a body of work that incorporated elements from his involvement in the skate world of Durban and his professional life as a designer for advertising, which used a distinctive street style that commented on youth culture in the age of the internet. Spanning paintings, murals, video and installation – Skullboy’s main works – his large-scale drawings are distinctive for their use of blacks, greys and flecks of gold paint. De Villiers made his palette choice because, he finds, “colour quite cumbersome to be honest – I respond to it well but I don’t enjoy spending time contemplating it. It’s too loaded, too complicated, too finicky. God bless those you can use it well but I don’t think it’s quite for me just yet.” Working in design and practicing art are not mutually exclusive as far as De Villiers is concerned. He compares the two as, “ kinda like skating vert and skating street: they’re ultimately the same activity but operating in different areas. They’re both creative processes for me, which I equally enjoy and am invested in, but the outcomes for the two are very different.” He acknowledges that, “the two practices do influence each other in some ways. A bit of design background also helps with putting together catalogues and show flyers.”

people to, “just go there already,” De Villiers is not unaware that the city and its particular mix of innovative creativity and a lack of focus on it often means those who practice end up somewhere else. He believes, “growing up there allowed me a relatively isolated and supportive scene where I could experiment and develop my art practice. There wasn’t a lot of precedent so anything you did was kinda new and exciting.” He adds, “no one was making any money off their shit at the time, so if there wasn’t any money or internet props to be had, the only actual incentive you had to do anything was because it was fun – totally self-indulgent, unexpecting, frivolous fun.” Durban also taught him the value of developing, “a heavy DIY mentality – if you’re not gonna do it, it just ain’t gonna get done.” It’s that mentality that De Villiers found at Kalashnikovv gallery, who represent him, and whose founders Matt Dowdle and MJ Turpin impressed him because, “they straight talk and they hustle. There are a lot of clowns out there but you can see these guys on the beat in Johannesburg,

there’s respect in their names on those streets.” Since moving to New York, De Villiers has found a very different pace of life from his hometown, where “there are a lot of challenges I have to face to keep the lights on AND still make paintings,” in a town where, “there are a SHIT LOAD of people making dope work and how do you penetrate a wild scene like that?” The benefit of the Big Apple is of course, “being around good art”, which De Villiers admits, “has given me a much needed education.” Skullboy may be dead but De Villiers is very much alive, hustling between his day job and his art job in a world, “where no one gives you a manual on how to do this shit when you get out here – you find out slowly and sometimes painfully how things run here in the good ol’ US of A.” As to what’s next for the artist formerly known as Skullboy, “More paintings, less cigarettes.” INFO: www.devilliersiv.com INFO: www.skullboy.co.za INFO: www.kalashnikovv.co.za

HIGH FIVES Earl Sweatshirt

Ho99o9

Okmalumkoolkat

I Don’t Like Shit, I Don’t Go Outside

Dead Bodies in the Lake

mlazi milano

Walterwarm & Lordapex

J.I.D

2015

2016

2017

Columbia Records

Ho99o9

Universal Music

Vinyl Digital

Dreamville Records

The Never Story

Bamboo Forest

He gets asked a lot about growing up in Durban and while part of him just wants to growl and tell THE LAKE

The Ascension - Oil marker, acrylic, gold leaf enamel on canvas with wooden rod. 200cm x 135cm / 2017

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“Reflecting on the end of that era, De Villiers feels that, “skullboy became a convenient shadow-self that I could act out under – I could disassociate from the straight-laced Louis and become this wild alter-ego that didn’t give a fuuuck.”

LEFT // Rising On The Shoulders Of Your Enemies - Oil marker, acrylic, gold leaf enamel on paper.. 115cm x 76cm / 2018 RIGHT // Snow Beach Soldiers - Oil marker, acrylic, gold leaf enamel on paper. 115cm x 76cm / 20187

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TOP // So Nice To See You, Friend - Oil marker, acrylic, imitation gold leaf on Fabriano. 45in x 66in / 2017 LEFT // Open Relationship Looking For Third Wheel And Admin - Oil marker, acrylic, imitation gold leaf . 200cm x 135cm / 2017 MIDDLE // Im so happy I Found You - Oil marker, acrylic, imitation gold leaf on Fabriano. 45in x 66in / 2018 RIGHT // Phone Dies For Lack Of Compassion - Oil marker, acrylic, imitation gold leaf on Fabriano.45in x 66in / 2017

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RIGHT // PILLAR OF FLEX - WE OUCHEA (Installation View) Nike Shoe Boxes / 2017

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> WORDS - ZACH LEES

PHOTOGRAPHY - Jansen van staden

STARING AT THE SUN ENDLESS DAZE

With great thanks to Endless Daze, the first weekend of November has become over the last three years similar to a religious experience. Much like Jews visiting the Western Wall and Muslims going to Mecca, Cape Town music fans ought to be making their yearly pilgrimage to Silverstroom Resort. As far as festivals go, you’d be extremely hardpressed to find a festival in South Africa that is as good as Pysch Night and Vans’ ‘Endless Daze,’ as the third iteration of the phenomenal festival once again upped the game and gave psych rock fans a glimpse of what festivals might be like internationally. (It might happen that you find I have repeated some adjectives, I do apologise with all my heart, but there simply aren’t enough adjectives to describe how good a festival Endless Daze is and how good a job Psych Night and Vans South Africa do to put it on. Bear with me.) Even before the festival had started, the line-up announced was clearly very well thought out and planned, with incredible international and local acts that complemented one another and fit together like pieces of a jigsaw that once put together, looked (and sounded!) damn good. The true beauty in any music festival lies in the balancing act that every festival ought to strive for - the punchiness of big headliner names and the potential for many to discover new names that they will grow to love. By now you could say that the Psych Night team are professional slack liners as over the years they have learned the act very well. A Place To Bury Strangers, W.I.T.C.H. and Dead Meadow brought with them a huge presence that was not unnoticed, and generated a large amount of hype from fans of the scene, as did the return shows of Medicine Boy and Lucy Kruger & The Lost Boys, who we have been missing so dearly. Also of a high pedigree was Lesotho musician Morena Leraba - an act I can’t see any other festival being bold enough to book; I think Psych Night cannot be given enough credit for booking him. Introduced to the majority of us were Candice Gordon, A.S. Fanning and NONN, who surprised those who didn’t know them with great shows and amazing sounds and saw to it that those who did know them and were already fans fell more in love with their music. As always local acts brought their best and saw to it that the festival soundtrack was consistent, vibrant and brilliant all the way through,

with a plethora of different styles and sounds, from the mellow morning wake-up by Dumama and Kechou to the high energy party-starting Runaway Nuns. Fans of South African music can look forward to a diversity of genres on the local scene thanks to support from the teams at Psych Night and Vans, and their amazing continued support for local music. They are doing tremendous work to give many artists a stage and an audience and consequently an incredible opportunity for growth. Each year this culminates at Endless Daze, but their backing is year round and I for one, as a fan of music in South Africa, am extremely grateful.

On the note of atmosphere and crowds, another incredible part of Endless Daze this year and in previous years is the lack of something that I find has become a plague of live music shows recently - cell phones. I’m admittedly unsure if Psych Night got lucky or got smart choosing a venue with no cell phone reception, but the lack of reception for the most part creates a fully immersive environment and facilitates a ‘community’ style festival. A mention should obviously go out this year to a skilled sound, lighting and visual team who worked tirelessly all weekend and produced some stunning results across all fronts.

Of course, the line-up is an essential part of any festival and definitely contributes the lion’s share to what makes or breaks a festival, but much can also be said for the atmosphere. I’m constantly in awe of the craft and hard work that the Endless Daze team goes through each year to facilitate the creation of what I believe to be the best festival atmosphere in South Africa. The crowd of course play a huge role in this atmosphere and it is notable that the majority of the Endless Daze crowd are music lovers and aren’t at the festival ‘to be seen’ as is classic in Cape Town culture!

On the whole I can’t begin to recommend more highly the experience that is Endless Daze and strongly encourage anyone who is able to go next year to consider it. This year a good friend of mine even returned from London on the Friday morning just to get to the festival on time! The festival has certainly become one of my year’s highlights and I can’t wait to make my pilgrimage once more for Endless Daze 2019. INFO: www.endlessdazefest.com

HIGH FESTIVAL FIVES A Place to Bury Strangers

Candice Gordon

Morena Leraba

W.I.T.C.H.

Runaway Nuns

Qhanyane sa Marumo

Lazy Bones!!

Exploding Head

Before The Sunset Ends

Do The Resistor

2009 Mute Records

2013

2018

1975

Proper Octopus

FEASER TEASER SESSIONS

Zambezi

2017 Independent

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> WORDS - RICK DE LA RAY

PHOTOGRAPHY - Jansen van staden PHOTOGRAPHY - Pieter retief

RECYCLE Where to From Here

As most great ideas do, this one started at the local pub while enjoying a loose conversation or some kind of anecdote… Someone had mentioned this trip around another late-night table earlier that week and it involved an interesting combination of travel: cycling, old-school boards and old-school towns. Plus being in a semi-desert with a couple of reprobates and no reception sounded appealing to me and maybe subliminally a good excuse to sweep my current responsibilities under the dusty carpet for a while. Of course such an elaborate affair would only be oozing from the sub-conscious of local maverick and skateboarding bohemian Pieter Retief (Where to From Here). As he filled in the gaps between all the rumors I had heard, his vision became clear and reconciled with the notion that this could be a journey of epic proportions. He explained the cycling route as it would flow, from Willowmore, a town situated 140km northeast of Knysna, to the latter, where the eventual end of our quest would be. Along the way we would pass through Uniondale, heading right down to the bottom of the Prince Albert pass and back up and over to Knysna. In each of the towns we would stay over for two nights, while during the second day the lads would be taking advantage of the local architecture on some wooden classics. A few months passed and it seemed that the trip had disappeared down the urinal along with the last sip of beer we had had that night. But low and behold out of the blue the manifestation kicked in and I found myself in the back of a double-cab “up in the Babylon” with Joubert (Van Staden), the local Vans team manager. A blue trailer was bouncing behind us filled with some old-school racers donated by Ubuntu cycles, and Vans had made sure that we didn’t look like the scrubbers we are. The team of scrubbers consisted of 3 Vans team members, including Joubert, TK (Modise) and Brendan (Dyamond). Pieter was at the wheel along with Zen master Jansen (van Staden) on lens-cleaning duties. Last but not least we had the most important man on the trip, Dewald (Bruwer), as the support vehicle driver and all round man of mysticism. I would also like to point out that this was also the most number of photographers I have ever been on a trip with.

angles of architecture. This theatre of the cold war claimed a thumb, bruised toes and a lot of bravado, while Cape Film Supply made sure these bloody moments were recorded along the way. There is no time for FOMO in Willowmore and the town was lit that night! The thump and grind could be heard loud and clear within a 6 mile radius, which basically ensured that no one in town felt left out and could nod their heads in the safety of their own homes. The next morning we took the long road. And a long road it was indeed – I took the lead in the first 10 minutes but then gladly handed over my “Yellow Jersey” to the rest of the crew and decided to settle into last place for the remainder of the journey, in case predators arrived needing a snack. I decided I would gladly sacrifice myself for the rest of the crew. Besides that, I took a 10 km sabbatical on the wrong road and then managed to electrocute myself on some farmer’s diabolical fence. With only two of the members in the ambulance at the end we all made it to Uniondale.

Other than the legend of the Uniondale ghost (we found out they now apparently have three ghosts… which I am sure does wonders for tourism around these parts), the town did not offer much, but our balcony provided a stoic overview of the entire habitat. Scenes unfolding right out of a David Lynch / Werner Hertzog tribute night at the Labia Theatre. The weather was changing and we could feel it. We ascended that following morning with a dreary sense of the unknown as the clouds started to lightly curse us with some drizzle. Deluxe Coffee Works warmed up the java heads with a final caffeine fix before we drifted towards the unknown. At the top of the mountain we were soaking with regret and our team had split into a sporadic pattern of concern. But we were at the top and majestic views of misty madness which overwhelmed us as we looked down upon an abyss of clouds. The landscape completely engulfed us with the sense of knowing that this would probably be the only time we would ever get to do this… What we

ROAD TRIP HIGH FIVES Aphex Twin

Neil Young

John Frusciante

Buddy Holly

Windowlicker

Harvest Moon

To Record Only Water for Ten Days

Buddy Holly

Brian Eno and John Cale

1999

1992

2001

1958

1990

Warp Records

Reprise Records

Warner Bros

Coral Records

Opal Records

Wrong Way Up

We hit the streets the first morning in Willowmore, sailing towards a nearby school with giant cement THE LAKE

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A class ‘A’ dirt road when it was built back in 1886, I can safely comment that zero upgrades have been done since the last stone was laid. They made sure to leave nothing to chance as the drop next to the left side of the road turned into a misty pit of deception. did not fathom at the time was that this is a 14 km downhill, and was accompanied by zero degree temperatures (we had left our jackets in the support vehicle), and even less visibility. A class ‘A’ dirt road when it was built back in 1886, I can safely comment that zero upgrades have been done since the last stone was laid. They made sure to leave nothing to chance as the drop next to the left side of the road turned into a misty pit of deception. Once we had all been assembled at the bottom, we moved ahead to a majestic little spot by the name of Outeniqua Trout Lodge, where we had some time to reflect on our lives, while we tried to warm up and dry some of our gear. It’s a bit of a hidden gem complete with teepee tents, huge fires, reindeer and ag-

gressive chickens. This prison of rain kept us locked in for a while so we decided to all get inked by Joubert and Brendon as a reminder of the time we had had. The next day, after a brief hike and an ice bath in the local pools, we cornered the owner and asked him about the climb that awaited us. We knew how far we had gone down and physics works in many ways but in this situation we were sure to be confronted with the road less travelled… “The Hills are Alive !” Julie Andrews yelped over some cliff in the Alps in the 1965 classic musical drama “The Sound of Music” . Indeed these hills are alive with deception and malice. This is a beautiful landscape and witnessing the habitat change over the last couple of days has been very rewarding. We freewheeled past forests and timber trucks till we evenTHE LAKE

tually hit the final plateau down to Knysna. We all rolled in smoothly, wearing our vintage Ray Bans like a troupe of 60s prep school boys on our way back from the annual rowing teams’ wine mixer. Broken but still hopeful. Pieter blessed us at the final stop and we were graced once again with a majestic view of our surroundings in Knysna. We were the kings of the hills and now we had a palace to prove it. The guys hit the streets and enjoyed the last of our escape from reality. I slipped back into Cape Town feeling like a weary battered beast yet in some way enlightened. While I listen to the traffic on Kloofnek Road I’m thinking I need to get out of the city more. Bliss. INFO: www.wheretofromhere.co.za 63

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> WORDS - Frantz Birkholtz

PHOTOGRAPHY - Kayleigh-Anne Kirsten (Produced by Frantz Birkholtz) PHOTOGRAPHY LIVE - Joshua Stein

BAND ON THE RUN Runaway Nuns Don’t let the name mislead you, these troublesome nuns are not on the run but rather on a rampage to reach a higher, unworldy level of punk rock. Groundbreaking if you will. Brewing a concoction of wrathful yet wonderful sorcery, teasing the ear and pleasing the soul. At a rather alarming pace this 5-piece is becoming a household name in South Africa. Introducing: the Runaway Nuns, ladies and gentlemen Located in Cape Town, these lads started in late 2015. This frantic five-piece consists of Sean (lead vocals & rhythm guitar), Desmond (lead guitar & backup vocals), PJ (drums & backup vocals), Sihle (base guitar & backup vocals) and Noah (tambourine, shaker & backup vocals). Four of the five members went to school together. Being lifelong friends, sharing a deep passion for rock ‘n roll, it only made sense starting this band together. At a later stage the fifth member (drummer) joined the family of nuns and rightfully so because that gentleman sure do know how to smash the drums!

A beautiful love story was born. Somewhat drunk and chaotic, but beautiful nonetheless. They stay true to themselves and in the process developed a very distinctive sound the fans grew to love. What I truly fancy and appreciate about them is the fact that what you see is what you get. No “want to be” glamorous rock stars. No personas on stage. They don’t dress up for shows. No gimmicks whatsoever. Just good ol’ rock ‘n roll, baby. All they yearn for is making music together. Create handsome noise. Savour the moment as friends. All they really want to be is Runaway Nuns. When Sean writes the lyrics he drowns himself in the moment. There’s no substantial message he tries to force down your throat. It’s a combination of his own experiences and emotions. A blend of anger, frustrations, love and passion. Bleeding his truth on paper whereafter they would meet up in the studio and workshop the music together as a band. They have described their music as controlled venting. Focussing all their negativity into

their music. On stage they would stay 100% focussed and their anger would bleed out in a playful manner. “Sharing the stage with my friends is like sharing weed at home. Almost spiritual. Afterwards a sense of satisfaction drapes over me and my soul feels cleansed”. It’s art after all and that is what honest art would do to you. The Runaway Nuns have an impressive sum of shows behind them. From intimate gigs at well-established venus to dingy dive bars. Touring South Africa and attending major festivals. Quite recently they attended the Endless Daze festival (presented by Psych Night and Vans) where they landed a superb slot on Saturday evening at around 21:00. Some of the members described the show as magnificent blur. A heavenly haze. A divine daze. They were a crowd favorite. I myself saw videos and photos of them roaming the internet weeks later where fans expressed their love and appreciation for the Nuns. They made some serious waves at the festival in the company of some highly rated international

bands. Some time before the show Noah (Nuns) spoke to Dylan Rooibokkie (Black Lung) and both agreed they would attempt a stage dive, which is more like a leap of faith if you know the distance from the stage to the audience. Some would even label it a death wish. The word on the street is Noah (Nuns) nailed the stage dive, playing his tambourine on time all the way while in mid-air. They only saw this afterwards when someone replayed a video taken of the jump in slow motion. Noah, you are my hero, you beautiful bastard! The Runaway Nuns undoubtedly burned their mark in the music industry and I see a great future for these wild cats. You can expect a highly anticipated album (produced by their manager Warren Fisher) come the summer of 2019. I have been lucky enough to join them in the rehearsal room practicing their new material and can honestly recommend keeping your eyeballs peeled for this masterpiece. INFO: www.runawaynuns.bandcamp.com INFO: www.nownowjustnow.com

HIGH FIVES the Amps

Dead Ghosts

The Stooges

Pacer

Love and Death and All The Rest

Raw Power

1995

2015

1973

2013

1998

4AD

Burger Records

Columbia Records

Matador Records

TVT Records

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Queens of the Stone Age

TBJM Strung out in heaven

...Like Clockwork

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“Sharing the stage with my friends is like sharing weed at home. Almost spiritual. Afterwards a sense of satisfaction drapes over me and my soul feels cleansed”. It’s art after all and that is what honest art would do to you.

DISCOGRAPHY Runaway Nuns Do The Resistor

2017 Independent

Runaway Nuns Resistor / Crips - EP 7”

2017 Now Now Just Now

Runaway Nuns What You See Is What You Get

2017 Independent

Runaway Nuns Runaway Nuns - EP

2016 Independent

Runaway Nuns Cast Away

2016 Independent

Runaway Nuns Stop Kidding Yourself

2016 Independent

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> WORDS - BUjin

PHOTOGRAPHY - OLIVER KRUGER

WAX JUNKIE Būjin The person who first gave me a record was my grandmother. The person who first bought me a record was a friend of mine who’s still the bassist of the same band that unintentionally nudged me into DJing. So that’s where it started, quite late, with some omitted details of earlier how’s and when’s leading to now. I think of my collection like I think of any other instrument I play. In the end it’s a relationship to material, engineered to resonate some kind of sound? Like any other body, truly. Memory, movement and play are influences in my style of collecting and making music. Dam-Funk I Don’t Wanna Be a Star! 2012 / Stones Throw Records

The Indestructible Beat of Soweto Compilation album 1985 / Shanachie Records

Probably one of my favourite G-funk, Funktronica producers, Dam Funk is so underrated. His output alone is something worth mentioning apart from his off the cuff sense of humour and his sensual use of instruments, especially synth on his productions. It’s just cool. This record in particular is quite special to me. It’s a good amalgamation of beat patterns and instrumentation, future-funk, and percussive synth bips and driving drum-machine breaks that have you feeling some type of way for sure. It’s a toss-up between this and what I’d call his slightly ‘darker’ G-funk release titled STFU on which he goes a bit harder down the West Coast style futurist funk flavour trail.

A Mbaqanga classic. This one is a mixture of kasi jazz, marabi, melodic and rhythmic beat sounds from Soweto and surrounds from the early 80s, featuring the likes of Moses Mchunu and Mahlathini. The sound and the mixture of what Mbaqanga is speaks so much to its title: an Indestructible Beat. And, does so much as a genre that was really key in the production and glow-up of later genres like Maskandi and Kwaito, even Yaad nommers. If you want a little spice on top, it’s one of those records. It does the most. It’s a dance floor and national monate treasure.

Milton Cardona Bembé 1986 / American Clavé

Gal Costa Minha voz 1982 / The Island Def Jam Music Group

Milton Cardona is another one of those instrumentalists I can never put on loud enough. I guess my fascination with him comes from him, like me, being classically trained in violin during his childhood, which further fuels my love for his work as a violinist. While this one has more of an emphasis on choral voice and percussion in instrumentation and chorus, and storytelling in really simple and traditional ways, it’s what makes it so unique, relating as it does to the communications and traditions in Santeria expressions involving the Orishas and Yoruban beliefs from Nigeria, Puerto Rico and the greater Afro-Caribbean diaspora through songs and speech.

This record is one of the records that set off my personal collection. I got it right around the time I was finishing undergrad. It was the year just before Kaytranada sampled Gal Costa’s Pontos de Luz on his single Lite Spots. The record is such a timeless mix of sounds, writings and influences from the likes of Caetano Veloso, Moraes Moreira, Djavan, Gilberto Gil and other Brazilian contemporaries. Gal Costa’s voice is more than remarkable, and her music’s ability to move you from soft soul to poly-rhythms and complex jazz intervals is a reminder of why she’s one of the most-celebrated Brasileira vocalists of our time. It’s not an everyday treat, but it’s something I always come back to.

KitarO Asia 1984 / Polydor Records

Chrome Children Chrome Children 2006 / Stones Throw Records

This album is kind of a hidden gem. My partner recently bought it for me. Kitaro is probably one of my all-time favourite composers/producers/arrangers from Japan. Right up there with Nile Rodgers on a guitar rhythm, and Herbie Hancock. His style of playing with electronic production and dissonant sounds in melody on this record really is, to invoke an old and intolerably tell-it-like-it-is cliche, out of this world. Something to listen to in the afternoon, with a warm wind brushing you softly, while you caress the like button on your crush’s latest meme post. Too cliche perhaps? But a vinyl gem nonetheless.

Another one from Stones Throw, and Adult Swim. Their output is so vast and undeniably prolific in shifting paradigms of experimental hip hop, downtempo and beatmaking/cypher scenes. Even to influencing a generation of current consumption trends: countless lo-fiesque hip hop playlists on YouTube for the post - Joey Badass woke art kid aligning their ancestral chakras. Too seminal in their own right not to make mention of twice. Or at least by my standards. The record features a lot of Stones Throw heavyweights like Dudley Perkins, Quasimoto, Madvillain, Dilla, and Georgia Anne Muldrow, with Madlib’s Take it Back being one of my favourites. Definitely one that preserves the memory of seeing Peanut Butter Wolf during a Low End Theory gig last year.

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wildfire MANUELA GRAY “My personal style of tattooing changes all the time. I would get so bored doing one style only . I love varied genres of tattoo styles . Right now I am loving a very illustrative style . I would say in all styles my love for detail and fine lines would be a common thread.” Exploring some of Cape Town’s best tattoo artists who have been inspired by the legendary tattooist Norman “Sailor Jerry” Collins and the rum that carries his name Sailor Jerry Rum.

Why and how did you become a tattoo artist? I started tattooing kinda by accident while on a surf trip in Portugal . Have always felt it chose me ,rather than the other way round… What is your personal style of tattooing? My personal style of tattooing changes all the time. I would get so bored doing one style only. I love varied genres of tattoo styles. Right now I am loving a very illustrative style. I would say in all styles my love for detail and fine lines would be a common thread. What do you enjoy most about the work that you do? That it NEVER feels like work ! ... that I feel honoured to share in and transform someone’s ideas and feelings into living art on their skin.

Does Cape Town have a particular style of tattoo artistry?

Which of his iconic designs is your personal favourite and why?

Trends come and go. CT tattoo studios are all influenced by what is happening globally.

His tigers , eagles and of course his pin-ups. There was a sense of humour and a narrative to all his works.

What specific trends have you seen happening in the Cape Town tattooing scene? Trends happen everywhere not just CT ......My advice would be to stay true to yourself and create your own style. How did Norman Sailor Jerry Collins influence your personal style? Norman Sailor Jerry is a legend. A lot of us tattooers are doing the same traditional military style but for me he stood out, because I am always critical of the female form in tattoo art, and he was one of the first to handle this well. His simplicity of line has had a huge influence on me. THE LAKE

INFO: @manuelagray INFO: @wildfiretattoos INFO: www.wildfiretattoos.com 73

PRINT RUN REVIEWS - XAVIER NAGEL

SUPPLIED BY - BIBLIOPHILIA

Ex Animo Ex Animo (R1450) represents the most complete and exhaustive collection of local (street) artist Faith XLVII’s works, both from the streets and her studio. The book contains critical texts by Kristin Farr (Deputy Editor at Juxtapoz Magazine), Carlo McCormick (famous critic and curator from New York) and our own Jaqueline Flint, and explores the artist’s greatest projects, from The Psychic Power of Animals, in which Faith represents in full scale the strength and power of alpha animals, to The Long Wait, a series of murals representing Johannesburg men waiting. “I want to hear the voice that is silenced; the quieter but profound comments on living”, says the artist in an interview.

Landscapes of Light and Loss Beastie Boys Book

WAT BINNE IS / Fotogedigteboek

Landscapes of Light and Loss (R200) is the second volume of poetry by Capetonian Stephen Symons. His first collection of poetry, Questions for the Sea, received an honourable mention for the 2017 Glenna Luschei Prize for African Poetry, and was also shortlisted for the 2017 Ingrid Jonker Prize. In the words of David Keplinger, author of Another City: “The poems in this collection bear witness with the crisp attention of a Robert Capa photograph.These ecosystems, each with their own by-laws … hold together such a curious, nearly impossible balance in his new book.”

WAT BINNE IS – Fotogedigteboek (R265) is ‘n pragtige boek met fotos deur Wikus de Wet en gedigte deur Jaco van der Merwe. Jaco verken al jare die verhouding tussen woorde en visuele elemente. Hy skryf prosa-gedigte as reaksies op Wikus se fotos oor Afrikaans wees. Deur hierdie proses stel hulle ongemaklike vrae aan mekaar oor Afrikaans wees. Soos hulle self sê op die boek se Facebook bladsy, “As kunstenaars en mense deel ons ‘n intense liefde/haat verhouding met ons Afrikaanse identiteit en herkoms. Ons kunswerke en perspektiewe het versoorsaak dat ons paaie ‘n paar keer kruis, en mettertyd het die idee vir ‘n collaboration ontstaan.”

With a style as distinctive and eclectic as a Beastie Boys album, Beastie Boys Book (R715) upends the typical music memoir. Alongside the band narrative you will find rare photos, original illustrations, a cookbook by chef Roy Choi, a graphic novel, a map of Beastie Boys’ New York, mixtape playlists, pieces by guest contributors, and many more surprises.Formed as a New York City hardcore band in 1981, Beastie Boys struck an unlikely path to global hip hop superstardom. Here is their story, told for the first time in the words of the band.

The Art of Feminism

African Wax Print Textiles

From the posters of the Suffrage Atelier, through the radical art of Judy Chicago and Carrie Mae Weems, to the cutting-edge work of Sethembile Msezane and Andrea Bowers, The Art of Feminism: Images that Shaped the Fight for Equality, 1857–2017 (R924) traces the way feminists have shaped visual arts and media throughout history. Featuring more than 350 works of art, illustration, photography, performance, and graphic design—along with essays examining the legacy of the radical canon—this rich volume showcases the vibrancy of the feminist aesthetic over the last 150 years.

As colorful and varied as the fabric it explores, African Wax Print Textiles (R1080) looks at traditional African textiles and reveals a complicated history that spans generations and continents. Revealing the complex origins of African wax print textiles, in beautifully illustrated chapters, Anne Grosfilley traces the process of printing and dyeing the fabric, which involves wax or indigo, to its West Indian roots. This eye-opening study celebrates the enormous variety of African fabric styles and uses, and explores the complex interconnections between the continent and colonialism.

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PLIMSOLL

VANS - STYLE 205 (Checkerboard) Black True White

VANS - STYLE 205 (Checkerboard) True Navy True White

VANS - COURT ICON (Suede) Pewter / Black

VANS - COURT ICON (Suede) Demitasse / Black

VANS - BOLD NI (Staple) Racing Red True White

VANS - BOLD NI (Staple) Black True White

VANS - SK8-HI (Vans Patch) Black True White

VANS - AUTHENTIC (OTW Repeat) RED True White

VANS - AUTHENTIC (OTW Repeat) Black True White

VANS - ERA WAFFLESAW (Podium) Marshmallow Dusty Olive

VANS - SLIP-ON WAFFLESAW (Podium) Marshmallow Dusty Olive

VANS - CHUKKA WAFFLESAW (Podium) Marshmallow Dusty Olive

ADIDAS - RASCAL core black / scarlet collegiate navy MALE

ADIDAS - RASCAL ftwr white / scarlet collegiate navy MALE

ADIDAS - YUNG-96 GREY TWO F17 GREY THREEF17 / shock pink MALE

ADIDAS - YUNG-96 core black / legend ivy raw ochre MALE

ADIDAS - YUNG-96 collegiate navy / raw white solar orange MALE

ADIDAS - YUNG-96 legend marine / RAW STEEL S18 solar red MALE

ADIDAS - FALCON W clear pink / clear pink legend purple FEMALE

ADIDAS - FALCON W collegiate navy collegiate navy / silver met FEMALE

ADIDAS - FALCON W crystal white / crystal white collegiate navy FEMALE

ADIDAS - FALCON W gold met / gold met off white FEMALE

ADIDAS - FALCON W collegiate navy collegiate navy / red FEMALE

ADIDAS - FALCON W GREY TWO F17 / GREY TWO F17 crystal white FEMALE

CONVERSE Suicidal Tendencies Hi WHITE

CONVERSE Suicidal Tendencies Lo Black / White

CONVERSE - Converse CONS Kevin Rodrigues HI Olive / Gum

CONVERSE - Converse CONS Kevin Rodrigues Lo Egret / Black

CONVERSE - Jack Purcell PRO QS Illegal Civilization Black / Pink

CONVERSE - Jack Purcell PRO Light Carbon / White

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WE ARE FOOLISHLY Ambitious

www.thelake.co.za Photo: Kayleigh-Anne Kirsten

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HIGH & DRY SUPERDRY Superdry started with a handful of t-shirts and has since expanded to create thousands of designs to date. A mix of ultramodern technology and retro techniques mean that each garment is stamped with the Superdry magic.

This season’s collection envisages a hazy vision of an eternal sun-drenched summer. Washed out pastels, remixed patterns, colour blocking and distressed details bring a laidback mix and match approach executed with utter confidence. All graphics and icons are hand drawn in the Superdry Art Department, where every garment is treated with the brand’s signature attention to detail. @SuperdrySA Main Image - @grant1swartz / Good Vibes Only - @nicola_duplessis Top right - @angelique_fredericks / Bottom right - @jadepearl__ THE LAKE

RABBIT RABBIT COLLECTION BY HURLEY

“The fact is that when you are a young emerging rookie from Australia or South Africa you not only have to come through the backdoor… but you also have to bust that door down before they hear ya knocking.”– Rabbit Bartholomew

Wayne ‘rabbit’ Bartholomew’s waveriding defined a generation. his collaboration with hurley is as bold as his legendary arrival on surfing’s biggest stage. this collection is a great opportunity to show a younger generation how critical he was to every aspect of surfing today. www.hurley.com

THE LAKE #024

Articles inside

THE LAKE #024