THE LAKE #003 by THE LAKE MAGAZINE

FEMME HERE COME THE WARM JETS

THE LAKE

THE LAKE WE ARE FOOLISHLY AMBITIOUS

#3 / 010315

HERE COME THE WARM JETS “A lot of people actually look at me and think I am actually creating it. The lot. Everything! They think that I am actually at the helm of something. They think that whatever I do is followed. What they don’t realise is that I am following something. To work out how to do it. I am finding things. I am not creating anything. I am digging around in bins, dead artists’ bins trying to find things. I am looking for the world.” - On my way to work / p.173 - Damian Hirst

CONTENTS REGULARS:

PUBLISHER

News 04 Wax Junkie 54 Clobber 56 Vivre sa vie 58 Plimsoll 60 Robotech 62 ART: Butter curls 25 For never young Mamba bamba 45

Stalker 15 Aktivität 17 Tana 29 Quick Fix 49 MUSIC: 23

LIFE: King of the hill On the road 13 Pass the dutchie

EDITOR / ART DIRECTION Stefan Naude’ stefan@thelake.co EXISTENTIAL ADVISOR Brendan Body brendan@thelake.co COVER

PHOTOGRAPHY:

Sister of mercy 21 Coke zero Chaos theory 35 Echo beach 43

THE LAKE MAGAZINE PTY LTD info@thelake.co

11 51

Oliver Kruger Mia Chaplin Kristi Vlok Nicola Loots Salome de Wet Studio Lighting Retouching PHOTOGRAPHERS

FASHION

Oliver Kruger Hayden Phipps Jacqui Van Staden Loucas Polydorou Gareth Pon Ane Strydom Danielle Klopper Sandra Mika Anna-Belle Mulder

Kristi Vlok kristi@thelake.co ADVERTISING / MARKETING Brett Bellairs brett@thelake.co

CONTENTS PHOTO

Brendan Body brendan@thelake.co

Jacqui Van Staden

COPY EDITING

CONTRIBUTORS

Luke Jackson Bianca Bernstein

Fred De Fries Toast Coetzer Ruan Scott Neil Soloman Rick De La Ray SUBMISSIONS info@thelake.co

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.

Photography Model Art Direction / Styling Make up Hair / scar The Ground Floor Studio Big Time Studios Frances van Jaarsveld

ONLINE / SOCIAL thelake.co instagram.com / the_lake_magazine facebook.com/ TheLakeMagazine

PRINTING PAARLMEDIA Paarl Media Group Tel: +27 21 550 2500 Email: info@paarlmedia.co.za

THE LAKE

NEWS BANG & OLUFSEN / BEOPLAY A2

FUJI INSTAX MINI 90 NEO CLASSIC CAMERA

BeoPlay A2 is a powerful and portable Bluetooth speaker with a ground-breaking True360 omni-directional sound, up to 24 hours of battery life and a rock-solid aluminium core built for mobility and guaranteeing acoustic stability.

Besides it’s stylish retro look, the Fuji Instax Mini 90 offers advanced features, such as bulb and double exposures, that are attractions of traditional analog cameras and offers an enhanced capability to capture light creatively. The Instax 90 is also equipped with a macro mode, fast moving subject mode and landscape mode, making this an instant camera for every photographer. The party mode enables the background as well as the subject to be captured brightly. The high performance flash emits the ideal amount of the light finely adjusted for the distance to the subject and ambient brightness, which helps to optimize the exposure. The camera comes with a fitted leather case and 2 boxes of Instax Mini Film to get you started.

Featuring the Bang & Olufsen Signature Sound that was designed to give you honest sound the way the artists intended it and introducing a sound technology that ensures the music experience is impressive no matter where you are placed. The intelligent smartphone charging will make sure you don’t run out of battery so the music and your mobile device can keep going. INFO: www.ashift8.com

R 2450 / INFO: www.exposuregallery.co.za

THE GROUNDFLOOR STUDIO The ideal, hassle-free studio for small shoots, castings, fittings and show & tells. Conveniently located around the corner from Gardens Centre and Wembley Square as well as The Dressing Room, Style Council, Pro Rental, Photohire and Orms. The 100 square meter open-plan shooting area is located on the ground floor and is available for hire at a negotiable, competitive rate. The studio offers the following features:

CARACAL JEWELLERY

PERMANENT RECORD

Caracal jewellery encompasses the marriage between styles of the classical contemporary with that of curious exoticism.This brand is not just a means of beautification, but a tool of unspoken communication.

PERMANENT RECORD is an independent record label based in Cape Town, South Africa. The label was founded in late 2014, with the aim of providing a platform for local artists to release their music on vinyl. Not bound by any genre, PERMANENT RECORD strives to publish relevant South African artists. As such, the label focuses strongly on originality at the expense of following music trends.

Please any queries and orders contact Caracal Jewellery. INFO: caracaljewellery@gmail.com

FEATURES - Double-volume ceiling - Wooden mezzanine level with balcony - 3 desk office space ideal for production or H&M - WIFI - 2 bathrooms fitted with showers - Secure front-porch - Kitchen and Working fireplace INFO: www.thegroundfloor.co.za

and maturity as a writer & musician, and further cements his place as the leader of the South African rock ‘n roll royal family. The B-side of the single is a vinyl exclusive acoustic track called ‘SKREE’. The acoustic version of the ‘SKREE’ was specifically recorded for the 7” vinyl and will live nowhere else except on this release.

To date, the label has released 2 pioneering South African artists, The Slashdogs and Francois van Coke. The Slashdogs third and most ambitious album to date, ‘PROGRESS THROUGH PLUNDER’, is a great piece of South African underground rock history. When the songs were originally released as 5 matchbooks(2 songs per matchbook) with download codes the album made a huge impact on the the SA music industry, and now it finally gets immortalized on black vinyl. Legendary frontman FRANCOIS VAN COKE has been hard at work on his solo material, and teamed up with PERMANENT RECORD to release his first single off his upcoming solo album. The single titled ‘MOONTLIK NOOIT’ shows Francois’ growth 04

THE LAKE

INFO: www.permanentrecord.co.za

NEWS FRIENDS MAGAZINE Founded by Mathew Kieser (Sol-Sol Menswear) and Louis de Villiers (an artist working under the alias of ‘skullboy’) FRIENDS is a series of printed ‘occasionals’ - a free, 40-page, ad-free publication that is released on a project-to-project basis and not on scheduled release dates. Due to the nature of the format (it’s free, and has no ads) we plan to continue to use crowd funding and now partner with the appropriate brands to put this little baby into print. The theme for Issue 1 is ‘The Male Daze’ which features content from around SA, Seoul, Hong Kong and New York, predictably from a male perspective. This issue covered ground on art, skateboarding, business, photography, design, motorcycles, travel, swear words and weird shit on the internet. Having been conceived in August 2014 and crowd

funded in Novermber 2014, it launched successfully in 3 cities in February 2015. We had plans to have launches in both Seoul and Hong Kong but having only printed 1000 copies, we soon realised that by the end of our final launch in JHB, we wouldn’t actually have enough issues left over to get it to Asia (which we’re quite happy with, of course) We’d like to thank The Pit (cape town), RVCA SA, Red Bull Studios, New York Bar (Durban), Kalashnikovv Gallery (Johannesburg), Sol-Sol menswear and Grolsch SA for all making such a great series of launches and jol’s possible. And of course, to the few hundred people who came out to each event and the number of contributors and co-conspirators which made Issue 1 such a success. See you for Issue 2, whenever that is.

BANG & OLUFSEN / BEOPLAY H6

FUJI XT-1 MIRROR-LESS DIGITAL CAMERA

The BeoPlay H6 in Natural Leather is a premium over-ear headphone from B&O PLAY by Bang & Olufsen. BeoPlay H6 gives you authentic sound that’s built on a clear midrange and a careful balance between bass and treble. This level of audio quality is delivered by 40 mm custom-designed drivers with neodymium magnets that are perfectly angled to get the best distance and sound direction into your ears. There’s also an internal bass port to ensure carefully balanced bass performance from this closed headphone design. In the Box: BeoPlay H6 over-ear headphones - Headphone cable with three-button remote - Headphone bag - Flight adapter

This lovely camera is at the top of the Fuji X series range. It is16 MPX with Multi Mode Viewfinder” With its high-resolution 2.36million dot OLED display, and the world’s highest magnification ratio of 0.77x*, the FUJIFILM X-T1’s Real Time Viewfinder allows a true connection to your subject and a purely immersive shooting experience. The viewfinder achieves a wide angle of view of 31°, and with the display’s lag time of just 0.005 sec — less that a tenth of conventional cameras — you’ll immediately see any changes to your composition, keeping you in touch with whatever you’re shooting. 80 years of photo film research adds up to color reproduction that’s second to none and no matter whether the power is on or off, analog dial operation connects your vision and the camera. It has X-Trans™*** CMOS II & EXR Processor II. Its also weather resisitant. The kit comes with the Fujinon 18-55mm lens. Body is available in Graphite or Black. Special price R 18,999.9

INFO: www.ashift8.com

INFO: www.exposuregallery.co.za

THE BOOTLEG SERIES VOL. 11: THE BASEMENT TAPES COMPLETE

The basement recordings were made during 1967, after Dylan had withdrawn to his Woodstock home in the aftermath of a motorcycle accident on July 29, 1966. Recording sessions began in a den known as “The Red Room” in Dylan’s home, before moving to an improvised recording studio in the basement of a house known as Big Pink, where Rick Danko, Richard Manuel and Garth Hudson lived. The sessions lasted roughly from May to October 1967.

circulated among interested recording artists. Dylan has referred to commercial pressures behind the basement recordings in a 1969 interview with Rolling Stone: “They weren’t demos for myself, they were demos of the songs. I was being PUSHED again into coming up with some songs. You know how those things go.”

In October 1967, a fourteen-song demo tape was copyrighted and the compositions were registered with Dwarf Music, a publishing company jointly owned by Dylan and his manager Albert Grossman. Acetates and tapes of the songs then

The Bootleg Series Vol. 11: The Basement Tapes Complete presents the original recordings, and places them in roughly chronological order.

The basement recordings became the basis for Dylan’s 1975 official release The Basement Tapes.

INFO: www.facebook.com/THEEYEct THE LAKE

NEWS TRUE NORTH / MAXIMILLIAN GOLDIN ‘True North’ is an emotive tale of journey and discovery. The book begins with Pik (a seahorse/ wolf) & Huf (an owly eagle) sitting on a sand dune in their lost and desolate world. They had given up. One day hope arrives in the form of a large wooden swan-like ship. With nothing to lose they get on board and sail off. She guides them through the storm. and brings them to a new world, like nothing they’ve ever seen before. They explore this vast new wilderness eventually meeting Swann, an enchanting lady creature, she takes them further on a journey to the top of a mountain, where she leaves them. they see a big crystal sphere mirage in the distance and

get pulled towards it, discovering something they never could of imagined... ‘True North’ is a 48-page hard cover picture book, which comes in 4 different colour ways (red, dark grey, blue and khaki) each book has an embossed title and is covered by a protective dust cover. Signed prints and books are available for purchase from me directly for now, but they also soon be availabe through a few selected retailers – watch this space! INFO: maximillian.goldin@gmail.com

LOMO LC-A+ SILVER LAKE SPECIAL EDITION

LEVI’S® 501 CT JEANS

Lomography LC-A’s have a colourful history. Born in 1984 in St. Petersburg, Russia this quality craftsmanship camera’s career spans nearly three decades. It is known worldwide for its amazing features: automatic exposure, extended ISO range, and multiple and long exposure capabilities..Epitomizing luxury and classic elegance, the Lomo LC-A+ Silver Lake Special Edition celebrates the heritage behind the original Lomo camera. Dressed in lustrous chrome and adorned in genuine leather, this limited edition LC-A+ comes with Russian-made Minitar 1 lens and is packaged in a special wooden box. R3,600

501® jean wearers have been customizing their jeans for decades, most commonly tailoring the legs for a closer fit. This season, we thought: let’s do the work for them. We took the Original and added a custom taper, crafting the perfect fit for a modern take on the classic 501® jean. The new 501® CT has a little more room at the waist so it sits slightly lower for a more relaxed fit, and we’ve tapered the leg from the knee to the ankle, so you don’t have to.

INFO: www.exposuregallery.co.za

The season’s 501® CT Jean is available in a range of authentic denim washes, inspired by San Francisco and California - the home of Levi’s® and the Original 501®. With names Shordich (stone washed and bleached with knee rips), Reno Creek (an over dyed acid wash in a stretch denim), Dalston (stone washed indigo blue with some hand-sanding and bleach sprays), Bristol (yarn dyed Indigo wash with a brown cast tint for a worn look) and Alston (dark Indigo stone wash with scraping and abrasion on seams and pockets), this line is a celebration of Levi’s® past, present and future. INFO: www.levis.co.za

STIEBEUEL

FUJI INSTAX MINI 8 HELLO KITTY

Stiebeuel casts an immaculate silhouette. Something innate and classic. Whether it is the intentional tailoring of the menswear garments or the motivated character of the lifestyle pieces, Stiebeuel’s personality suggests a freedom, stylized and nonpareil.

She first appeared on the scene in Japan in 1974 on a vinyl coin purse. Since then she has become an icon in her own right. By 2014, when Hello Kitty was 40 years old, she was worth about $7 billion a year, all without any advertising! The latest Fuji Instax Hello Kitty camera is not only cute - she’s very easy to use. Press the button beside the lens to turn power on.Turn the dial to the lit position, push the exposure button and your picture pops out instantly! Equipped with a mirror for taking the perfect self portraits Setting the brightness adjustment dial to the high-key mode mark High-key) allows you to take pictures with a softer impression. R 1500 which includes 1 free pack of Hello Kitty film. INFO: www.exposuregallery.co.za

‘ As we peruse through the city, we look, decide and feel - in comfort ‘ There is a cadence in the collection akin to the textures and tones of urban Cape Town. The aim this year was to create something with the city ingrained, an approach that foresaw a timelessness with considered attention to detail. There is no lack of thought, word or deed in the composition of these pieces and it rings true in the result. An effortless comfort and a fine thing to own.

GRAFFITI SOUTH AFRICA GRAFFITI SOUTH AFRICA is a new graffiti and street art book by Cale Waddacor. The first book to showcase South Africa’s graffiti on the international stage. Published by well-known American publisher, Schiffer Publishing, Ltd. It features a complete documentary record of the history of South African graffiti. High quality pictures in all major cities, from walls to trains, and action shots. Interviews with top South African graffiti artists, including Rasty, Falko, Mak1one, Faith47, Mars, Tapz, OptOne, Pastel Heart and Gogga. Foreword by legendary graffiti photographer, Martha Cooper. R 1500 which includes 1 free pack of Hello Kitty film. INFO: www.graffitisouthafrica.com

Stiebeuel is available at Smith and Abrahams, A store and the neighbourgoods market. Follow on instagram @stiebeuelmenswear. NFO: info@stiebeuel.com

THE LAKE

KING OF THE HILL NILS HANSEN / WOODSTOCK CYCLEWORKS INTERVIEW - RUAN SCOTT

PHOTOGRAPHY - HAYDEN PHIPPS

WOODSTOCK CYCLEWORKS MYSTERIOUSLY APPEARED OVERNIGHT SOMWHERE IN 2012. UPON ENTERING THEIR NEW PREMISES ON SEARLE STREET IN CAPE TOWN, YOU CAN’T SHAKE THE FEELING THAT YOU’VE “ARRIVED” IN A ROOM WHERE EVERYTHING IS EITHER AN UNFINISHED PUZZLE OR A NOSTALGIA-INDUCING TWO-WHEELED TOY. I SAT DOWN WITH NILS HANSEN AND EXPLORED THE MECHANICS BEHIND HIS MIND AND SHOP. work but the company started retrenching staff and unfortunately I was one of them. It didn’t bother me too much – I’d been plotting my own business in the back of my head for a while. A small avenue opened up working for a friend, again as a product designer, but it was very informal and I found I couldn’t deal with that. At first, I was working from my house, which then switched to working at his house. It was too casual for me, and I was really unhappy. SO IT WAS YOUR UNHAPPINESS THAT FACILITATED THE OPENING OF A SHOP AS OPPOSED TO HAVING SPOTTED A GAP IN THE MARKET?

PLEASE GIVE US A DESCRIPTION OF YOUR LIFE UP UNTIL NOW? I was born in Pretoria, and moved to Cape Town shortly thereafter, where I grew up in the southern suburbs, close to the Baxter Theatre. My early days were spent running around the neighbourhood and playing in and around the Liesbeeck River. Later, I studied a bit of Engineering at UCT, and then went on to study Product Design at Cape Tech. I worked in the industry until late 2011, when I decided to open Woodstock Cycleworks. WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST BICYCLE AND WHAT ARE YOUR EARLIEST MEMORIES OF BICYCLES? First bike – an old skedonk of a mountain bike that I got when I was about ten years old. I remember appreciating it wholeheartedly. That very clichéd idea that a bike gives you as much freedom as a child can have is true. I was able to explore further and take longer trips. One standout memory is visiting my aunt in Higgovale in Cape Town CBD at age 11. We were living in Newlands then. I decided to cycle to my aunt rather than ride with my folks. I planned the route in my mind, packed a backpack and set out. My mom even took a photo of me as I left – probably thinking it was the last time she would see me in one piece. Peddling around Hospital Bend and over to DeWaal Drive, the excitement of freedom flushed over me. I was going at my own pace, stopping when and where I wanted to, and looking at the views I had only experienced from the car window. I also was one of the first kids to commute to school – Rondebosch Boys. My mom sent me to riding school before I was even allowed. Strangely, my bike got confiscated when I rocked up at school, and the principal actually phoned my mom to tell her she couldn’t let me ride to school. WHAT PAVED THE WAY FOR THE OPENING OF YOUR OWN STORE? Back in 2010, I was working at a product design agency, which was a very cushy job. I enjoyed the

I spoke to my stepfather, and he offered to help. First, we looked at buying an already-established business. There was an old cycle shop on Woodstock Main Road, neighbouring the police station. It’s a shop I had frequented, being a cycling enthusiast. It’s a semi-sad story, actually. It was a family business that had stood for 30 years, owned by Mr and Mrs Davids and their son. Mr Davids passed away in 2010, and Mrs Davids wasn’t living her best life, drinking and smoking behind the counter, with a son who was constantly in and out of Polsmoor Prison. Her health was retiring and her shop was backfiring. I started negotiating with the family to buy the business. I was still working as a production designer so trying to start a business and work full time was hectic. I made an offer and they had a price, and we’d kind of cut a deal, but then the landlord didn’t want to extend the lease. It was all just a bit of a disaster. So I trolled Gumtree, as one does, and found our original space, 99 Sir Lowry Rd. The initial idea was to share the space with a lady doing babywear, but I sharked her out. She was stalling the whole time, so I signed the lease and got the space. She was a bit pissed, but got the unit next door. Woodstock Cycleworks went from an idea in December 2010 to opening its doors in April 2011. I really didn’t know if it would work, or if people would come. I had bought the tools and some stock from the Davids family after losing the opportunity to buy out their business. In the end, I guess I was lucky to have a fresh start. WHAT EXACTLY DOES WCW DO? LOOKING ACROSS THE ENTIRE SPACE, I DON’T SEE CONVENTIONAL SUPERMARKET MOUNTAIN BIKES.WHAT EXACTLY AM I SEEING? WCW is a bit of a conundrum, in that it’s made up of many different ideas. We basically cover everything to do with bicycles. If it has two wheels you can bring it in. We prefer to stay away from the more modern mountain bikes, as they are way too expensive for me. They are so far removed from what a bicycle actually is that it irritates me. BUT “HOUDING” AND “GEES” IS NOT WHAT THE MAN ON ON THE STREET SEES? THEY SEE OLD OR “OUTDATED” BIKES FROM THE 70S, AND “HIPSTER” BIKES OR “FIXIES”. WHAT EXACTLY IS A CLASSIC BIKE AND WHAT KIND OF BIKES DOES WCW FOCUS ON?

do – sometimes even more than I do. I don’t always have the patience to go through “why we are the way we are” in terms of look and feel. That’s what I mean by I created this place for myself. I expect people to know when these bikes were made and why we carry them. But people don’t and that’s where I need to educate them. Most of our bikes are classic road bikes from the 70s and early 80s; during the global height of steel frame production. In fact, back then, we had a thriving local industry. During the Apartheid years, manufactures and retailers weren’t allowed to import complete bikes from Europe and America, so they got hold of the raw materials and started manufacturing bikes themselves. Names like Le Jeune and Gotti Hasen were stalwarts of the local industry. Today we are not only supporting this old-time ethic of meticulously crafting and creating something special and unique that was produced locally, but we’re also showcasing stuff that has stood the test of time. You know, things that still work today. It’s not often that you find equipment from those eras that still works perfectly, and is often better than its modern-day equivalent. This is the case with bicycles from that era. YOUR STOCK IS VARIED BUT MOSTLY CONSISTS OF THE OLD 70S STEEL-FRAME BIKES. HOW DO YOU ACQUIRE THESE BIKES? As a bicycle shop you are the first port of call for people with bikes to sell, so I generally buy them off people or trade them for something else. Some of these bikes on display don’t even belong to us. They’re just being displayed for customers who don’t have space to store them, but at the same time don’t want to let go of them. STARTING THIS BUSINESS, DID YOU TAP INTO THE CYCLING AND COMMUTING CULTURE, OR DID WCW CREATE THIS BICYCLE CRAZE? When I started WCW, there was a very small culture of commuting and fixies and all that. We’re always like four or five years behind Europe in terms of equipment, size of the scene and levels of experience. Guys who were racing and traveling abroad knew about bicycle culture overseas, and brought some of that back here. I was lucky to be involved and befriend people like that, so moving in that fringe circle and then having a shop started a little bit of a fire. That fire still grows. Very slowly, but it’s getting

bigger. By no means is the mindset of commuting by bike or just cycling for fun on a regular basis reached anywhere close to tipping point, but I believe WCW has definitely aided in terms of what is is right now. CAPE TOWN LIKES TO THINK IT HAS A CULTURE OF CYCLING AND COMMUTING. YOU SEE 4000 RIDERS ONCE A MONTH AT MOONLIGHT MASS. WHY AREN’T PEOPLE COMMUTING WITH THEIR BICYCLES, ESPECIALLY IN A CITY LIKE CAPE TOWN? I don’t know. I have tried promoting it and getting in with council to aid in the situation, but people still seem to steer clear of cycling. A lot of people blame infrastructure, which I think is rubbish. Within the Cape Town CBD, you should be able to ride to work without it being a problem. You should be able to take your bike into your office or find secure lockup space without it being a problem. Maybe people worry about the hills in town, thinking that they ‘re going to get sweaty. Some worry about negotiating traffic. I don’t see either of these as problems. I think people like to make excuses. Once they actually dedicate a week to trying it out, it would make sense to them. There are more bicycle commuters from the Milnerton and Table View areas who work in the CBD than bicycle commuters who live AND work in the CBD. I really don’t know why more people aren’t cycling to work, or even just for fun? Maybe we’re just too reliant on cars, or maybe maybe our fuel is too cheap, and parking never an issue. WHAT’S THE MOST COMMON EMAIL YOU RECEIVE? “Do you have cheap bikes?” Man, that breaks my back. You need to come in so we can look at your height and weight figure out what you need. Is the bike a showpiece, or are you actually going to use it? Every rider has different requirements, and every rider has a different budget, so for the best response to an email like that is: “Just come to into the store.. HOW MANY BIKES AT HOME? 36 bikes. Mostly old mountain bikes that can be converted into cool city bikes. I just like them. They don’t have much monetary value, but they’re worth more than money to me. I’m sure a few of them have a price, but I simply can’t sell them. The stories behind them mean too much and the sentimental value is too high. Yeah, they’re priceless.

WORKSHOP ALBUMS ON REPEAT RAMMSTEIN

THE STREETS

TYCHO

ROSENROT 2005

ORIGINAL PIRATE MATERIAL 2002 VICE/Atlantic

TYCHO 2011

Universal

Ghostly International

QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE

RÖYKSOPP

SONGS FOR THE DEAF 2002

THE UNDERSTANDING 2005

Interscope

Wall of Sound

I know, and I think in a way I have created this place almost for myself. So much so, that when people come here, I expect them to know more than they THE LAKE

THE LAKE

ON THE ROAD HOW TO SEE HITCHHIKERS WRITER - TOAST COETZER

PHOTOGRAPHY - TOAST COETZER (courtesy of Weg/go)

HITCHHIKERS - Evangelists Dawid and Enstine Fouché roadside in Nieuwoudtville. They were en route between Lutzville and Upington. (2010)

GIVEN THE TIME AND FOOTWEAR, YOU CAN PRETTY MUCH WALK ANYWHERE YOU WANT TO GO IN THE WORLD. BUT IF YOU’RE IN A HURRY – SAY YOU NEED TO BE AT CHURCH ON TIME, OR AT THE STORE WHEN IT OPENS ON SALE DAY, OR AT YOUR BROTHER’S BEDSIDE IN HOSPITAL BEFORE HE DIES IN ANOTHER COUNTRY AND HEMISPHERE – THEN FEW THINGS LIMIT YOUR FREEDOM OF MOVEMENT AS QUICKLY AND SEVERELY AS THE MODE OF TRANSPORT YOU CAN AFFORD.

There is a gulf between people who own cars and those who do not, while the gulf between people who can afford aeroplane tickets to other hemispheres and those forever destined to be the people leaning on the handles of their spades while looking up at the impossibility of jet travel passing over them – this gulf is so wide as to be almost abstract. To most people, the idea of flying at supersonic speed 10 km above the earth’s surface to another continent is as alien as space travel to Mars is to you and I. Or hang on, we’re about to embark on that, aren’t we? Despite what you might be thinking when you read of a MyCiti bus being set alight, or hear from your Free State aunt about how badly potholed the streets of Ladybrand are, or sit through another “It was chaos at OR Tambo, my Kulula was delayed for three hours!”, South Africa actually has a solid infrastructure of road, rail and air links. If you have the money, you can be anywhere in South Africa within a day or three, by plane, car or bus. But what if you don’t? What if you are one of the people who have to stand outside Worcester on the N1 – right under the ‘No Hiking’ sign – with your thumb out, or your index finger pointing skyward, or a R50 note fluttering in the wind, hoping to catch a ride to Beaufort West, or Bloem, or preferably all the way to Joburg? This is the land of the hitchhiker. South Africa has many, many hitchhikers. And surprisingly few of them are out to kill you. Most of them are simply people who need to get from one place to another. They are just in transit. Sometimes they’re not going far. When you pick up a hitchhiker on a district road near a platteland town you’ll often find that he or she is simply going to town to go to the shop or the clinic, or maybe to attend a funeral. Sometimes they’re just going to work, or going back home, or going to school.

Bhaha and Angeline Cloete, freshly relieved of (the Afrikaans phrase is stronger here: in die pad gesteek, literally ‘put in the road’) their jobs on a Karoo farm. When you drop them off, Angeline could be crying, and Jacobus could leave you with this: “Sir, it’s hard to be me.” I said “when you pick up” there, and you’re thinking “no, I don’t pick up hitchhikers!” I know. And I’m not going to tell you to pick up hitchhikers either. Because some of them might be very bad people (like bad bankers, only more obviously bad as they don’t use expensive cologne). Some hitchhikers are con artists and liars out to tell you the sorriest tale you’ve ever heard (it’s his wife’s third child and because he’s a truck-driver he’s never at home when she gives birth, but this time he just needs R100 and then he can be there on time etc – yes, “Fanie” in Laingsburg, that’s you…). But in my experience, most of them are perfectly normal and friendly people who will be very grateful for a lift. And that’s all. I work for a travel magazine and spend a lot of my time driving around South Africa. I often pick up hitchhikers, and unless there’s a language barrier (which there often is), I talk to them as we drive. I ask their names, enquire about their destination and what they do. If I sense they don’t want to talk, I don’t pry any further. For the most part I end up learning new things about the people I share South Africa with.

We are used to blinkering in South Africa, and sheltering ourselves (from largely unknown, fearful things). We build walls around our homes, top them off with Shockoloza-wires or Eina Ivy. Our car windows are tinted, and armoured with anti-smash-and-grab film. Many of these safety measures are for good reason, but the blinkering is bad when it becomes complete, and when it’s not about crime prevention but about ignoring the existence and suffering of others. When we simply stop seeing other people. The figure wrapped in a dirty blanket at the Engen robot, ten o’clock at night, while you’re listening to North American indie rock music in your car. Those huddled around a fire under the flyover on a cold, wet winter’s day. The hitchhiker outside Worcester with a baby on her back. By seeing people – making eye contact – you acknowledge their existence, and when you do so, you acknowledge your own existence. If they are invisible, you are invisible. But to see – and say it out loud, say “I see you, human” – is to begin the process of shared suffering. We are not all inclined to change the world in the same obvious ways. We can’t all be doctors or social workers (someone’s gotta design that website, right?). But we can all care. And caring begins right there, in the car, with you looking up at the human by the roadside with nothing but the hope of a ride to the next town in their eyes.

SONGS FOR THE ROAD OLIVER MTUKUDZI

FELIX LABAND

MATTHEW VAN DER

BENGUELA

MAFIKIZOLO

COLLECTION 1991-1997 2004

DARK DAYS EXIT 2005

WANT & CHRIS LETCHER LOW RIDING YEAR

SPUTNIK 1998

SIBONGILE 2002

Sheer Sound

Open Record

Shifty Records

Independent

Sony

You could be picking up a teacher near Umlazi, a magistrate outside Mbabane or a policeman south of Masvingo. But it could also be Jacobus THE LAKE

THE LAKE

STALKER ANÉ STRYDOM QUESTIONS - RICK DE LA RAY

PHOTOGRAPHY - ANÉ STRYDOM

“I MOSTLY JUST PREFER THE WAY THAT IT LOOKS. I ALSO LIKE THAT YOU HAVE TO BE MORE CAREFUL WITH HOW MANY PHOTOS YOU TAKE. IT KIND OF FORCES YOU TO CONCENTRATE ON TAKING A GOOD PICTURE, AND NOT JUST MINDLESSLY SHOOTING HUNDREDS, AND THEN HAVING TO GO THROUGH THEM ALL LATER.” YOU HAVE BEEN WORKING ACTIVELY AS A STYLIST FOR QUITE SOME TIME NOW. WHAT CAME FIRST – THE PHOTOGRAPHY OR THE STYLING? WAS IT A QUESTION OF ONE THING LEADING TO ANOTHER? I started styling first. The photography kind of came later – as more of a hobby. It’s still basically just a hobby, but I like it more than my job (styling). DO YOU FIND THAT WORKING AS A STYLIST HELPS WITH YOUR APPROACH TO PHOTOGRAPHY IN TERMS OF HOW YOU CHOOSE YOUR CHARACTERS OR SUBJECT MATTER? I think when I first started doing set-up shoots, as opposed to just shooting whatever was around me, it helped me because I could control every aspect of the shoot and have things exactly as I’d envisioned them, without having to worry about anyone else’s opinion. Not sure if that makes me a control freak. I’ve just recently started working with other stylists on small little shoots, and I quite enjoy having someone else doing the styling, so that I can focus on shooting what I’m meant to be shooting. In terms of choosing characters, I think my taste will stay the same whether I’m shooting or styling, so the two worlds definitely collide. YOUR IMAGES AND CHARACTERS SEEM TO PORTRAY A SENSE OF COMPLETE FREEDOM FROM THE WORLD AND ITS WOES. THEY SEEM TO LIVE IN A WORLD WITHOUT CERTAIN MORALS OR TABOOS. HAVE YOU MANAGED CREATE YOUR OWN UTOPIA THROUGH YOUR WORK? I guess I have. I don’t really think about it that much, to be honest. But I guess I do photograph things in a way that I would like my entire world to be. I actually don’t really see why it can’t be. I FIND A LOT OF NATURAL BEAUTY WITHIN YOUR WORK, WHICH IS ALSO SLIGHTLY PROVOCATIVE AT TIMES. WHY DO YOU FEEL SO MANY OF YOUR SUBJECTS ARE COMFORTABLE WITH THE NUDITY THAT’S REQUIRED WHEN THEY’RE POSING FOR YOUR WORK? It might actually just be because I’m a girl. But they shouldn’t be comfortable, because I’m a total pervert. Ha! Can I say that? No, but really, I think the female body is so beautiful, and I don’t think I ever approach my characters in a creepy way. I usually straight-up ask if they are comfortable with nudity, and if they’re not, that’s totally cool. Everyone feels differently about their body and has the right to control which parts of it are photographed. YOU ALSO HAVE AN EYE FOR SOME INCREDIBLE MINIMALIST LANDSCAPES. DO YOU FEEL THERE IS, IN SOME WAY, A CONNECTION BETWEEN YOUR STILLLIFE PIECES AND THE LANDSCAPES YOU CAPTURE? I love shooting landscapes, and I definitely think there’s a connection. Sometimes, when I’m alone and shooting a landscape, I’ll wish I had a model with me to shoot in front of it. But maybe it’s also a good thing that I don’t always have a model with

me, because who would want to ruin a perfectly good landscape? ARE YOU STILL SHOOTING ON THE MINOLTA SRT 101B REVOLT? WHAT MADE YOU DECIDE TO USE THIS PARTICULAR MODEL? I am. I found my Minolta in a second-hand shop in Gansbaai for about R120. At first it didn’t really work, but my dad fiddled with it for a bit and it started working somehow. Before that, I didn’t really take photos, other than with the odd disposable here and there. I liked how the pictures came out and have stuck with it since. I’ve tried out some other cameras, but the Minolta will always be my favourite. It seems to make everything and everyone soft and wonderful. WHAT DRAWS YOU TO SHOOTING ON FILM, AND WHAT ARE THE BIGGEST FRUSTRATIONS AROUND IT? I mostly just prefer the way that it looks. I also like that you have to be more careful with how many photos you take. It kind of forces you to concentrate on taking a good picture, and not just mindlessly shooting hundreds, and then having to go through them all later. It does get expensive though, with having to buy film and pay for development. But it’s still always so worth it. HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN SHOOTING IN THIS FORMAT, AND WHERE DID THE INTEREST IN IT COME FROM? I’m going to take a wild guess, and say about two or three years. I’m not really sure when or how the interest sparked. I think it really just started when I bought my Minolta, developed the first pictures and that they weren’t completely shit. I’ve become kind of addicted. It’s all I ever really want to do in my free time.

YOUR INSTAGRAM ACCOUNT IS QUITE POPULAR. DO YOU HAVE DEDICATED IMAGES THAT YOU USE ONLY FOR THIS FORMAT, OR IS THERE A LOT OF CROSSOVER WORK BETWEEN BOTH YOUR INSTAGRAM AND TUMBLR ACCOUNTS? I usually post more of the photos on my Tumblr, and pick some of my favourites from it for my Instagram. I also like how Instagram makes it easy to crop images, and I often end up focusing on a specific detail of an image that gives it more appeal. I sometimes then go back and crop the image in the same way for my Tumblr if I prefer the Instagram result. I’ve been quite slack with updating Tumblr though, as it takes a lot of time, whereas Instagram is quick and I can do it on the go. My Instagram also holds a lot of images created by others that I just happen to like, whereas my Tumblr contains my own work only. YOU USED TO CONTRIBUTE QUITE A BIT TO THE ONLINE SITE COBRASNAKE.COM. HOW DID YOU END UP SHOOTING FOR THEM, AND DO YOU STILL GO OUT DOCUMENTING LIVE EVENTS AND PARTIES?

gether. It was really fun and gave going out a new purpose. Mark Hunter (The Cobrasnake) is such a nice guy as well, which made it an absolute pleasure. But then Martin moved to London and I didn’t much feel like doing it alone, so I stopped. He’s back now, and we shot an album recently. We might actually do some more if we feel like it. I am also currently using a friend’s Nikon F-601, so I might start going out and documenting nights out on film as well. HOW DO YOU DECIDE WHICH PICTURES END UP ONLINE? IT SEEMS THAT CERTAIN SHOTS ARE FROM DEDICATED SHOOTS, AND THAT OTHERS HAVE JUST BEEN RANDOMLY CAPTURED. Yeah. It’s a mixture of both. And when I’m doing a dedicated shoot, I’ll obviously shoot more of the same thing (still not as much as digital) and do more careful selects. Often, with landscapes, I’ll take at the most about two photos of the scene. If I don’t like the outcome, I just don’t use them. WHAT APPEALS THE MOST TO YOU ABOUT YOUR WORK WHEN YOU, PERSONALLY, ARE LOOKING AT IT? Probably the softness and natural light. WHAT IS YOUR DEFINITION OF BEAUTY? Captain of the high school netball team somewhere in the Free State .

They posted on their Facebook page, saying they were looking for photographers worldwide, so I mailed them with some of my disposable pictures from nights out. They liked them, but said I would have to shoot digital. I didn’t have a digital camera, so I borrowed my housemate’s, and my friend Martin and I started going out and shooting to-

MINOLTA - SR-T 101 / 1966

SONGS OF FAITH AND DEVOTION ALLAH-LAS

KATE BUSH

ALLAH-LAS 2012

THE WHOLE STORY 1975–1986

Innovative Leisure

EMI

ANGUS & JULIA STONE DOWN THE WAY 2010

EMI / Capitol Records

DEVENDRA BANHART

LEONARD COHEN

SMOKEY ROLLS DOWN THUNDER CANYON 2007 XL Recordings

SONGS OF LEONARD COHEN 1967 COLUMBIA

IS THERE A PARTICULAR BRAND OF FILM THAT YOU HAVE FOUND WORKS BEST FOR YOU, OR DOES IT DEPEND ON THE TYPE OF SHOOT YOU’LL BE DOING? I usually just buy what I can find – I’m not really that fussy. I know that there’s better film out there and I should probably experiment a bit more. THE LAKE

THE LAKE

AKTIVITร T STYLING - MAX KING / HOLLY HERMON

NEOPRENE GARMENTS - PETRO STEYN / $keet

PHOTOGRAPHY - SANDRA MIKA

MODEL: Happy Umurerwa - Fusion Models Cape Town / MAKE-UP/HAIR: Elena Becker - Gloss Management Cape Town / ASSISTANT: Katrin Schรถning STUDIO: The Groundfloor / Cape Town / LIGHTING RENTAL: Big Time Studios THE LAKE

THE LAKE

SISTER OF MERCY SYLVIE SIMMONS INTERVIEW - FRED DE FRIES

PHOTOGRAPHY - DENALI LOWDER

LONDON-BORN BUT SAN FRANCISCO-BASED SYLVIA SIMMONS IS FIRST AND FOREMOST A ROCK WRITER, WHO STARTED IN 1977 AND HAS SINCE INTERVIEWED VIRTUALLY EVERYBODY, FROM ROD STEWART, BLACK SABBATH AND MICHAEL JACKSON TO THE CLASH, GUNS N’ ROSES AND MÖTLEY CRÜE. LATER ON SHE MOVED MORE AND MORE TOWARDS AMERICANA, CHAMPIONING THE LIKES OF DRIVE-BY TRUCKERS, NEIL YOUNG AND JOHNNY CASH. IN 2012 SHE PUBLISHED THE BIOGRAPHY I’M YOUR MAN; THE LIFE OF LEONARD COHEN, WHICH BECAME AN INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER. AS IF THIS WASN’T ENOUGH, SHE THEN DECIDED TO PROVE THAT SHE CAN ALSO SING AND COMPOSE. HER ALBUM SYLVIA CAME OUT LATE LAST YEAR AND IS FULL OF UKULELE DRIVEN BEAUTIFUL, SAD SONGS.

ARE YOU AND EXAMPLE OF THE FRUSTRATED ROCK WRITER WHO ALSO WANTS TO MAKE MUSIC? I am. The first rule of Rock Journalism Club is to never, ever release a record (let alone record it on a ukulele). At least I waited three and a half decades longer than Patti Smith and Chrissie Hynde, both former rock writers, to break the rule. When I was in my teens I made the grand decision, based on nothing at all really, that I was either going to be a singer or a writer. One night I got up onstage with my guitar to sing a Joni Mitchell song and I froze like Bambi in the headlights from stage fright. So in time-honoured fashion I became a rock writer. And I still am a rock writer. It’s just now I have two jobs that make almost no money whatsoever.

IMAGE - Sylvie and Leonard, pic by Leonard Cohan on his IMAC

WHY OH WHY DID YOU CHOOSE THE RATHER UNSEXY UKELELE AS YOUR MAIN INSTRUMENT? Unsexy? Hah! I suppose it would depend on your sexual taste. Leonard Cohen, who has considerable experience in that area, never forgot that the first woman he ever saw naked was a ukulele player, an instrument that looked enough like a lute that he took the young woman for an angel - a naked angel. But to be honest, I didn’t actually choose the ukulele, it just turned up one night under mysterious circumstances. This was 2006, I was living in San Francisco, all my instruments were in storage in London - piano, guitar, clarinet, cello - and a man came to my apartment, left me a ukulele and I fell in love with it and was playing it by morning. What I loved was its smallness and intimacy, its modesty - it doesn’t stand up and shout like a guitar - and its dreamy sensuality. Although the ukulele has a bouncy reputation, to me it had a shy, fractured sound, like a broken harp, or a heartbroken guitar. And this suited the consistent theme that runs through all the songs, which is love and loss, the impossibility of holding onto something or someone. It’s a very rare person who hasn’t had that experience. Sadness is the great equaliser. THE QUITE FAMOUS HOWE GELB (OF GIANT SAND) PRODUCED YOUR ALBUM. HOW DID THAT COME ABOUT? Our relationship began as reviewer/subject many

years ago then somewhere along the line we became close friends. At one point I started to send him my songs, one at a time, as I wrote and demoed them. He encouraged me to record an album - in fact I just found an email he sent me in 2008 talking about how we should record them. Then, when I’m Your Man: The Life of Leonard Cohen came out in 2012 and the publisher showed no great interest in promoting it, I decided to take myself on the road on what turned out to be a very long (and unconventional) book tour. I would read from the book and sing Cohen’s songs on my ukulele, sometimes shanghaing musicians along the way to join me. By the time it was over I’d become - for the first time in my life - pretty comfortable with performing. So I called Howe the second I got back and a few days later we were in the studio in Tucson, Arizona, where he lives. THE SOUND IS BEAUTIFUL. WHAT DID YOU AIM FOR? Thank you. We recorded it amazingly quickly - two and a half days, live to tape, first-takes a lot of the time - and the arrangements were made up on the spot. So I guess what we aimed for was honesty. It was Howe’s idea to record live to tape, which meant no digital safety net, but in compensation made for such a sweet, warm vocal sound. And we both agreed to keep the arrangements spare so as not to bruise the fragility of the songs. HOW DO YOU COMPOSE? DO THE WORDS COME FIRST, OR THE MELODY? As a journalist yourself, you’ll know how often you’ll ask some artist or another about their songs and they’ll say, “I didn’t write them, I just channeled them.” But dammit, it’s true. I’d be curled up with my uke in the corner of the sofa, moon hanging in the sky, noises drifting in from the street, half-finished bottle on the floor, and I’d play a chord or two and suddenly your fingers seem to know exactly where they’re going, and there are words in your mouth that seem to have made some earlier arrangement with the melody, behind your back. And all of a sudden, without any conscious intervention by me - or, thankfully, my reviewer’s brain - there’s a song that wasn’t there before. In almost all of the songs, the words and music came together. THERE ARE QUITE A FEW REFERENCES TO TASTING THE OTHER’S LIPS OR SKIN. WERE YOU AWARE OF THAT, OR IS IT FREUDIAN? Yes, it’s very oral. In fact I just wrote a new song a week or so ago with the line, “Turn to lick the salt from our skin”. Hmm, you should refer back to your second question, Dr De Vries, and then ask again whether or not the ukulele is unsexy.

was dragged across the Atlantic and up into the mountains. And since nothing about me writing these songs or making this album was deliberate, I let it come out as it did. Oh and several people have thought Hard Act To Follow was Beatle-esque (though one said it reminded her of The Turtles, so there you go!)

I guess I’m working my way up to that. One of the songs on my album - Town Called Regret - has been described as “ambient punk”, so maybe I’ll move on to big hair uke on my next album, because you can take the spandex out of the girl but you can’t take the girl out of the spandex. (I signed a two-album deal with Light In The Attic).

DID WRITING THE COHEN BIO AND LISTENING TO HIS MUSIC FOR MONTHS ON END AFFECT YOUR SONG WRITING? I THINK SOME TRACKS HAVE A DEFINITE LEONARD COHEN RING TO THEM.

IF PUSH COMES TO SHOVE, WHOSE OEUVRE WOULD YOU TAKE TO A DESERT ISLAND: NEIL YOUNG, LEONARD COHEN, BOB DYLAN, DAVID BOWIE, RAY DAVIES, PATTI SMITH, JONI MITCHELL OR CAT POWER?

Which songs? I’m curious. The only Cohenesque quality to the songs that I can hear is that sense of space he has in his songs. Oh, and the oral thing. I guess our songs have that in common.

The interesting question would be which of them I would take to a desert island, not their oeuvre. And the answer would be Leonard Cohen. He can cook, he can dance, he can read and write poetry as well as sing, he is a gentleman, so he would let me have my choice of which side of the island to sleep on, and he’s a strong swimmer, so I could send him off to the mainland to get the newspaper on a Sunday morning. Though, just for variation, it would be nice if he and Bowie can agree to do it in shifts.

MY LIPS STILL TASTE OF YOU, FOR EXAMPLE. Ok, if [the Cohen influence] was there at all, it seeped in. But bear in mind that sometimes we’re drawn to an artist’s music because it speaks to something that’s already there within us. I have always loved slow, melancholy songs about torn and broken love and I’ve always had a dark sense of humour (as I think my last book of short stories Too Weird for Ziggy will confirm.) ANY FEMALE ARTISTS WHO INFLUENCED YOU MUSICALLY OR POETICALLY?

WHAT, AS A ROCK WRITER, WOULD YOU ASK SYLVIE SIMMONS? ‘Is it true that women singers don’t get male groupies?’And ‘Why do you cuss so much?’ SYLVIE SIMMONS

There are many I’ve loved - from Patsy Cline and Dusty Springfield to Lucinda Williams and Gillian Welch. But there’s none I can honestly say who has consciously influenced me. One thing I’ve always loved though is sad songs. When I was tiny, my father would sing mournful old blues and jazz songs to me, a cappella, as lullabies: St Louis Blues, Strange Fruit, and the Depression-era song Brother Can You Spare A Dime. And when I got my first guitar at 15, the songs I learned to play were always the saddest, most bittersweet songs by the bands and artists I loved: the Beatles, the Stones, the Kinks, Donovan, Dylan, Zeppelin, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell and Leonard Cohen. YOU HUNG OUT WITH A LOT OF HAIR AND SPANDEX BANDS IN THE 80s. WHY DON’T WE HEAR THEIR INFLUENCE BACK IN YOUR SONGS?

SYLVIE 2014 Light in the attic Sylvie, is haunting and out-of-timebut it is also a brand-new, original debut album, by a singer-writer who has been making music since she was a little girl but just for herself.

I’M YOUR MAN: THE LIFE OF LEONARD COHEN BY SYLVIE SIMMONS 2O12 HARPERCOLLINS

THE FIVE ALBUMS I KEEP GOING BACK TO. LEONARD COHEN

SERGE GAINSBOURG

BOB DYLAN

THE INCREDIBLE STRING BAND

NEIL YOUNG

SONGS OF LOVE AND HATE 1971 Columbia

HISTOIRE DE MELODY NELSON 1971 Philips

BLOOD ON THE TRACKS 1975

THE HANGMAN’S BEAUTIFUL DAUGHTER 1968 Elektra

ON THE BEACH 1974

Columbia

Reprise

FOR A BRITISH LASSIE YOU HAVE A VERY AMERICAN SOUND. HOW COME? All the British bands I grew up on were obsessed with American rock and blues, and so much Americana music that I love is just British folk music that THE LAKE

THE LAKE

COKE ZERO FRANCOIS VAN COKE STORY - RUAN SCOTT

PHOTOGRAPHY - HAYDEN PHIPPS

I WAKE UP IN BOSTON, BELLVILLE, OVER A CUP OF INSTANT COFFEE AND A STUYVESANT. WE’RE SITTING IN HIS GARDEN MAKING SMALL TALK. I’VE ONLY SEEN HIM ON STAGE, LARGER THAN LIFE AND ROCKING HARDER THAN HELL. BIG GULPS OF NESCAFÉ AND DEEP DRAWS OF OUR CIGARETTES HAS NOW MADE US MOMENTARY EQUALS.

The answers come without me asking too many questions. Francois likes to talk and is very media savvy. I set the conversation in motion by asking about his real identity, married life and what he really sings about. He sips more coffee and begins: “Francois Badenhorst is still around. He signs the legal documents. And my wife is still Mrs. Badenhorst. We have been married for three years. We met 14 years ago in a Drum ‘n Bass club called “The Lab”. She’s a big fan of my work, and my biggest critic. There is actually a love song on the new album that I play with Karen Zoid – it’s about her.” “I JUST TRY TO BE HONEST IN MY LYRICS. IT’S ALL VERY INTROSPECTIVE AND I SING ABOUT ME AND MY SHIT. YOU KNOW – LIFE, LOVE, GOD, GROWING OLD, LIVING IN THE SUBURBS, AND NOT KNOWING THE ANSWERS TO EVERYTHING.” When I very tentaively ask about his stance on religion and politics, he responds, “When it comes to religion and politics, I don’t know man. I am not a religious person in any sense. People who think that they know everything are full of shit – they don’t know.” The evil heroes, as some had thought of his previous bands (Fokofpolisiekar, Van Coke Kartel), have become household names since then and are now overshadowed by even more controversial acts such as Die Antwoord, leaving him looking and sounding contemporary in comparison. In his first offering as a solo artist, Francois van Coke dips his hands into the genre bar and pulls out a variety of sounds and complementary guest artists. Rock, industrial, electronica, and even some country and pop sounds. Artists like Laudo Liebenberg, Arno Carstens, Hunter Kennedy and Karen Zoid all perorm on the album, delivering a strong musical drink – with van Coke. Then there are the four big-shot producing entities – Fredd Den Hartog, Theo Crous, Johnny De Ridder and young guns from Potchefstroom, Blakk Productions – added to the cocktail to create a damn good mix. Some songs are straight-up acoustic ballads, but the majority of them, especially those produced by the Potch outfit, have an underlying industrial feel to them, lightly dusted with techno. Imagine a Depeche Mode-esque sound – which when I mention it, is something Francois agrees with, saying that although the comparison is a compliment (he is a fan), it wasn’t a planned thing.

“I want to reach a larger audience, but I’m not going over to the other side. I’m not going to make a ‘skip skop sokkie jol treffer’ album here. It is still a rock album. There’s a full band, even though I don’t play guitar once. Sure, I’d play Huisgenoot Skouspel if they would allow me to play my own songs, but I think the solo stuff is still too hard and dark to play there. Well, that and and I cuss and say ‘God’ on the album, too. So I’ll still be gigging at the Arcade Empire, the Mystic Boer, Sgt. Pepper, Aandklas and in univeristy towns.” The live band consists of Jedd Kossew, Sheldon Yoko, Richard Onraet and Rudolp Willemse, and all but Jedd and Francois are under 24 years of age. “I LIKE THE ENERGY THESE GUYS BRING TO THE STAGE AND SET. THEY’RE EXCEPTIONAL MUSOS. YES, THEY ARE YOUNG AND I DON’T GET WILD AFTER THE SHOWS ANYMORE, BUT I AM SURE THEY WILL ALL FIND THEIR WAY WHEN WE’RE TOURING. AS LONG AS THEY MAKE IT TO THE NEXT GIG. The tour for the album starts in April, and for the Cape Town show, I plan to have all the guest musicians on the album performing live with me. That’s going to be something special.” A mix of loss and eagerness washes over his face when I ask him why he went solo. “I WANT TO MAKE MUSIC ‘TIL I DIE AND THE SOLO CAREER, HOPEFULLY, WILL ENABLE ME TO DO IT. DOING THINGS THIS WAY GIVES ME THE OPPORTUNITY TO PLAY AND FOCUS ON MY OWN STUFF. IT’S A GOOD FEELING RELEASING SOMETHING UNDER YOUR OWN NAME. ” He then adds, “With bands it gets tricky, you know? People settle down, they get involved with other things, and so managing the dynamics of a band gets tough. Especially because I get emotionally involved in projects, putting everything else aside and giving everything I have – and then things will suddenly change. Band members quit or there are creative clashes. Doing something under my name is a good thing for my future.”

nostalgia, passion, energy, sweat and loads of Afrikaans people.” A 7-inch vinyl, released through Permanent Record, is now available and features the first single “Moontlik Nooit” and an acoustic version of the song “Skree”. “Releasing on vinyl is something I would like to do more often. It just takes so long and it’s expensive. It’s an alternative way of releasing music, but sadly it’s not as financially viable – yet. I would love to release all the music for free, but fuck me, it’s expensive producing an album. I also think the future of releasing music won’t be in the form of fulllengths, but rather singles and EPs. People have short attention spans and everybody likes different songs. He smiles, “I hear what the kids say at the shows: ‘We have your songs, man! We have your songs on our phones!’ That kind of thing.”

STRANGE THING MAN. WE RELEASED OUR FIRST ALBUM WHEN HE WAS SIX YEARS OLD, SO WE HAVE BEEN THERE HIS WHOLE LIFE. IT’S FUCKING WEIRD” Then he smiles again, “It’s also great that people can still relate to the music we wrote 12 years ago. I hope the same will happen with my solo stuff.” FRANCOIS VAN COKE / 7” VINYL FEATURING THE SINGLES: ‘Moontlik nooit’ ‘Skree’

SIDE A SIDE B

PERMANENT RECORD / www.permanentrecord.co.za

A week later, I am in a crowded club in Cape Town. On stage is Francois, larger than life and rocking harder than hell. He has reunited with his notorious first band (Fokofpolisiekar) for a onceoff performance. He’s really going at it. Crowd surfing. Passing the mic along the front for fans to sing along with him. He jumps around with violent energy, misses his step and falls straight off the stage. It looks serious. But the devil comes out at these shows and a moment later he’s back on top, leading the masses of punters. Young and old shout along like it’s their last show. It reminded me of something he said in the interview. “AT A SHOW LAST YEAR, A KID CAME UP TO ME AND TOLD ME HE’D JUST TURNED 18. HE TOLD ME IT WAS HIS FIRST TIME IN A CLUB AND HIS FIRST TIME WATCHING FOKOFPOLISIEKAR. THAT WAS A

PERSONAL FAVOURITES JEFF BUCKLEY

AC/DC

RANCID

RYAN ADAMS

THE STROKES

GRACE 1994

HIGHWAY TO HELL 1979

HEARTBREAKER 2000

COMEDOWN MACHINE RCA

Columbia

Atlantic

AND OUT COME THE WOLVES 1995 Epitaph

Bloodshot

label

When I ask about new projects that may or may not be underway with his other bands, he answers, “The other bands aren’t dead. It’s just that they’re on an indefinite hiatus, which we’ll break only to play larger shows and festivals. This approach seems to work, as every show is sold out: filled with THE LAKE

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BUTTER CURLS MIA CHAPLIN INTERVIEW - RICK DE LA RAY

PHOTOGRAPHY - OLIVER KRUGER

“I SLOWLY SLIPPED INTO AN AFFAIR WITH IMPASTO. IT’S KIND OF HARD TO DESCRIBE IF YOU HAVE NEVER WORKED WITH OIL PAINT BEFORE BUT THE STUFF IS LIKE BUTTER. WHY SKIMP ON BUTTER? IT’S SO JUICY AND SENSUAL. THE SURFACE TAKES ON A SCULPTURAL QUALITY THAT IS SOMETIMES RAW AND ALMOST BODILY.” YOU LEFT DURBAN AFTER HIGH SCHOOL AND GRADUATED WITH A BA IN FINE ART AT MICHAELIS IN 2011. IT SEEMS THAT YOU WERE VERY DRIVEN TO FOLLOW A CERTAIN PATH AS AN ARTIST FROM AN EARLY AGE. WERE THERE ANY PARTICULAR INFLUENCES IN YOUR LIFE THAT FUELLED YOUR PASSION? I don’t think I ever knew for sure what I was doing. As confused and unsure of myself as I was, I knew that something about painting made me feel like I understood the world just a little bit. Painting was a means of discovery for me, and that desire to know it, to know people, emotion and myself is what fuelled my passion to follow it.

A STRONG IMPRESSIONISTIC REALM. WHICH OF THE TWO DO YOU FIND THE MOST CHALLENGING AND WHERE DO YOU SEE YOUR WORK LEANING TO IN THE FUTURE? Figurative painting is most definitely more challenging. It’s actually agonizing at times. It’s so intense having to concentrate so hard, and maybe that’s why those paintings mean much more to me when I get them right. Abstract painting is so chilled. I mean I’ve made some really ugly ones but I don’t care as much because I usually just do them for

TAKING INTO CONSIDERATION THE AGE OR MOVEMENT WE LIVE IN, WHAT MADE YOU DECIDE TO CHOOSE THE MORE CLASSICAL TECHNIQUE OF IMPASTO TO EXECUTE YOUR WORK? I slowly slipped into an affair with impasto. It’s kind of hard to describe if you have never worked with oil paint before but the stuff is like butter. Why skimp on butter? It’s so juicy and sensual. The surface takes on a sculptural quality that is sometimes raw and almost bodily. I find the thickness quite ugly, almost crude sometimes, but I like that. I like that it’s real, you can touch it and it feels squishy. It’s not afraid to be oil paint. THE ORIGIN OF THE WORD ‘IMPASTO’ COMES FROM ITALIAN, MEANING ‘DOUGH’ OR ‘MIXTURE’. YOU ALSO ENJOY COOKING. HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE THE RECIPE YOU FOLLOW WHILE PAINTING? I think painting is a lot like cooking, well the way I cook anyway. I never follow a recipe. I am constantly tasting and adding different ingredients along the way. I don’t like to plan a painting too much; I physically can’t do pre-sketches because I get too bored. I need to be present the whole time I’m painting so that I can pick up on what it needs and what it’s lacking. This is also why I don’t know how to cook a slow roasted lamb stew or make a 3x5m painting, I am at a loss for motivation to go back to something a while after I started it. I could do it, and it would probably be okay but I’d be like ‘meh, whatever’, you know? I would probably shred it. YOUR WORK MOVES FROM FIGURATIVE PORTRAITS TO COMPLETE ABSTRACT LANDSCAPES, ALL WITHIN

fun. Abstract painting has almost become a type of meditation for me, or a little breather between the more difficult figurative works. I feel like I have to explain myself for making such diverse work. A lot of people don’t like my abstracts or don’t understand why I am doing them but I think they are an important part of my body of work. In the future I see the extremes coming together a lot more and I’m in the process of trying to marry the two. I want the same looseness of the abstracts to translate into my figurative paintings. LIKE MOST PAINTERS YOU WORK A LOT FROM PHOTOGRAPHS, WHAT ARE THE KEY ELEMENTS THAT DRAW YOU TOWARDS CREATING YOUR OWN IMPRESSION OF A CERTAIN IMAGE THAT YOU CHOOSE TO WORK WITH? When I know or I am attached to the subject, I usually pick up on something I know is there that you can’t see in the picture. The photograph only shows one side of the subject. When I know more than the picture I end up adding everything I know about it

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to the painting. It’s the same when I’m painting film stills. I’ll be drawn to the layers and baggage that come with a certain image. I FIND THAT THERE SEEMS TO BE AN UNDERCURRENT OF YOUNG PAINTERS WORKING WITHIN AN IMPRESSIONISTIC VEIN AGAIN. DO YOU FEEL THAT THERE IS SOME SORT OF A REVIVAL HAPPENING OR MAYBE EVEN THE BIRTH OF A NEW MOVEMENT? There has been a lot of respect for impressionist painters lately, more so than in the past. Impressionism is a lot about personal perception and experience and I think people are yearning for that. I think for a while the trend had been to create the most unique weird art, never seen before by human eyes. Now painters are starting to realise that they don’t have to try and do that (if they don’t actually want to). By painting what they see personally, they are already making work that nobody else could ever make. There is a lot of freedom in knowing that you don’t have to try to impress anyone with good ideas, you only have to be sincere in what you perceive and create. I don’t know if there is a new movement being born or just a few wannabe impressionists that will come out the closet, but yay for them. HOW DO YOU APPROACH COLOUR WITHIN YOUR WORK, DO YOU TRY AND STAY AS CLOSE TO THE REFERENCE AS POSSIBLE OR DO YOU FIND THAT YOUR EMOTIONS SOMETIMES STEER THE WAY? I base colour loosely on the reference, but the process is intuitive. I’ll add colour where I think the painting needs it. When painting from life I stay pretty close to reference colours because they are all there glowing right in front of you. I don’t know why I don’t paint from life more often. I guess I’m lazy. CLAUDE MONET SAID, “COLOUR IS MY DAY-LONG OBSESSION, JOY AND TORMENT.” WHY DO YOU THINK MOST ARTISTS CARRY SOME SORT OF BURDEN WITHIN THEMSELVES AND THEIR WORK? I feel Monet, but not limited to colour. This sounds so cliché but being an artist is a constant roller coaster. It can tear you apart or make you feel crazy high. It is a burden in a way because it takes over your whole life, all your dreams and fears and ev25

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erything you experience and think about is rooted in your work. The other day I found myself calling a painting I had made a “fucking overworked bastard.” I speak to tubes of paint like they are lovers. I don’t think that’s normal. Painting is the most important thing in the world to me and it can get exhausting caring about something so much. I think a lot of artists feel that way.

It’s been weird because I never really get to spend much time with my paintings. It’s great because it means they’re selling, but it’s also kind of sad. I can’t even remember some of them, I sometimes

HOW MUCH OF A DIFFERENCE IS THERE BETWEEN THE WORK THAT YOU DID WHILE YOU WERE STUDYING AND THE WAY IT’S HEADING NOW AND WHAT DO YOU THINK HAS INFLUENCED THE GROWTH WITHIN THE SUBJECT MATTER THE MOST UP UNTIL NOW?

SOME OF YOUR WORK HAS A SENSE OF URGENCY EMBEDDED WITHIN THE STROKES - AS IF YOU HAVE BEEN RUSHED BY SOME UNKNOWN SPIRIT. WHAT DO YOU FEEL DRIVES THE EMOTION WITHIN YOUR WORK WHILE YOU PAINT? Mostly ADHD. I was on Ritalin at school. I can’t concentrate on anything for too long and I know I need to concentrate while I’m painting so I try get it done quickly before I lose that spark. Normally, the quicker I paint something the better it is. When there’s less time to think about what I’m doing and worrying what the painting should look like then I can spend more time being perceptive. I’m not a neat, realist painter, I put a lot of energy into my work and make some bold brushstrokes that I need to be there for. There is no point in me even trying to paint when I’m tired or bored, it gets so ugly and then I just feel like shit. WHEN YOU LOOK AT A PICTURE FOR THE FIRST TIME IS IT THE COLOUR OR THE SHAPE THAT STANDS OUT FOR YOU AND WHAT DO YOU FEEL IS MOST IMPORTANT WITHIN AN ARTWORK? I think colour stands out more but both need each other. Shapes are generally just interesting even if they’re weird they can never be really awful. I think there is more resting on the colour.

tachment is the strongest. I immerse myself in the subject and get so incredibly attached to the point where I feel like I’m there feeling what they’re feeling. After it’s done that feeling fades.

see pictures and I’m like, “hey, forgot about you”. I think I can put a lot of anger, fear, love and hate into a painting but after it’s finished I feel it less. It’s the actual act of painting where my emotional at-

There is more of a difference in the work I did just after studying and now. I think at the time I was freaked out about being independent and not having any idea of who I was or what I wanted to do. In terms of painting, I was all over the place. I made a few paintings that people liked but when I look at them now I see overwhelming shyness and fear. I think now there is boldness in my work that was scared to come out before. I feel a lot more assertive than when I was studying and as a painter I have learnt to trust myself a lot more. I think the growth has come from having a really supportive group of friends and family, and also just allowing myself time and space to figure things out.

PAINT BY ALBUMS JOHNNY CASH

NEW ORDER

ROMEO + JULIET

PORTISHEAD

LAURA LEE

AMERICAN IV: THE MAN COMES AROUND 2002 American Recordings

SINGLES 2005

SOUNDTRACK 1996

DUMMY 1994

THE CHESS COLLECTION 2006

London Records

Capitol

Go! Beat

Universal/Island

DO YOU FEEL THAT YOUR WORK IN A WAY REMOVES YOURSELF FROM A CERTAIN SITUATION OR MEMORY AND DO YOU LOOK BACK AT YOUR WORKS AND STILL FEEL EMOTIONALLY ATTACHED TO THEM? THE LAKE

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TANA AND GOD CREATED WOMAN

STYLING - KRISTI VLOK

MAKEUP- NATASHA PAPADOPOULOS THE LAKE

PHOTOGRAPHY - DANIELLE KLOPPER 29

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MODEL: Tana / FanJam Cape Town Blue robe - TOPSHOP / White Jersey - Ralph Lauren / Black vintage knit dress / Underwear - Calvin Klein / Yellow swimwear - Stylist own / Vintage Parka - Afraid of Mice 32

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CHAOS THEORY CAMERON LOFSTRAND / BLACK MATH INTERVIEW - RICK DE LA RAY

PHOTOGRAPHY - JACQUI VAN STADEN

“WE LIKE TO SOUND DIFFERENT IN EVERY SONG, WE DON’T WANT TO PIGEONHOLE OURSELVES TO ONLY HAVING ONE SOUND, THAT WOULD BE PRETTY BORING. EVEN AT THIS STAGE WE FEEL THAT WE HAVEN’T EXPLORED ENOUGH WEIRD SOUNDS AND STYLES. THIS IS BECAUSE WE LIKE TO LISTEN TO A VARIETY OF DIFFERENT BANDS AND MUSIC.” THE BAND HAS GONE THROUGH A HUGE EVOLUTION SINCE 2011. WHAT WOULD YOU ATTRIBUTE TO THESE TRANSFORMATIONS TO? When we first started we had quite a generic sound and didn’t stray too far from the kind of sound we knew and liked. We got a bit older and then had to replace our drummer. We then tried to develop our own sound and make something a bit more interesting. I would compare the evolution of our band to a guy who started off as a normal average human being that worked as a postman/lawyer or something and then went crazy and became completely deranged. He started smoking crack, claims he was abducted by aliens and has now become a hobo guy that walks around town talking nonsense. A LOT OF YOUR EARLIER SOUND WAS VERY INFLUENCED BY JACK WHITE’S APPROACH TO PLAYING AND SONG WRITING. EVEN THE BAND NAME WAS TAKEN FROM THE WHITE STRIPES’ ALBUM CALLED ‘ELEPHANT’. WHAT WAS YOUR INITIAL ATTRACTION TO HIS PARTICULAR SOUND WHEN YOU STARTED THE BAND? At that stage we had only just been getting into music and everything we had been exposed to before we discovered The White Stripes was just not as exciting or didn’t have as much depth and feeling to it. I guess we just loved the way he made so much noise and didn’t give a fuck. Of course as we have grown up and explored and discovered more music The White Stripes have become more irrelevant, but we still acknowledge this band as our initial inspiration. THE BAND SEEMS TO EXPLORE A VAST SOUND SCAPE OF INFLUENCES WITHIN EVERY SONG. FROM SOME SERIOUSLY DRIVEN BLUES STYLE RIFFS, DRONE LICKS AND STRAIGHT UP BORDERLINE HEAVY METAL CHOPS. WHERE DO ALL THESE INFLUENCES STEM FROM? We like to sound different in every song, we don’t want to pigeonhole ourselves to only having one sound, that would be pretty boring. Even at this stage we feel that we haven’t explored enough weird sounds and styles. This is because we like to listen to a variety of different bands and music. The Butthole Surfers is a great example of a band that tries to vary their sound in so many different ways, and has been quite an influence in our song writing from time to time. We love Black Sabbath of course so from here stems other bands that have influenced our stoner/ drone elements like Colour Haze, Sleep, Witch and Samsara Blues Experiment. Other bands that stem from Sabbath that have been our metal influences are bands like Mastodon, System of a Down (still such an influential band for us) and early Metallica. The Blues style obviously stems from things like The White Stripes, beside that Grand Funk Railroad have been a huge influence, Led Zeppelin, Jimmy Hendrix, Black Keys and a bit of old Blues musicians like Muddy Waters and Robert Johnson. We have so many other influences on our music as well, bands like Arctic Monkeys were quite a big one, The Doors, Death From Above 1979 and Rush. We even love quite a bit of Hip Hop like Wu Tang Clan, Jurassic 5, Atmosphere, Sage Francis and Cunninlynguists. Some of the more recent bands and influences have been POND, Tame Impala, Tweak Bird, DZ Deathrays, Fuzz,

The Wytches, Ty Segall, Wavves, FIDLAR and Wand. ONE PARTICULAR INSTRUMENTAL TRACK THAT STANDS OUT TO ME IS YOUR LATEST UPLOAD ‘HAND FULL OF MAGIC BEANS’ WHERE YOU SEEM TO HAVE SUCCESSFULLY BLENDED A FUSION OF STONER ROCK WITH A DEFINITE ZULU MASKANDI RHYTHM. HOW DID YOU DEVELOP THE ORIGIN OF THE SONG? That song weirdly enough is actually a song by our side band, The Sisters, but you could technically say it’s still Black Math because I’m playing the drums and Tyla is playing baritone guitar and we still have the same approach to music. The Sisters is more of a fuck around band than anything else, so that song we were just messing around at first until we accidentally had a rad idea. I had always loved the Maskandi rhythm, it’s just so rad to dance to and play on the drums, so once I learnt that beat I had just been messing around with it ever since. Also, Tyla on a baritone guitar (tuned B to b) comes up with these amazingly heavy riffs. That song we never intentionally set out to record and release, we sometimes record our band practices and if a song happens to sound especially good in the recordings then I mix and master it till it sounds a bit better and then we put it up on the internet. All of our recent recordings have been done this way. SPEAKING OF DRUMMING – LIKE MOST BANDS YOU SEEM TO HAVE HAD YOUR SHARE UP UNTIL NOW. HOW DID YOU END UP WITH ACACIA VAN WYK IN THE BAND? SHE SEEMS TO TIE THE TRIO TOGETHER RATHER WELL. Once Nthando decided to leave the band it took us a while to decide to start auditioning new drummers, as we knew it would be hard to replace him. Acacia was the only girl out of the few drummers that we jammed with, regardless, her skill, flow and ability to gel with us not only as a musician but as a friend, made her stand out far beyond the others. It was actually quite convenient, since we knew her previously in school for quite a few years before she joined the band. THERE ARE A LOT OF FEMALE DRUMMERS POPPING UP IN A LOT OF LOCAL BANDS THESE DAYS. WHY DO YOU THINK SO MANY WOMEN ARE CHOOSING SUCH A TRADITIONALLY MASCULINE INSTRUMENT AT THE MOMENT? Well, I don’t really think it’s fair to say any instrument is more masculine than the next, sure it does seem like quite a brutish male thing to bash stuff with sticks but I think whether you are a guy or a girl playing any instrument in a band, in most cases both are doing it for the same reasons. The fact that they both love playing an instrument and making music just makes it the same for me, regardless of their gender. If I was to give you a straight answer as why girls are choosing drums over other instruments, I would say that being a drummer is a very logical, coordinated and relentless role to fill in the band, the amount of pressure is nuts. As a drummer you are keeping the whole band in time and everyone is following you, also when a guitarist makes a mistake it’s a lot less noticeable than a drummer making a mistake. I think

maybe girls are better at handling that pressure and that amount of endurance, while dudes are way too busy wanking themselves to ecstasy with riffs and solos on guitar/bass…haha - I don’t know, just a funny thought that often runs through my head. I do often think that guitar playing is sometimes such a self-pleasing activity and can be attributed to wanking. Besides that it’s really amazing to see so many girls playing in heavy/underground bands and making heavier/underground music, normally it’s such a sausage fest, so having more girls involved balances things out very nicely, it’s not just one-sided. YOUR RECENT TOUR TO CAPE TOWN TURNED OUT TO BE VERY SUCCESSFUL AND THERE WAS A HUGE BUZZ AROUND THE TOUR FROM THE START. WHAT WAS THE REASONING BEHIND PLAYING MAINLY TO THE DURBAN AUDIENCES? DOES THE BAND HAVE ANY PLANS ON TOURING A LOT MORE IN THE FUTURE? Playing a lot in Durban was never really much of a choice, we just get offered to play like almost every weekend and we love playing shows so we end up just taking most of the offers. It’s just that for a long time we didn’t have many contacts in other cities so organising shows was probably the hardest part. Though over the years playing with touring bands and meeting the right people we have managed to make some awesome friends in other cities who make it a lot easier to book shows in Joburg or Cape Town. We have toured to Joburg a lot recently and those tours are always so much fun. Ever since we first started we have always wanted to play in Cape Town, it was just really hard not knowing anyone down there and the fact that it was so far away. Once I had got in contact with Andre Leo from Psych Night, it became a lot easier, him and the other guys from Psych Night were really nice to us and booked such a rad tour through Cape Town. All we had to do was drive there and find a place to stay, it was literally the best time we’ve had together as a band (on par with going to Reunion island). We plan to come back to Cape Town as soon as possible, and of course keep touring Joburg as much as possible. We would also love to play Bloemfontien, Port Elizabeth, East London, and some of the towns off the beaten path. There is also talk and rumors of a possible London tour, but we are still very unsure. THE BAND STARTED PLAYING AT A VERY YOUNG AGE, PLAYING LATE NIGHTS IN CLUBS WHEN YOU WERE CLEARLY UNDERAGE. WHAT KIND OF INFLUENCE DID THESE EXPERIENCES HAVE ON YOU AND THE BAND WHEN YOU WERE YOUNGER? Yeah we were about 16/17 when we first started and we started going to the Winston and playing shows soon after we started, while we were still underage. It was quite weird as the few people that watched us seemed to like us right off the bat, and our audience slowly grew (not by much), but it could have been because of the novelty of us being really young. We weren’t very tight at all at that stage. It was really cool though being exposed to the music scene that early, we met a lot of rad and crazy people. I think being there at that age kind of toughened us up, so we are used to seeing the amount of crazy shit that goes down and sometimes being a part of it. Also,

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we’ve learnt the realities of the South African music scene. As rad and amazing as the South African music scene is, we never forget that it is nothing but a ball hair on the International musical map. We as a band are nothing more than a ball hair on the musical map in South Africa. WHAT WOULD YOU SAY ARE THE MAIN THEMES REVOLVING AROUND THE LYRICS EMBEDDED WITHIN THE SONG STRUCTURES? Most of the lyrics I write, I only write after we’ve formed the entire song, so a lot of the time I match the themes around the mood of the song. Sometimes I do write riffs and ideas starting with lyrics though, it just depends. A lot of the time I like to tell weird stories that are sometimes random and unrelatable, more recently I’ve been focusing on writing lyrics that are more related to my personal life or just general feelings I have about habits, situations and how my mind, ideas or personality might be changing. Just really weird shit, nothing too sentimental, I get bored and irritated with emotional sappy drivel. For example, I’ve written Sci-fi/fantasy themed stuff like the song ‘G-Man’, other times just really dark and unfortunate situations like ‘Limbless’, about a girl waking up and finding that she’s holding her boyfriend’s arm, but only his arm, the rest of his body has been pulled right off. ‘Blood Moon’ is about the inevitable apocalypse that will kill us all, but it’s okay because “we are all gonna die” anyway. ‘Choking hazard’ is a poke at sappy love songs, it basically says “I hope you choke to death on all your sentiment and heartbreak.” Some of the newer songs are not at as dark, pessimistic and abrasive but focus more on personal experience, so hopefully those lyrics are more relatable. YOU CURRENTLY ONLY HAVE ONE 4 TRACK EP OUT, CALLED ‘SONGS FOR THE MENTALLY DISTURBED’. WHEN CAN WE EXPECT A FULL-LENGTH RECORDING FROM THE BAND? That EP isn’t actually called ‘Songs For The Mentally Disturbed’, it must be a confusion on bandcamp or something, it’s self-titled but in hindsight that’s actually a really good name for that EP, so I think we should leave it with that title. That EP was mainly an attempt to get a set amount of songs out there for people to listen to, before that we only had like two average recordings. So we got some of our favorite songs at the time and some money together. Then we recorded the drums in a studio and the rest with our friend Matt Illubry, in his home studio. It was cool, we printed and made our own covers and sold about 60 or 70 physical copies and told people to pirate the fudge out of it, then put it up on bandcamp and soundcloud for free a few months later. That EP still lacked the rawness, grittiness and volume that we were hoping for. After that we have only been recording in our band room with some budget equipment. Since we know what kind of sound we want to project in our recordings, these home recordings have been a lot more successful at producing the recorded sound we are going for, our last four releases (including The Sisters) have been home recordings. We have decided to record everything that we have not recorded (including the 3 extras 35

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we have already released as Black Math) and make it into an album. We are currently in the process of doing this now. Also, we record live, except vocals, and we have decided against using a click track, as we feel in most cases it takes away the life and organic feeling of a song. HAVE YOU BEEN APPROACHED BY ANY LABELS FOR SUPPORT OR DISTRIBUTION OR ARE YOU SETTLING FOR THE DIY APPROACH AT THE MOMENT? No, we have not really been approached by anyone, but that’s okay, we way prefer the DIY method, labels can only do so much and a lot of the time they only harm many bands. There is definitely a great deal of use being signed to a rad label but it’s way better when people take it into their own hands. Why wait for fat cats to spew nonsense onto the billboard when you can get some friends together and make something new and exciting with the internet and sometimes very little amounts of money. It’s really amazing how everything is so much more accessible now and that the music industry is crumbling now that everyone can kind of do it for themselves, all these rad independent labels and independent bands. It’s a pretty rad time for music. We don’t mind signing to a good label, as long as it’s a really sweet deal but it’s unlikely. For now and into the future we plan to do everything ourselves. THE BAND IS AN EXTREMELY TIGHT UNIT, HOW MUCH TIME DO YOU SPEND IN STUDIO AND HOW DOES IT INFLUENCE YOUR DAY-TO-DAY LIFE? RUMOUR HAS IT YOUR DRUMMER IS STILL IN SCHOOL, WHAT DO YOU GUYS KEEP YOURSELF BUSY WITH WHEN YOU’RE NOT MAKING MUSIC? Well, like I said, we record most of our band practices to get rad recordings, so most of our practice time is kind of like studio time. We practice at least once or twice a week, sometimes more depending on what shows we have coming up. We normally have to arrange practice around our day-to-day activities. I have been studying and am still studying Graphic Design/Art at DUT. Acacia only just finished school last year, and now keeps herself busy teaching drums, odd jobs and is now doing teacher training at Roseway Waldorf. Tyla has it the best out of all of us, he likes to hang out and chill and dedicates most of his time to music. WHAT IS YOUR APPROACH TO SONG WRITING – IS THERE A CERTAIN RECIPE THAT YOU FOLLOW OR DO YOU JUST LET IT FORM ITSELF WITHIN THE PRACTICE SESSIONS? Usually one of us will have an idea and will bring it to band practice and from there we will break it down, extend on it and form it into a song. Quite often we will just form songs completely by accident, just jamming together for fun. We always make a point of writing music as a team effort, everyone puts in what they want, there’s no one person calling the shots. I’m a firm believer that one person’s idea is never as good as everyone’s ideas, when it’s one person writing all the music it can get a bit one directional, whereas everybody’s ideas together can make something unique and interesting. The weirder it is, the better. YOU HAVE ALSO PLAYED WITH ‘FRUIT AND VEG’ A FEW TIMES. ARE THERE ANY OTHER BANDS THAT YOU PLAY WITH AND HOW DIFFICULT DO YOU FIND IT ADAPTING TO THE DYNAMICS WITHIN THE OTHER MUSICIANS? I didn’t just play with them a few times, I was in the band for almost 2 years. It was super rad though, and I admit I really miss jamming with them. It was great having to adapt my style to their musical direction but also adding my ideas to their sound was fun. It was really crazy and at times straining, but a lot of fun. With them it was weird, I didn’t do as much work as in Black Math, which gave me some room to have lots of improvisation, especially with the guitar backing me up and me backing him

up. At the same time I could play super complex guitar parts and not have to sing! Tyla also played in ‘The Trees’ for quite a while, and now plays in a hip hop/RnB band, called Existing Consciousness. He said ‘The Trees’ did not require as much work as Black Math but was still fun. As for Excon, he says that the structures are completely different and unusual, and that you just have to kind of feel out the changes.

WHAT FURTHER PLANS CAN WE EXPECT FROM THE BAND THROUGH THE YEAR? We plan to tour as much as possible and hopefully play Oppikoppi again. We also want to come back to Cape Town ASAP! And like I said, we are releasing a full-length album sometime in the near future. Besides that there are no other definite plans, we just know that we have to keep going.

INSPIRATION POND HOBO ROCKET 2013 Modular

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GRAND FUNK RAILROAD

FUZZ

BLACK SABBATH

ARCTIC MONKEYS

GRAND FUNK 1969

FUZZ 2013

PARANOID 1970

Capitol

In the Red Records

Vertigo

FAVOURITE WORST NIGHTMARE 2007 Domino

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FOR NEVER YOUNG BLACK KOKI INTERVIEW - RICK DE LA RAY

PHOTOGRAPHY - JACQUI VAN STADEN

“All of them in a way have a subcontext to me. Each one has a few meanings to me. The walls are one of the biggest things to me, suburbia and being young and being stuck at home. Being bored and dreaming beyond those walls. Things being hidden from you, there are a lot of things being hidden from you behind a brick wall.” WHERE DO YOU FEEL YOUR WORK FITS INTO THE SOUTH AFRICAN ART SPECTRUM? I don’t think it fits in somewhere very specific at all, I would rather say that it fits into my generation. AND WHAT IS YOUR GENERATION? It’s the analog generation. I think that my work is in somewhat of a different spot to what is currently ‘the in thing’, but I also think that you can’t really pigeonhole my work in any way because I do work in five different styles. So each style of work would basically need five different explanations. COMING FROM A MUCH MORE ILLUSTRATIVE AND GRAFFITI TYPE OF BACKGROUND, YOU SEEM TO BE MOVING TOWARDS A VERY ABSTRACT PATH AT THE MOMENT, IT’S MINIMALISTIC AND COMPLETELY BREAKING DOWN WHAT YOU HAVE DONE BEFORE. PRESENTING IT BACK TO THE VIEWER IN A BRAND NEW ENVIRONMENT. WHERE DO YOU FEEL YOU ARE HEADING AT THE MOMENT? Well, there are a few reasons for my work changing, if you can put it that way. A big one would be that I would never try and stagnate in a single style. Since I started, I’ve never done pre-sketches in pencil, that’s why my name is Black Koki, I used to never do a presketch in pencil. I would always draw straight with a Koki and whatever I did was what I did at the time. I would basically finish the work in one sitting. I never spend more than a day on anything. My work is in the moment and I do what I feel at a certain moment, not actually stress about the work. I think I have always kept that with my style. Say for instance I get a certain job in which requires a certain amount of paint, I would automatically finish that paint supply and the work from that little period would all fit together because of what I had at my disposal at that time. DO YOU FEEL THAT THIS IS A TRANSITIONAL PERIOD THAT IS GOING ON IN YOUR LIFE RIGHT NOW. IS IT A PLANNED PATH OR DO YOU FEEL IT IS JUST SPONTANEOUSLY PUSHING YOU TOWARDS A CERTAIN DIRECTION? I think it’s a combination of all of that but it’s also definitely planned. For the last year and a half I have been thinking more about what I do and planning a bit more beforehand, even using pencil to go through the actual process. I am definitely in a massive transitional period in my life but I also feel that I have always been in that transition. It has basically never stopped and it’s needed for what I am doing. YOU HAVE ALSO BEEN DABBLING IN A BIT OF POTTERY AND CLAY WORK RECENTLY – HOW DID THAT COME INTO THE EQUATION? Well, I have always wanted to do 3D work, if I can put it that way. Things like toys, figurines and small ceramics. It has always been a big interest of mine. So at a stage last year I decided that I was going to invest in some classes when I had the means and that’s how I got into it. I went to class but the teacher did not actually teach me, I chose to use the equipment. That

was a part of the process for me at the time. It was also a bit of a drive to get there so I got to spend some time with myself on the way there. It’s definitely a part of me now and it’s something that I enjoy doing. IT ALSO SEEMED TO HAVE LED STAN ENGELBRECHT TO NOTICE YOUR WORK. THE PATTERNS IN YOUR WORK LED TO YOU DOING SOME WORK FOR HIM ON ONE OF HIS BICYCLE FRAMES. WHAT WAS IT LIKE WORKING WITH HIM? Awesome! It has definitely been one of my top ten projects that I have done in my career so far. It’s a dream working with somebody that knows what they want, but who also allows so much freedom. Plus, he’s someone I respect and I actually think he does really relevant work.

stone and people put so much value to them. There is so much meaning attached to a diamond, yet at the end of the day it is not what we perceive it to be. It’s also the way that they are shaped and how it reflects light, so I have also been very intrigued by them. There is also the whole romantic element to them, a symbol that something is forever. The biggest thing I would say is the hands, they are like a carrot dangler holding the object and inviting you to move towards it. I have always really loved dogs and they all have different personalities. Dogs like to run free as soon as the gate opens, they want to get out of there and see the world in their own way. THERE ARE ALSO THE OMNIPRESENT EYES AND THE TRIANGULAR 3D NOSE THAT ALMOST REPRESENTS SOME KIND OF A KEYHOLE? That also has so many meanings. Such as the whole Illuminati thing, the government’s role and aspects like being watched on CCTV. Then there is also the feeling of being self-conscious and having this feeling that people are constantly watching you. Eyes always give away the truth - they are the windows to your soul, as they say.

THERE SEEMS TO BE SOME RECURRING THEMES WITHIN YOUR WORK, WITHIN THIS SURREALIST ENVIRONMENT. CAN YOU COMMENT ON THIS? The surrealist environment I have created for the viewer is a big part of the ‘game’ that I am playing. SO YOU CREATE THESE ENVIRONMENTS THAT HAVE THESE REPEATING THEMES AND CHARACTERS. THE DOG, THE DIAMOND AND THERE IS ALWAYS A SET OF HANDS. THE EYES THAT APPEAR OUT OF NOWHERE AND THEN THERE ARE THE BRICK PATTERNS. THE S A PAVING (BRICKED WALLS) ELEMENT SLIPS IN THERE. DO THEY HAVE SOME SORT OF A SUBCONTEXT All of them in a way have a subcontext to me. Each one has a few meanings to me. The walls are one of the biggest things to me, suburbia and being young and being stuck at home. Being bored and dreaming beyond those walls. Things being hidden from you, there are a lot of things being hidden from you behind a brick wall. Before I drew dogs I had this specific way of drawing monkeys in Koki and I kept on developing them until I had about 40 to 50 monkeys all over my hometown. They were on walls and in bathrooms when I was about 15/16 years old. I actually got into tagging and graffiti when I was about 11 years old and we came to Cape Town. I was driving with my dad in the car, always being on the lookout for tags. The first one that I remember was MANTIS and I would stick out my head below bridges, knowingly looking for his tag. There are a lot meanings to the diamond, the things that you are led to believe that you should go for in life. Like the value to it and the history our country has had with them. Also, how stupid the association to something like a diamond can be. At the end of the day it’s just a little see-through

DO YOU HAVE ANY FOND MEMORIES OF GROWING UP IN PRETORIA? Just making missions really, doing everything you can to be around your friends and to be free. GROWING UP ‘AFRIKAANS’ AND LOOKING BACK AT THE CULTURE, THE TRADITIONS AND SEEING HOW MUCH OF IT IS LEFT NOW - WHAT DO YOU FEEL REPRESENTS AFRIKAANS THESE DAYS? I have always loved a lot of the old Afrikaans aesthetic - the colours, the fonts, the architecture and the whole Africana aspect. I feel drawn to them in some way because I was always surrounded by them when I was younger. What I like about Afrikaans people is that there still is this camaraderie between us. It’s this ‘us against the world’ thing in a way. A lot of my English speaking friends have said to me that they would never learn Afrikaans because it was the language of the old oppressor and so on, but at the end of the day we are awesome people and I’m proud to be Afrikaans. We still have all these pre-conceived ideas attached to us, but we have ‘gees’ (soul) and we are very free-spirited. HOW LONG HAVE YOU ACTIVELY BEEN AN ARTIST FOR? I would say since the year 2000 really. I was 16 when I was at Pro Arte and that’s where I developed my signature, but I have been actively working under the

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name Black Koki since 2004 so it’s more like 10 years now. YOUR WORK HAS DRASTICALLY CHANGED OVER THE LAST YEAR OR SO, FROM MORE ILLUSTRATIVE SURREALIST TYPE OF SCENARIOS TO VERY MINIMALISTIC ABSTRACT LANDSCAPES, BUT STILL USING YOUR CLASSIC RECOGNISABLE COLOUR PALETTE. HOW DO YOU FIND YOU APPROACH YOUR WORK THESE DAYS? I wouldn’t say I’m just focusing on that now, but I am focusing a lot of time into that style of work right now. I’m still doing small drawings as part of my process, but I decided to go for painting again. I have always wanted to move into being a fine artist and then we started Love & Hate and it turned out being a fashion and lifestyle brand. We did this poster for this exhibition, Eloise (X RAY EYES) and I, and after that there was just this flood of work coming in and it became a commercially viable thing. So I still use some of those techniques with a different visual outcome at the moment. IT SEEMS THAT THERE WAS A HUGE VISUAL LEAP BETWEEN THE TWO STYLES? My drawings were focused a lot on getting commercial illustration work. However, still staying true to my certain style and technique that I have developed over the years. I think I just realised that it’s not really the way I want to keep on going. Put it this way, I have never really been an illustrator trying to do illustration. I am more of an artist that loves to draw. Being able to work according to a brief counts in my favour, but I have just found that I would rather be doing my own thing. Drawing takes a lot of time and there is a lot of emotion going into it. I just enjoy painting more because it feels free and it’s quicker in a way. I have also decided to work a lot bigger now, whereas before I would spend a lot of time on a small piece with a lot of detail in it, but now I enjoy putting that same amount of effort into something a lot bigger and simpler. So I think that is basically the just of it. DO YOU STILL TAKE ON CORPORATE OR ADVERTISING JOBS? Depending on what it is, I would definitely take it on. While working with Eloise (as a team) on commercial jobs we would only take on jobs that we believed in and if it was something cool that we would enjoy doing. That is the kind of illustration that I want to do – having complete creative freedom. I mean the dream is to have complete control over a job at the end of the day. DOES THE ORIGINAL LOVE & HATE (ELLO XRAY EYEZ, ELBOWGREASE, BLACK KOKI) STILL EXIST AND WORK TOGETHER AS A COLLECTIVE, IS THE BAND STILL TOGETHER SO TO SPEAK? The original band is still a crew but there may be a few different bands by now. I think that Love & Hate is something that will never stop. We have such a big history together, have done a million projects together and have been influenced by each other’s styles, we learnt a lot from each other. So in that sense it will never stop because you will always see some simi39

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larities within our work. Hein (Elbowgrease) was one of the founding members, but he has not been an active member since 2005. Now it’s just Eloise and I. We have basically narrowed our focus like we did in the beginning and instead of doing everything as a Love & Hate project we each do our own separate things. We have started producing tapestries and it’s been a really cool project, working with people that you would not really engage with under normal circumstances. We are still signed with a gallery in JHB as Love & Hate and we will still do shows together, but not as much collaboration work. We are still a painting crew and we go out on weekends, but we have just removed ‘work’ from our work and made it fun. So our main project at the moment is the tapestries and there is a shitload of them coming out soon. WHAT WOULD YOU SAY IS THAT COMMON THREAD THAT STILL RUNS THOUGH YOUR INDIVIDUAL WORK? It’s nostalgia I think for all of us, all three of us. We are still inspired by the some of the same things that inspired us when we were younger - bands, illustrators and artists. We were all inspired by the same things, only at different stages. I think those things are still showing through our work as individuals.

YOU ARE CURRENTLY REPRESENTED BY KALASHNIKOVV IN JOHANNESBURG, WHAT IS IT ABOUT THE GALLERY AND WHAT THEY REPRESENT THAT APPEALS TO YOU AND MAKES YOU WANT TO BE A PART OF THEIR MOVEMENT? As I said earlier we have always tried to work on projects that we believe in and also with friends and people that we admire. So we met Murray (MJ Turpin) at our first exhibition when we curated him into the show and we just became best of friends. It’s a dream to work with Murray who is a great friend and we have been through a lot together, so it makes sense for him to represent us. Even if I was approached by somebody bigger I would still go with Murray because I believe in what he does and I want to grow with him. WHAT DO YOU FEEL PLACES A SPECIFIC VALUE ON A CERTAIN PIECE OF ART? For me it has always been where it comes from, a lot of the work I like is not found in galleries. For instance, a piece of gang graffiti on a wall says a lot more to me than some piece in a gallery sometimes.

STUDIO HITS BEASTIE BOYS

BAD RELIGION

BONES

FELIX LABAND

KURT VILE

PAUL’S BOUTIQUE 1989

SUFFER 1988

GARBAGE 2014

4/4 DOWN THE STAIRS 2002

CHILDISH PRODIGY 2009

Capitol

Epitaph

Free Download

African Dope

Matador Records

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ECHO BEACH ALLAH - LAS / SOUTH AFRICAN TOUR WRITER - RUAN SCOTT

PHOTOGRAPHY - HAYDEN PHIPPS

A SHORT, BEARDED AMERICAN CHAP DONNING BROWN LEATHER BOOTS, TIGHT JEANS AND A SWEATER POPS UP NEXT TO ME AND ORDERS A TEQUILA. HIS HOLIDAY SWAGGER, ORDER OF A TEQUILA SHOT BEFORE BRUNCH AND MUSICIAN LOOK, ALL ACCOMPANIED WITH HIS AMERICAN ACCENT, STRONGLY SUGGEST HE’S WITH THE BAND. WELL, THAT’S WHAT I HOPED FOR AS I TURNED AROUND TO INTRODUCE MYSELF.

IT’S 10:30 AM AND I’M STUCK IN TRAFFIC. CARS ARE BACK TO BACK ON THE HIGHWAY LEADING FROM THE NORTHERN SUBURBS INTO CAPE TOWN. The signage on the bakkie in front of me belongs to a plumbing company. According to the signage, they “will sort your shit out”. Literally. Not very romantic. To my left is a mother. Her face says she’s seconds from turning into a monster. Her kids on the back seat, dressed in school uniforms, are restless and crying. Why are these kids so late for school? Are all these people late for work? Every different face hods the same look of rage. Fuck traffic. It’s like a disease. It knows no face, age, gender or race. I keep my anger at bay with thoughts of sun, sea and surf. Not only am I listening to Californian retro ooh-and-aah lo-fi surf outfit Allah-Las over the car stereo, but I am actually stuck in this godless traffic because I’m on my way to go and meet the band for a surf. The Allah-Las are in South Africa to play three shows. Put together by the lads from the Psych Night with the support of Vans and Duchie Surfboards, who have in the past brought international acts such as Night Beats and the Golden Animals to us, this one is set to be their biggest by far. I arrive at Kloof Streets’ hippest hangout – Yours Truly cafe. I clear the floor without greeting anybody, heading straight to the coffee counter. I need my caffeine fix. A short, bearded American chap donning brown leather boots, tight jeans and a sweater pops up next to me and orders a tequila. His holiday swagger, order of a tequila shot before brunch and musician look, all accompanied with his American accent, strongly suggest he’s with the band. Well, that’s what I hoped for as I turned around to introduce myself. “Are you here with the…?’’ I point over to the crowd sitting at a table across the way. “Yeah, man.” And then, “Hi, Matt.” He sticks his hand out for the greet. We share the obligatory “long flight”, “rough night” and “welcome to SA” stories and make our way over to the group of friends, photographers, managers and musicians. Cars packed and people loaded, we drive over to Glenn Beach to go surfing. The waves are choppy. I mention it’s quite crowded. Robbie, the band manager who sports a classic mullet and a washed-out red pastel coloured t-shirt that’s a size too small says it’s nothing compared to the crowds back home.

We suit up our and head down the neverending steps towards the beach. Dutchie surfboards have brought along an absurd selection of surfboards (as retro as the band’s sound) for the guys to surf with. Film and 8mm video cameras are in the hands of the band members, capturing their holiday moments. The guys seem to have a love for analogue equipment – something that’s evident in their music. They record using all-analogue studio equipment. “It’s using equipment that was invented 50 years to produce a sound reminiscent of the era we are influenced by.” says vocalist Miles. “We have tried on modern equipment, using Pro Tools and music software to record our music, but we were never happy with the results.” The ocean, like the traffic, breaks down social norms and forces strangers to become friends. In the water we are all the same. It’s evident that the band is into surfing. Matt is charging on a little stumpnose board resembling a bar of soap. Spencer the bassist is on something more conventional and the vocalist, Miles is out on an odd-looking rocket-shaped board, while Robbie is steering a long board. I wonder where Pedrum, the other band member, is. I peer over to the land and spot him on top the highest boulder towering over Glen Beach. Sitting cross legged, head down staring at something in his lap – an olive-skinned, sinewy monk deep in prayer. I’ve never claimed to be good at water sports, and the waves are somewhat beyond my experience level. Needless to say, I get pounded by the surf. So much so, that I decide to head back to the beach. Scampering up the boulders, I decide to go hang out with Pedrum, the guitarist for Allah-Las. I avoid band talk. I don’t know their music all that well. I recently got into it when I heard about their South African tour, and I am waiting to see them live before I pass my final judgement. Pedrum is reading H. G. Wells. We talk about books, girlfriends, food, history and Cape Town. Spencer and Robbie join us. The guys are laid back. I think it’s a mix of surf culture and the music they make. Conversation flows, like a bunch of old friends catching up, and I quickly forget that they are all semi-famous and in a popular international band. The day starts turning golden. Matt is still in the water enjoying the Atlantic waves, but gets signalled in by the other guys. We all head our separate ways.

A day later it’s the official press conference. Bloggers and photographers stand around smoking cigarettes, drinking cocktails and looking cool. Questions in hand, I approach the band for an interview. I hate this. By now, we’ve spent time together in a social setting and meeting in a “professional” sense like this actually sucks. It’s the same discomfort one experiences when asking friends for money. I mention this to them and they agree. Their hanging heads and droopy eyes suggest they’re recovering from another long night of South African hospitality.

played this song. The guitar riff sounds familiar, but the words are different. The love affair continues way past midnight.

Assisting me with the interview is the beautiful and clever Kristi Vlok. Her wit carries us through the interview.

“Hipper than every kid in Cape Town”, I decide to cycle to the Allah-Las’ secret show at the Woodstock Exchange. Ever so hip. I also smoke dagga on the way there. The strongest dagga I have ever smoked, and also the first time I smoked weed in over a year. I am too high I can’t even right now… I am super self-conscious and experience the biggest existential crisis of my life.

In light of their Cape Town show falling on Valentine’s Day, we chat about French kissing and which bands made them fall in love with music. “Modanna, The Clash, Oasis.” says Pedrum. As serious as he looks, he has a great sense of humour, so I don’t know if he’s joking or not. “It’s more a case of the music that’s been a part of our lives as long as we can remember.” adds Spencer. We chat about their sound. Buzz words fly around and we settle on: “The Allah-Las are four wholesome young lads with no tattoos that make you hold their surfboards while they kiss your girlfriends. They play a timeless sound reminiscent of 70s surf rock with garage and lo-fi influences. It’s a lovely gluten and wheat-free organic sound.” It’s Saturday night and the Allah-Las are playing at Assembly. It’s filling up fast. The crowd is older than usual. There is a cool and jovial energy among the masses. I am struggling to find a good space to watch from. The music starts and instantly the whole place is grooving to the sound in a swaying motion. Staying in rhythm with the room, I snake to the front. They’re as good on stage as on-record. They don’t play very complex music, but they play it with style and conviction, and they look so good while doing it. Songs about girls, love, life and longing fill the air. A lot of their songs sound similar. And not knowing the music all that well, I find I can’t differentiate between every song. It’s almost like one long, lovely musical French kiss on Valentine’s Day under the moonlight. And it doesn’t end there, because the crowd keeps screaming for more.

The Allah-Las are in town for one more night. Psych Night have this great added extra they call the “Secret Show”. Tickets are limited and you’re only notified on the venue hours before the gig. It’s perfect for those who like to party at the main event, and then really just want to sit back and watch the band in a more relaxed setting.

As I arrive the Allah Las take to the stage. Cool and calm, they play their beachy music. Oohs and aahs fill the air and soothe my awkwardness. Pedrum sings a harder, darker song which is different from their sound, but somehow fits in perfectly. People love it. I love it. My stoned self is feeling the Allah-Las, and after the show I walk over to the merchandise table to buy an album. I have passed my judgement... DISCOGRAPHY

ALLAH - LAS ALLAH-LAS 2012 Innovative Leisure

ALLAH - LAS WORSHIP THE SUN 2014 Innovative Leisure

Matt, the drummer, takes on the vocal duties while Miles plays drums. I am sure they have already

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MAMBA BAMBA CYRUS KABIRU INTERVIEW - RICK DE LA RAY

IMAGES - SMAC

“WE HAVE THAT PROBLEM IN KENYA WHERE A LOT OF THE ARTISTS ARE SELLING ‘POVERTY’ AND TELL YOU SOME STORY ABOUT THEIR BACKGROUND SO THAT YOU CAN BUY THEIR ARTWORKS. I TRY AND NOT TELL PEOPLE ABOUT MY BACKGROUND AT ALL. WE ALL HAVE STORIES, SAD STORIES, BUT I WANT YOU TO BUY MY WORK BECAUSE OF THE CREATIVITY. I’M TRYING TO SELL THE CREATIVITY AND NOT THE POVERTY. ” YOU MADE YOUR FIRST PROTOTYPES OF THE C STUNNERS WHEN YOU WERE REALLY YOUNG. WHAT WAS THE DRIVE BEHIND MAKING THESE GLASSES OR EYEWEAR IN GENERAL? I think it’s your background. What I do is me and my dad is the one who inspired me, all my art has been inspired by my dad. If you look at the bicycle and you look at the glasses, he never let me have real glasses. “Cyrus no, if you want real glasses you must make your own glasses”, he said. I had grown up being really good at making toys. In order to hang around with the older generation (I always walked around with older people) and in order for them to accept me, I had to be more creative than them so that I could fit it in. So I used to make them something, like a bus toy, a belt, glasses or masks. They used to like to challenge me and in order to walk with them or go and swim with them I had to come up with something in order to get their respect. My brother was older than me and I was 4th in line so in order to walk around with them I used to make things for them. In school I would exchange things for someone else’s notes, homework or even exams, I would give them an artwork. I never studied like sitting down in class and revising for my exam, that’s how I grew up. So after I finished high school I was supposed to go to college or university, but I realised that I was going to have to be very serious and dedicate all my time to my studies. WHAT WAS YOUR FATHER’S TRADE AND WHAT SORT OF SKILLS DID HE PASS ON TO YOU, WAS A HE CREATIVE MAN LIKE YOURSELF? No, my dad is a businessman. He is creative with business. He is someone that would show you how to fish but not how to eat fish. Like I used to try and study hard and he would say that he would buy me a bicycle if I performed well and then I would perform well but he still would not get me a bicycle. He showed me how to fish and he showed me that I couldn’t just get something for free. I needed to work hard for it and get it myself. I never had the mindset that after I studied I would get a good job, I never thought about that and I never sat down thinking about how I am going to get a job, I just had to keep going and that helped me a lot. HOW DID YOUR WORK FIRST GET NOTICED AND HOW DID IT LEAD UP TO YOUR FIRST BIG EXHIBITION? As I said, I used to make my work in exchange for things and I never thought that I could sell my work. Basically, my first artwork I had sold to my uncle because I never thought that my art can sell, and I hid from him after that because I thought that I had done the wrong thing by selling it to him. Meanwhile, he was hiding from me because he thought that he had paid too little for it. Then we met again and he said that he felt that he should give me some more money for my artwork. I eventually started selling my glasses in 2009 and the reason why I started selling them was that I felt that ev-

erybody wanted me to make them something. In order to turn them down I started to charge people for them. Then there was a lady that came from America, from Brooklyn and she was the first person to buy a pair of my glasses. At first I did not want to sell them to her but she insisted that I could not give them to her for free. So she gave me about 60 dollars and she said, “Cyrus, I want more!” So she started buying more of them from me. She was a model who is into fashion and she just wanted them for herself, then later I also sent some to her. So that’s really how I started selling them. AND THE NAME ‘C STUNNERS’? ‘Stunners’ is something that you see that looks stunning and the ‘C’ in front is for Cyrus. WHICH WAS THE FIRST GALLERY THAT YOU SHOWED YOUR WORK? The first gallery show I did was in 2010, in Nairobi and was done by the KUONA TRUST (Centre for the Visual Arts). They were selling for 50 dollars but there were hardly any sales. I think I sold maybe one. It was more of an exhibition to showcase my work. After that I was invited to Ted Talks and they organised an exhibition for me afterwards in Santa Monica, California where I did an installation of my glasses. At that time I did not believe much in exhibitions and how people judged you on your exhibitions. For instance, if you have done one solo show then you become a professional artist, but I rather focused on working hard and letting the work speak for itself. I’m trying hard to change that mindset in Kenya, that not just one solo show makes you a professional artist. You must keep on working hard at it. You must sell your creativity and not just a story. We have that problem in Kenya where a lot of the artists are selling ‘poverty’ and tell you some story about their background so that you can buy their artworks. I try and not tell people about my background at all, or poverty. We all have stories, sad stories, but I want you to buy my work because of the creativity. I try and sell the creativity and not the poverty. WHAT INSPIRES A CERTAIN SHAPE OR STYLE THAT COMES OUT WITHIN THE FRAMES OF THE ARTWORKS? When I make the glasses the material that I use inspires me. Sometimes it dictates because of the material that I have available to me at the time. I never do sketches or follow any pre-sketches of any of the designs. I feel like the sketch will become my boss and I am the boss, I won’t follow my sketch. I try to express what I have, so the design of the glasses will depend on the material that I’m using or on a story that I have in my head. You find that some of them have serious stories. I have a mask series, a wild animal series and the Kenyan boobs series. Also, the prison series focusing on different prisons in Africa, even a Robben Island one called “Madiba Prison.” I just sit down and try to imagine

what that prison looked like, and make the glasses relate to what I am thinking. NOW WITH YOUR NEW BICYCLE SERIES CALLED ‘BLACK MAMBA’ WILL YOU ONLY BE FOCUSING ON THE NEW SCULPTURES OR WILL YOU CONTINUE DOING THE ‘STUNNERS’ ALONG SIDE THE NEW WORK? I call the glasses by a Swahili word - ‘Babayao’, Baba means father. It means they are the father or the source. My glasses are ‘Babayao’ because everything I am doing, most of the ideas came from my glasses. So I won’t stop making the glasses and I feel cool when I do the glasses. When I feel I need to relax then I do the glasses. The bicycles I am working with are also inspired by my father. Like I mentioned before, he said that he would buy me a bicycle if I preformed well at school. So one day he came home with a bicycle frame with no wheels, no handlebars and no seat. He was like, “Cyrus I have something for you” and I was very happy having it, without even the wheels or anything. So everyday I would try and work on something on the bicycle. I started on the wheels and I spent a month doing research on how I can make my own wheels. But, then that project would end up becoming trying to make a Ferrari out of a wheelbarrow or I tried to make a sea. Everything that I would try and make would lead to other projects. All of these ideas came from having that one bicycle frame. My dad would see me work and sometimes laugh at me. He would tell me that my ideas would never work but it only made me work harder. At the end of the day he would say, “Ok, I like the way you are thinking.” That actually helped me a lot because I missed a lot of bad things while I was growing up, like using drugs or becoming a criminal. Where I grew up in Nairobi some of my neighbors were drug dealers. I grew up thinking different than the other kids and my family used to think that I am using something. Because I don’t think the way they do and I’m totally different. They thought maybe I was smoking something. I grew up with the criminals but I never wanted to be one of them. Some of them would even follow me around because they wanted to learn how I think. I used to have a studio while I was still in school and most of the gangsters were chilling in my studio. Some of them were wanted by the police at the time, but when they came to hang out in my studio I could see their minds changing and how they were communicating with my work. They were in a way protecting me and they wanted to know what I do or eat in order to think the way I do. They would interview me and asked me why I did certain things within my work and how did I end becoming who I am. So I feel that my way of thinking and my art changed some people, which is a good thing. BLACK MAMBA REFERS TO AN OLD BICYCLE. WHY IS IT CALLED BLACK MAMBA AND WHERE DOES THE NAME OF A SNAKE FIT INTO THE EQUATION?

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In Kenya we call those bicycles ‘Black Mamba’. The people who live in the rural or desert areas can see something coming on the horizon from very far away, slowly and quite like a snake. They were basically the only forms of transportation and like a Mamba they can survive on any terrain, all over. It’s a very old name and my dad used to have a Black Mamba, and my Grandfather had one. Nowadays it’s sad to see them disappearing. WHERE DID THE BICYCLES COME FROM ORIGINALLY? They came from China but they ended up doing really well in Africa. We took it and made it our own. If you ask a lot of people they will tell you that it is an African bicycle and they are locally made. As I said, my dad had one of them and he used to do business with it. He extended the back carrier and he would send me to go and get maize and flour. The bicycle had an alarm and he would switch it on so you could hear him coming for miles. The kids would know when he was coming and they used to have this song about my dad and his bicycle, they called him ‘Baba John’ (father of John). John is my brother. They would run after him and chant his name – ‘Baba John, Baba John’, my father loved kids and he would be riding and smiling like a king! They would try and help my dad offload things from the bicycle. My grandmother used to think that the Mamba was very important in those days and in their village my grandfather had one of the first Black Mambas, nobody was allowed to ride it. So after he passed away in 1994 she had it mounted inside the house, on the wall. These days a lot of people do that with the old bicycles, they respect them. They are proud of them and they can all give you a story of their bicycle. That’s what I am doing now with my documentary on the ‘Black Mamba’. I want to know everyone’s stories about the bicycles. Most of the younger people are riding motorbikes now. The more I learn about the story of the Mamba the more I find pieces of history. SO THE FIRST SHORT DOCUMENTARY THAT YOU MADE ‘THE END OF THE BLACK MAMBA’, WILL THAT EVENTUALLY LEAD TO A LONGER FILM ABOUT THE BICYCLES? The first one I made was not really the one I wanted, it’s not the best quality but it was my first video ever and I never thought I would do something with it. The second one will be a lot better because I learnt a lot through the first process. The second one I am doing in May and it will be out soon after that. ARE YOU COMING BACK TO CAPE TOWN SOON TO DO ANY MORE SHOWS? I am planning on coming back to do my residency around about June or July, here at the studio at SMAC. I would like to make Cape Town my second base and also come do a performance with the bicycles here. So I keep on moving back and forth throughout the year. 45

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QUICK FIX GARETH PON INTERVIEW - RICK DE LA RAY

INSTAGRAM - GARETH PON PORTRAIT - ANNA-BELLE MULDER

“I DEFINITELY THINK IN SQUARES NOW, AND BECAUSE OF INSTAGRAM I CAN HONESTLY SAY MY OVERALL ABILITY TO READ COMPOSITION HAS IMPROVED. BECAUSE I’M ALWAYS LOOKING FOR THE NEXT PHOTO AND CAPTURING IMAGES ALL THE TIME, I FEEL IT’S FORCED ME TO LEARN A LOT FASTER.”

CAN DO IT NOW.” DO YOU FEEL THAT COMPOSITION WITHIN ART IS STILL A RELEVANT FACTOR? I FEEL HISTORY HAS PROVEN THAT NOT EVERYONE UNDERSTANDS COMPOSITION. In my personal opinion, composition is everything. It’s definitely the defining factor between those who “get it” and those who don’t. Because everyone can take photos, it forces photographers to up their game and seek ways to stand out in an ocean of image creators. Like with every medium out there, as it becomes easier to create, so will there be those who emerge from the crowd to pioneer whatever comes next. DO YOU FEEL THAT YOU APPROACH THE COMPOSITION OF YOUR WORK DIFFERENTLY, SIMPLY BECAUSE YOU HAVE TO FIT IT INTO A SMALLER VIEWING SPACE? PEOPLE VIEW YOUR WORK ON DIFFERENT PLATFORMS AND SCREENS ALL THE TIME, DON’T THEY? INSTAGRAM ORIGINALLY STARTED AS A PHONE CAMERA APPLICATION, BUT THESE DAYS A LOT OF PEOPLE UPLOAD IMAGES FROM THEIR SLRS AND OTHER DEVICES TO THE PLATFORM. DO YOU FEEL THAT PEOPLE SHOULD RATHER STICK TO THE AVAILABILITY AND THE CAPABILITY OF THE PARTICULAR PHONE THEY’RE USING, INSTEAD OF BRINGING OTHER DEVICES INTO THE EQUATION? Initially, Instagram was about mobile photography and it definitely still is. It’s made creativity more accessible, but with the development of tech (WiFi-enabled cameras) and the yearning for higher quality images, I believe it’s progressed to a point where it’s not so much about what you shoot with, but rather about the rad moment you’re capturing. If you get too caught up in the tech side of things then you risk getting trapped by the formalities, instead of focusing on the creative process of making an image. TAKING INTO CONSIDERATION ALL THE EFFECTS AND FILTERS THAT COME WITH THE CERTAIN APPS THESE DAYS, IS THERE STILL SUCH A THING AS A “PURIST” WITHIN THE INSTAGRAM COMMUNITY? I think the “purists” are those who only use mobile to shoot AND edit. However, I believe that purity within in an image is lost as soon as you capture it. Composition alone alters the way you read an image. All the filters and effects are really just ways of interpreting it. Instagram has made the photography space very accessible to people, and so it’s expected that millions of different interpretations will emerge. YOU RECENTLY STATED, “I LOVE THE FACT THAT MOBILE PHOTOGRAPHY HAS SORT OF FLATTENED THE LEVEL OF PHOTOGRAPHY, BECAUSE EVERYONE

I definitely think in squares now, and because of Instagram I can honestly say my overall ability to read composition has improved. Because I’m always looking for the next photo and capturing images all the time, I feel it’s forced me to learn a lot faster. Everything has gone digital – it’s faster and there is a lot more to absorb. I actually think those who embrace the pace and constant change of photography nowadays will find the best ways to break the rules. WHAT WAS THE BREAKING POINT FOR YOU WITHIN IN THE MEDIUM? WHAT DO YOU FEEL GENERATED SUCH BIG INTEREST WITHIN YOUR PERSONAL FEED, AND WHAT KEEPS IT GROWING EVEN NOW? I think the breaking point was having one of my films about a JHB Instameet featured on the Instagram blog. It really made me realise the potential of the platform and how its reach really allows anyone in the world to access a very wide and broad community. I’ve always challenged myself to change and adapt themes within my own profile, so I feel that variation and continual adaption makes the photos I share unique. I also make sure I never post a photo that you can Google LATELY YOU SEEM TO BE FEATURING A LOT OF “WINDOW REFLECTION SELFIES” THAT YOU CREATE THROUGH A REFLECTION OF YOURSELF AND A SUBJECT ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WINDOW. WAS IT A PLANNED INTERVENTION, OR DID YOU HAPPEN TO STUMBLE UPON IT THROUGH THE GROWTH OF YOUR WORK?

“nice light” set-up which makes things quite dramatic, but I wanted to find a more abstract way of shooting portraits, so I decided to take photos of people through things. It was a theme that I set up for myself. I’m not sure how long it will last, but as it grows I’m still enjoying it and learning along the way.

still dedicate a lot of time to reading, personal writing/reflection and getting creative projects out of the dust. All my “transit” time (in planes, trains, etc.) I dedicate to creating, too. This year will be interesting in how it plays out, and I believe I’ll find myself constantly surprised by new projects and challenges.

DO YOU FEEL IT NECESSARY TO PLAN THE SUBJECT MATTER OF YOUR POSTS, OR DO YOU FEEL IT’S SOMETIMES BETTER TO JUST SEE WHERE LIFE LEADS YOU?

WHO WAS INVOLVED WITH “INSTAMEETS” IN THE BEGINNING, AND WHAT DO YOU FEEL WERE THE KEY ELEMENTS THAT GEARED THE MOVEMENT TOWARDS WHAT IT’S NOW BECOME?

I always allow life to lead. Planned posts are nice, but for now, I never want my photos to feel too planned. It’s always something on the fly. If I can keep it exciting and relatively unknown, it will remain interesting and keep me interested. WHAT’S YOUR DAILY INSTAGRAM PHOTO UPLOAD QUOTA OR LIMIT? I try to upload between one and two photos a day. When I’m traveling, I upload once every three to four hours, so I guess it really depends on the circumstances. You also have to consider the expectations of your audience. If your audience expects more, then post more. If they expect less, post less. DO YOU EVER WORRY THAT YOUR PET CATS PISTOL AND PESTO (@PONTEKITTY) MIGHT OUTRANK YOU? Haha! Never. I’ve actually stopped posting on my cats’ account now because I just want them to be able to be cats and not “Insta-celebrities”. Also, they take up way too much time and have become too big and fast for me to snap photos often enough. HAS THE MEDIUM BECOME A FULL-TIME JOB FOR YOU NOW? AND IF SO, HOW MUCH TIME DO YOU DEDICATE TO OTHER PROJECTS? It has! I find myself occupied with paid trips, creative consultation and creating content. But I do

A handful of people were there from the beginning – a great mix of individuals who found a love for their city and in rediscovering its beauty. I believe the passion to create and genuine interaction over the platform is what grew the movement. To be honest, it’s also really fun to just take photos with friends! IN ONE OF YOUR STUDENT FILMS ON VIMEO, CALLED ‘REMINISCE FIRST CUT’, YOU TOLD THE MOVING STORY OF A BLIND OLD MAN AT A BAR COUNTER EMOTIONALLY REFLECTING ON OBJECTS FROM A SMALL METAL BOX OF MEMORABILIA. IF YOU HAD TO REPLACE YOURSELF WITH THE OLD MAN WITHIN THAT ROLE, WHICH PERSONAL OBJECT WOULD REFLECT THE SAME EMOTION AS THE LAST SCENE IN THE FILM? That particular film holds a lot of deep connections… When I shot it I wanted to convey the strong emotion of a bond between a lost loved one and the partner who stays behind. It’s actually quite ironic, because the man I cast for that film has since passed away, and his wife is actually the one who conveys that loss now. While making the film, I also realised that I have yet to find my own “moment” or “object” representative of that emotional bond. If I’m honest, I feel that this is something I still need to discover. In the future, I expect that this object would be something that reminds me of that first moment of “knowing” that she is “the one.” And yes, I am single :P

INSTA HITS - GARETH’S TOP TUNES THE NAKED AND FAMOUS

HIATUS

RELIENT K

THE ALBUM LEAF

BIG FISH

YOUNG BLOOD 2010

PARKLANDS 2013 Profane Existence

A CHORUS OF STORYTELLERS 2010 Sub Pop

SOUNDTRACK 2003

Universal Republic

FIVE SCORE AND SEVEN YEARS AGO 2007 Capitol

Sony Classical

I’ve always loved layers, depth, and playing with multiple surfaces and reflections. So the desire to shoot portraits pushed me to approach different ways of shooting them. Sure, there’s the typical THE LAKE

THE LAKE

PASS THE DUTCHIE JOSH LOUW INTERVIEW - RUAN SCOTT

PHOTOGRAPHY - HAYDEN PHIPPS

“Surfing is one of the most physically demanding sports. What sets it apart from other sports is the lifestyle of free spirit that is associated with it. There is an aspect of high athleticism in surfing. It’s human to constantly struggle to achieve and to strive to tame the forces of nature. ” OK. LET’S GET STARTED. WHO ARE YOU AND WHAT DO YOU DO? My name is Joshua Jakobus Louw, but the “souties” can’t pronounce it, so they simply dubbed me “Dutchie”. It’s a nickname that’s grown into a brand name, under which I shape and manufacture surfboards. Basically for a living I put people on the water and make them happy. This is a life pursuit for me, as I grew up on the West Coast, and first got into surfing at the tender age of six. WHAT MAKES YOU A MANUFACTURER, AS OPPOSED TO A SHAPER? As a manufacturer, we handle the whole process of surfboard making from start to finish – from shaping the board according to customer specifications to designing and finally adding the art. The board is in our hands all the way from the shaping bay to the glassing bay and into sanding, until it’s ready to hit the water. You don’t want to be stuck traveling with a fragile blank, so we do everything right here – inhouse. A shaper is only responsible for shaping the board, and will usually outsource the rest of the necessary processes. HOW DID YOU GET INTO SURFBOARD SHAPING AND MANUFACTURING? I have always been into both surfing and art, so spraying and doing artworks on boards, and repairing my buddys’ boards in between just became second nature to me. Towards the end of my high school career, I was working at a large surfboard manufacturing company as the in-house spray artist. It was a part-time gig. At this stage I was also receiving sponsorship from another surfboard company. I was frustrated because the guys sponsoring me couldn’t shape the board I wanted, so I ended up shaping my own. That first board was an absolute dog show, in that I literally slapped paint on it and sold it in a surf shop. Luckily, that sale made enough money to produce two more boards, and took it from there. In that time, I realised that drawing from my personal experience as a surfer was going to be the difference between boards that did and didn’t meet the requirements of those riding them. WHEN I WALKED THROUGH THE DOOR, YOU WERE BUSY WITH A CUSTOMER, AND I IMMEDIATELY PICKED UP ON YOUR ENTHUSIASM FOR WORKING WITH PEOPLE. WHAT’S THE IDEAL SPLIT BETWEEN FACE-TIME WITH PEOPLE, AND TIME SPENT BEHIND THE SCENES, GETTING THE BOARDS MADE? Many business owners have great ideas and massive skills, but soon after they start up a business, or when that business grows quickly, they end up sitting behind a desk. That’s what I want to get away from, and it’s what I feel sets Dutchie apart from the rest. You know, that individual touch. Design and shape are the most important aspects of any board, and these required elements differ from customer to customer. I am a master shaper and qualified graphic designer, so I’m trained to rely on my process. My personal process in designing a board is to turn it into a cad file which then renders a 3D shape, and to

then feed this into the shaping machine, thus shaping the board precisely. The whole process is very scientific and design-orientated, and I stick to it so that I can achieve perfection. What sets me apart from other manufactures is the personal touch and artistic interpretation I put into the shaping a board. These two things are what give a board its initial character. DO YOU ONLY SHAPE SURFBOARDS OR DO YOU UNDERTAKE SHAPING FOR OTHER WATER BOARD SPORTS SUCH AS LONGBOARDING, KITEBOARDING, AND STANDUP PADDLEBOARDING? Longboarding is very much a part of surfing. I don’t even think you can call yourself a surfer if you don’t have a longboard. We do manufacture kiteboards, but not very often. I thinks it’s wrong to dilute into a variety of styles. It shifts the focus from what you are. As for standup paddleboarding. Fuck that. That’s something I am very, very, very much against. It’s dangerous and stupid and should not be related to surfing or what we do as a sport. I don’t partake in it, so why must I shape those boats? WHEN YOU SAY “WHAT WE DO AS A SPORT”, DO YOU ACKNOWLEDGE SURFING AS AN ATHLETIC SPORT OR DO YOU STILL CONSIDER IT MORE OF A LIFESTYLE CHOICE? Surfing is one of the most physically demanding sports. What sets it apart from other sports is the lifestyle of free spirit that is associated with it. There is an aspect of high athleticism in surfing. It’s human to constantly struggle to achieve and to strive to tame the forces of nature. As with any sport, there will be winners and losers. In the world of surfing it’s called the WSL (World Surfing League). Not all surfers agree with this but the level of surfing today is athletically supreme, thus resulting in steep competition. On the other hand, there is the aspect of free surfing, just like street skateboarding or back country snowboarding. It’s free, pure and extreme. No rules or spectators – just you and the forces. Both freedom and supreme athleticism existing as one – that’s what sets surfing apart from other sports. WHEN WE TALK ABOUT “ATHLETICISM”, WE THINK “ABLE BODIES”. YOU RECENTLY ASSISTED A FRIEND WHO LOVES SURFING, BUT IS NOT CONSIDERED ABLE. TELL ME MORE ABOUT THE STORY WITH DRIES MILLER? Ah, Dries. Yeah, he’s an unfortunate guy from Saldanha Bay in the Western Cape. He was involved in a car accident that left him wheelchair-bound when he was a youngster JUST discovering the ocean and surfing. He approached me, requesting a surfboard with special handles to give him mobility in the water. I did some research, and together with Dries’ input, I shaped a board that actually works for him. So he’s surfing again, albeit surfing lying down. Along with the West Coast Boardriders Club, we host a day for people with disabilities, where they come out enjoy the ocean, share laughs and have a good time. The guys we meet when we host these days are amazing – they work past their disabilities. Nothing will hold them back.

I NOTICED, ON THE DAY YOU SURFED WITH THE ALLAH-LAS, THAT YOU TOOK ALONG A QUIVER OF ODDLY-SHAPED SURFBOARDS, RETRO BOARDS ETC. WHAT’S THE DEAL WITH THOSE? Those boards and the Allah-Las are both perfect examples of post-modern surfing or the retro revival. It’s a revival of the old, so to speak, but modernised to an extent. Earlier, we talked about the athletic side of surfing. In the late 80s early 90s, when the professional side of surfing kicked off, boards took on a more performance-based shape, and for some reason people just jumped at it and sheepishly followed the trend. Surfers simply accepted that this was the new look of board design. No questions were asked. What people don’t realise is that the guys surfing these “professional” shapes are the literally the best surfers in the world. They can practically surf ANY board. However, not everyone can successfully surf those boards. I’d say that during the early to mid2000s there was a resurgence in the popularity of old school and classic boards. You know, retro boards. These classic shapes are re-visited and infused with modern elements. That’s post-modern surfing, I guess. Those shapes you see in the water with the Dutchie logo on them didn’t necessarily exist in the 60s and 70s, but there are elements of those eras in the board designs mixed with modern raw materials and shaping methods to enhance the surfing experience. This makes it ideal for your average weekend surfer who likes to surf, but doesn’t respond to the high-end equipment out there. This ties in nicely with Dutchie’s approach to individuality. The look and feel of the board in and out of the water reflects the personality of the owner. THE REFLECTION OF INDIVIDUALITY THAT A DUTCHIE BOARD PROVIDES IS SOMETHING YOU TAKE PRIDE IN. HOW DO YOU GO ABOUT CHOOSING COLOUR SCHEMES AND ARTWORKS TO GET THIS RIGHT? We are as diverse as the waves we surf. You can compare my work to that of a GP. I sit with the customer or patient, and get their symptoms or specifications. Then I make a prognosis and give the the treatment or cure – a board to surf according to their level. Novice surfers should entirely trust the shapers, as we do know exactly what they require. Floatation and stability are vital. The customer then gets to dictate what kind of artwork they want, and we take it from there. As you progress as a surfer,

you begin to understand your equipment better, and then it becomes of critical importance to build a relationship with a shaper. YOU WERE SEEN SURFING WITH THE ALLAH-LAS WHEN THEY TOURED SOUTH AFRICA RECENTLY. WHAT WAS YOUR INVOLVEMENT THERE? I’ve always been a fan of their music and was really excited about their SA Tour, so when the Psych Night guys approached me to get involved, I jumped at the opportunity. We stayed away from the corporate board giveaway thing. And when we spoke to the band it quickly became clear that the guys just wanted to go surfing. So we gathered some boards, loaded the bakkie and went surfing with the Allah-Las. I had some idea of their interest in retro boards and the retro aesthetic, so I made sure there was a variety of boards for them to surf and enjoy.

DO YOU SEE DUTCHIE GETTING MORE INVOLVED WITH MUSIC AND ART SCENES IN THE FUTURE? Definitely. I love doing collaborations. We have a lot of talented tattoo artists and illustrators around, and I plan to get them involved with putting artwork on boards and curating art shows. WHERE DOES DUTCHIE GO SURFING TO GET AWAY FROM IT ALL? Ha! If I told you, it wouldn’t be a secret anymore. The West Coast is riddled with spots, man. Just go and look. You can surf waves without seeing another human being for miles around.

WORKSHOP CLASSICS RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE EVIL EMPIRE 1996 Epic

THE LAKE

THE BLACK ANGELS

BLACK MOUNTAIN

BRMC

THE WAR ON DRUGS

DIRECTIONS TO SEE A GHOST 2008 Light in the Attic

IN THE FUTURE 2008

BEAT THE DEVIL’S TATTOO 2010

SLAVE AMBIENT 2011

Jagjaguwar

Abstract Dragon

Secretly Canadian

THE IDIOT BOX THE OSCARS: OR (THE UNEXPECTED VIRTUE OF NOT WATCHING THE OSCARS) WORDS - NEIL SOLOMON

IMAGES - SUPPLIED

“AWARDS, THEY DO NOTHING BUT GIVE OUT AWARDS. I CAN’T BELIEVE IT? GREATEST FASCIST DICTATOR: ADOLF HITLER.” – Alvy Singer (Annie Hall)

HOW DO YOU COMPARE ONE FILM TO ANOTHER? WHAT ARE THE PARAMETERS? What on Earth does a story about Martin Luther King’s historical march from Selma to Montgomery have in common with Stephen Hawking’s battle with ALS, or a coming of age story about a boy growing up in Texas shot over a period of twelve years? Budgets are not equal, cast and crew differ, and genres vary. Trying to find commonalities seems about as futile as coming up with a theory of everything. But humans like awards. We like a winner and a loser. And boy, does Hollywood take this stuff seriously. Writer/Producer Stephen Follows estimates that it costs up to $10 million in award season campaigning to take home the Best Picture gong. But what are the rules for voting? Maybe Academy members play a game of, “If you were stranded on an island, and you could only take one of these movies with you what would it be?” Given that an island populated by Academy members would largely be composed of middle-aged white men, I’d probably take my chances with the sharks. “AS MY EYES FOCUSED, I REALIZED THAT IT WAS IN FACT THAT ANNOYING LEAD SINGER FROM MAROON 5, RESPONSIBLE FOR THE MOST ANNOYING SONG IN THE HISTORY OF MUSIC. HE MIGHT HAVE MOVES LIKE JAGGER, BUT HE SOUNDS LIKE A POOR MANS MICK HUCKNALL.” So why take it all so seriously? Martin Luther King’s dream was not for all films to be created equal, nor was Stephen Hawking’s to be knighted. Their ambitions were far greater. Movies should not be about award success. They’re about insight, perspective but mostly entertainment. The Imitation Game, for instance, sheds light on Alan Turing’s heroic struggle to crack Enigma, while having to conceal his sexual orientation under a criminally repressive system. Turing built the first ever computer, which he affectionately named, “Christopher,” which the film suggests was actually an attempt by Turing to bring his first love back to life, albeit as a machine. Does this mean that the first computer was gay and if so what does this mean for the history of computing? Does this explain Silicon Valley’s close proximity to San Francisco or Michael Knight’s relationship with Kitt? Maybe Hal just wanted to be loved? I asked Siri her thoughts on the matter. Her response was a cold, monotonic, “No comment.” She must have her “Don’t ask don’t tell” setting, set to on. But I digress. Enough about the sexual orientation of computers. Lets stick to humans. Neil Patrick Harris. This year’s host of the 87th Academy Award’s is best known as Barney in How I Met Your 52

Mother or that creepy guy from Gone Girl. I was fairly indifferent about his comedic abilities going into the ceremony but I hoped that a team of writers would help him through. I was going to need entertaining company if I had any hope of getting through the four hour ceremony, which kicked off at 3:30am (South African time). Siri proved increasingly unsupportive as the evening went on.

But I’m sad to report that his hosting, along with the rest of the ceremony was rather dull. His opening song and dance, “Moving Pictures”, which featured Anna Kendrick and Jack Black was probably the best part of the show, but things went rapidly downhill from there. I don’t blame Patrick Harris entirely though. His audience was unresponsive. Perhaps it was the rain? Or the $160 000 worth of gifts awarded to each nominee wasn’t enough to win a smile from the likes of Clint Eastwood, although Clint might have been smiling, its impossible to tell. Perhaps Harris should have gone for an ingratiating selfie composed of Hollywood A-listers, which worked well for last years host

The same courtesy was not extended to Harris who struggled to keep the restless celebrities seated, judging by his constant interaction with seat fillers.

The first award - for best supporting actor - went to J.K. Simmons for his drill sergeant like role in Whiplash. In his speech he urged the audience to call their parents and say thank you. I thought it a bit inconsiderate to call mine considering the hour so instead I called Siri. “Thank you Siri”, I said. “I aim to please,” she responded, with a hint of sarcastic inflection in her tone. This relationship of convenience was not working out as I’d hoped.

nominee Meryl Streep to punch the air aggressively in support, which in turn caused Jenny from the block to shriek with excitement. Best original screenplay went to Birdman, while best-adapted screenplay went to The Imitation Game. Its writer, Graham Moore, made a starting confession during his acceptance speech, and willed the weird and different to stay weird and different. This brought tears to my eyes. Siri on the other hand remained unmoved, “You heartless bitch!” I shouted. “I don’t have a heart,” Siri replied matter-of-factly, and then cued the song, “We’re off to see the wizard the wonderful wizard Steve Jobs.” Julianne Moore took leading actress for her role in Still Alice and Eddie Redmayne lead actor for The Theory Of Everything. Birdman, which was my pick for most of the ‘top’ categories, took home the awards for Cinematography, Direction, and the all-important Best Picture. Sean Penn, the awarder of best picture, reminded the audience that Inarruti was a bastard immigrant, while Inarruti reminded America that that they are nation of immigrants, and not to forget it. All of which has very little to do with Birdman the movie, but it would seem that acceptance speeches have now become a platform to spout political rhetoric rather than just to say, “thanks” to anyone you have ever met, ever.

As the ceremony wore on I began to drift off but was unfortunately woken up by what sounded like Simply Red. As my eyes focused, I realized that it was in fact that annoying lead singer from Maroon 5, responsible for the most annoying song in the history of music. He might have moves like Jagger, but he sounds like a poor mans Mick Hucknall. It was the one time during the ceremony I hoped that the Academy orchestra would play to signal its time to move on. Tegan and Sara’s performance of the Lego song was anything but awesome, while Jared Leto’s attempt to trick us into thinking Jesus had returned to Earth as a nerdy looking 1980’s prom date failed. Notable speeches from the night included Patricia Arquette’s call for equal pay, which caused fellow

Ellen DeGeneres, rather than his opening quip, “Tonight we honour Hollywood’s best and whitest, sorry brightest.” Last year, you could almost hear the Hollywood elite sing, “Gooble, Gobble, Gooble, Gobble, we accept her, one of us,” as the camera snapped. THE LAKE

The biggest winners of the night were Birdman, The Grand Budapest Hotel, Common and John Legend and anyone that was in bed. The biggest losers were Boyhood, The Lego Movie, Neil Patrick Harris, and anyone that was not drinking during the ceremony. But if anyone deserves an award, it’s me, for having to endure four hours of this nauseating humdrum. “I’d like to thank my parents for imbuing me with a Zenlike patience. And I want Siri to know that it’s ok to be different and…” “Cue Oscar orchestra and set self-destruct to five seconds,” pleaded a desperate sounding Siri.

THE LAKE

WAX JUNKIE ALL RECORDS AVAILABLE FOR PRE ORDER FROM: THE LISTENING ROOM / INFO - www.thelisteningroom.co.za

THE WHO WHO’S NEXT 1971 - Decca

AC/DC POWERAGE 1978 - Atlantic

BUILT TO SPILL KEEP IT LIKE A SECRET 1999 - Warner Bros.

CARCASS SURGICAL STEEL 2013 - Nuclear Blast

CLUTCH EARTH ROCKER 2013 - Label

(180G IMPORT LP) - R330

(LP) - R330

(2LP) - R320

(LP) - R490

(LP) - R315

Much of Who’s Next derives from Lifehouse, an ambitious sci-fi rock opera Pete Townshend abandoned after suffering a nervous breakdown, caused in part from working on the sequel to Tommy. There’s no discernable theme behind these songs, yet this album is stronger than Tommy, falling just behind Who Sell Out as the finest record the Who ever cut. Townshend developed an infatuation with synthesizers during the recording of the album, and they’re all over this album, adding texture where needed and amplifying the force, which is already at a fever pitch. Apart from Live at Leeds, the Who have never sounded as LOUD and unhinged as they do here, yet that’s balanced by ballads, both lovely and scathing.

Powerage was a first in the sense that it debuted bassist Cliff Williams, but it really is more of a final curtain to the band’s early years. It would be the last produced by Vanda & Young, the legendary Australian production team who also helmed hits by the Easybeats, and it was the last before AC/DC became superstars. As such, it’s perhaps the most overlooked of their ‘70s records, also because, frankly, it is the most uneven of them. Not that it’s a bad record -- far from it, actually. There are a few genuine classics here, most notably “Down Payment Blues” and “Up to My Neck in You,” and there’s a real appeal in how Bon Scott’s gutter poems of excess are reaching a mythic level.

Perhaps realizing that their time on a major label was likely limited, Built to Spill made a gutsy choice for Keep It Like a Secret, their second album for Warner Brothers. They embraced the sounds of a big studio and focused their sound without sacrificing their fractured indie rock aesthetic. In a sense, this is Built to Spill’s pop album: every song is direct and clean, without the long, cerebral jamming that characterized their earlier albums. That’s not to say that the album is compromised -- the songwriting may be streamlined, but Doug Martsch now packs all of his twists, turns, and detours into dense, three-minute blasts.

Few bands ever took the term “death metal” as literally as Liverpool, England’s Carcass. The band’s penchant for crafting song titles that eschewed Satanic tropes in favor of gruesome medical terminology became as much a calling card as their neck-snapping blend of melodic thrash and punishing grindcore, and when they decided to call it quits in 1996 after the release of the relatively disjointed (by Carcass standards) Swansong, it left a fouler taste than usual in the mouths of their listeners. Seventeen years later, Surgical Steel, the group’s sixth long-player, remedies all that with a decisive thrust of the scalpel, offering up an 11-track tour de force that’s as visceral, inventive, and grotesque as Symphonies of Sickness

WEEN CHOCOLATE AND CHEESE 1994 - Elektra

THE DOORS L.A. WOMAN 1971 - Elektra

THE B-52S COSMIC THING 1989 - Reprise

(180g 2LP) - R385

(180g LP) - R300

A brilliant fusion of pop and gonzo humor, 1994’s Chocolate and Cheese is arguably Ween’s finest moment. Building on Pure Guava’s more focused approach, the album proved for once and all that along with their twisted sense of humor and wide musical vocabulary, Dean and Gene are also impressive songwriters. Over the course of Chocolate and Cheese, Ween explore virtually every permutation of pop, rock, soul, and funk, from the opening song “Take Me Away”’s rootsy rock to “Roses Are Free”’s homage to Prince’s shiny Paisley Park era. On the dreamy, British psych-inspired “What Deaner Was Talking About,” the Afro-Caribbean funk of “Voodoo Lady,” and “Freedom of ‘76,” their funny, sexy tribute to ‘70s Philly soul.

The final album with Jim Morrison in the lineup is by far their most blues-oriented, and the singer’s poetic ardor is undiminished, though his voice sounds increasingly worn and craggy on some numbers. Actually, some of the straight blues items sound kind of turgid, but that’s more than made up for by several cuts that rate among their finest and most disturbing work. The seven-minute title track was a car-cruising classic that celebrated both the glamour and seediness of Los Angeles; the other long cut, the brooding, jazzy “Riders on the Storm,” was the group at its most melodic and ominous. It and the far bouncier “Love Her Madly” were hit singles, and “The Changeling” and “L’America” count as some of their better little-heeded album tracks.

TALKING HEADS MORE SONGS ABOUT BUILDINGS AND FOOD 1978 - Sire / Warner Bros

CIRCLE JERKS GOLDEN SHOWER OF HITS 1983 - Rhino

(180G LP) - R295

(NUMBERED LP) - R495

While musical trends have come and gone over the course of the 23 years that Clutch have been roaming the earth, they’ve always thrived by just sitting back and doing their own thing, a trend they keep up on their tenth album, Earth Rocker. Though there’s still a little of that good old Southern swing in the songs, the album is more of a straightahead rocker. With the exception of bluesy slow jammer “Gone Cold,” the album feels like Clutch at their most efficient and economical, diverting the energy they might have used for extended jam sessions into watertight rippers like “Mr. Freedom” and “Cyborg Bette.”

The title of Talking Heads’ second album, More Songs About Buildings and Food, slyly addressed the sophomore record syndrome, in which songs not used on a first LP are mixed with hastily written new material. If the band’s sound seems more conventional, the reason simply may be that one had encountered the odd song structures, staccato rhythms, strained vocals, and impressionistic lyrics once before. Another was that new co-producer Brian Eno brought a musical unity that tied the album together, especially in terms of the rhythm section, the sequencing, the pacing, and the mixing. Where Talking Heads had largely been about David Byrne’s voice and words. all the songs were danceable, and there were only short breaks between them

Everything you love about legendary Californian punkers the Circle Jerks is gloriously displayed on Golden Shower of Hits. Obnoxious humor (Keith Morris’ vocals, the album cover), disjointed guitars courtesy of Greg Hetson, and sloppy yet excited rhythm work (bassist Roger Rogerson and drummer John Ingram) all add up to perhaps the ultimate punk rock party. The band never excelled in subtlety, as evidenced in the song titles “When the Shit Hits the Fan” and “Parade of the Horribles,” but the Jerks were one of the first bands to play lightning fast, yet still memorable punk (the 41-second classic “In Your Eyes”).

THOM YORKE THE ERASER 2006 - XL Recordings

CAPTAIN BEEFHEART TROUT MASK REPLICA 1969 - Warner Bros

WARM SODA YOUNG RECKLESS HEARTS 2014 - Castle Face

SUICIDE SUICIDE 1977 - City Hall

(LIMITED EDITION LP) - R385

(LP) - R335

(180g 2LP) - R440

(LP) - R350

(LP) - R250

Many observers were prepared to write off the B-52’s after the release of Bouncing Off the Satellites. Granted, the album was completed in the wake of Ricky Wilson’s death, but the group appeared bereft of new musical ideas and were sounding rather stale. In other words, the last thing anyone expected was a first-class return to form, which is what they got with Cosmic Thing. Working with producers Don Was and Nile Rodgers, the B-52’s updated their sound with shiny new surfaces and deep, funky grooves -- it was the same basic pattern as before, only refurbished and contemporized. Just as importantly, they had their best set of songs since at least Wild Planet, possibly since their debut.

The Eraser, Thom Yorke’s first album away from Radiohead, is intensely focused and steady. It doesn’t have the dynamics -- the shifts of mood, tempo, volume -held by any Radiohead album, and it’s predominantly electronic, so it’s bound to rankle many of the fans who thought Kid A was too unhinged from rock & roll. It’s definitely not the kind of album you put on to get an instant shot of energy, and at the same time, it doesn’t contain anything as sullen as “How to Disappear Completely.” Since it is so balanced, it might initially seem unwavering, but the details that differentiate the songs become increasingly apparent with each successive listen.

Trout Mask Replica is Captain Beefheart’s masterpiece, a fascinating, stunningly imaginative work that still sounds like little else in the rock & roll canon. Given total creative control by producer and friend Frank Zappa, Beefheart and his Magic Band rehearsed the material for this 28-song double album for over a year, wedding minimalistic R&B, blues, and garage rock to free jazz and avant-garde experimentalism. Atonal, sometimes singsong melodies; jagged, intricately constructed dual-guitar parts; stuttering, complicated rhythmic interaction -- all of these elements float out seemingly at random, often without completely interlocking, while Beefheart groans his surrealist poetry in a throaty Howlin’ Wolf growl.

When Matthew Melton started Warm Soda after the implosion of his previous group Bare Wires, he switched up his style a bit and opted for a stripped-down and precise power pop update instead of the pounding garage punk he had been doing. The first Warm Soda album worked really well because it made sure to retain plenty of his previous band’s energy, and the songs were uniformly excellent examples of the good that can come from mixing up punk and pop. 2014’s entry, Young Reckless Hearts, feels a bit warmed over and falls a little flat. Though Melton still has a way with a hook and there are really good songs here, they aren’t served at all by the way they are recorded or performed.

Proof that punk was more about attitude than a raw, guitar-driven sound, Suicide’s self-titled debut set the duo apart from the rest of the style’s self-proclaimed outsiders. Over the course of seven songs, Martin Rev’s dense, unnerving electronics -- including a menacing synth bass, a drum machine that sounds like an idling motorcycle, and harshly hypnotic organs -- and Alan Vega’s ghostly, Gene Vincent-esque vocals defined the group’s sound and provided the blueprints for post-punk, synth pop, and industrial rock in the process. Though those seven songs shared the same stripped-down sonic template, they also show Suicide’s surprisingly wide range.

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THE GROUNDFLOOR The ideal, hassle-free studio for small shoots, castings, fittings and show & tells.

www.thegroundfloor.co.za

310mm x 155mm.indd 1

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16 1

10 5

1 QUIKSILVER - ALAIA COVE / 2 BEN SHERMAN - OFF WHITE TEE / 3 BEN SHERMAN - JET BLACK SHIRT / 4 RVCA - SATISFACTION - SHIRT VANILLA / 5 DICKIES - AIRFORCE BLUE / 6 VANS - SNAKE SKIN 7 HUF - THRASHER SOCKS / 8 RVCA - ECON COIN POUCH / 9 VON ZIPPER - SIDEPIPE SUNGLASSES / 10 VON ZIPPER - SIDEPIPE SUNGLASSES / 11 VANS - RECREATION THERAPIST TEE / 12 VANS - BARKA RUBBER JACKET 13 VANS - MIDWAY SKATE DUFFLE / 14 2BOP - BUCKET HAT / 15 VANS - HERO CAP / 16 ADIDAS - 5 PANEL / 17 DUTCHIE - MAKI ROLL / 18 STANCE - WASATCH CREW SOCK 56

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VIVRE SA VIE

1 ACNE - SUN WHITE HAT / 2 COUNTRY ROAD - KIMONO TUNIC / 3 RVCA - SEBATICAL / 4 ADIDAS - HYKE / 5 JANE SEWS - WILLOW JUMPSUIT / 6 WOLF & MAIDEN - KEROUAC DUFFLE 7 LOMO - LC-A+ SILVER LAKE CAMERA / 8 FREEDOM OF MOVEMENT - JIM WALLET / 9 ADIDAS - CREW SOCKS / 10 REDEMPTION - CENTURION / 11 WITCHERY - BOILED COATIGAN 12 ACNE - KENSINGTON RUST SKIRT / 13 RAYBAN - SUNGLASSES / 14 TAKAHIRO MIYASHITA X OLIVER PEOPLES / 15 COUNTRY ROAD - TIE FRONT ROLL NECK KNIT / 16 TOPSHOP - JONI JEANS 58

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PLIMSOLL

HUF / X THRASHER CLASSIC HI

CONS / BREAKPOINT

CONS / CTAS PRO

CONS / KA3

DC / STUDIO S

DC/ COLE PRO

NIKE SB / GT BLAZER LOW

NIKE SB / BLAZER PR SE

EMERICA/ REYNOLDS CRUISER

EMERICA / TROUBADOUR LOW

ETNIES / SCOUT X MAGENTA

VANS / SK8 HI LEATHER TAN

VANS / SK8 HI STONE WASH

VANS / C&L ERA 59

VANS / AUTHENTIC

PUMA / XT2 X BWGH

PUMA / R698 X BWGH

PUMA / R698 X VASHTIE

PUMA / R698 X BWGH

ADIDAS / ADV BOOST

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ADIDAS / GONZ PRO

ADIDAS / SEELEY ADV

ADIDAS / SILAS SLR

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ROBOTECH PUMA SOUNDCHUCK-PMAD 6050

PUMA MACH 9 IN-EAR + MIC PMAD 3042

The Puma Soundchuck Bluetooth wireless speaker system is weather resistant, adjustable, and portable—so you can share the music on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch anywhere. Thanks to its funky lifestyle design, cool materials, fashionable colors, and versatile indoor/outdoor functionality, Soundchuck is the perfect hi-fi speaker to take on all your travels.

Mach 9 In-Ear + Mic PMAD 3042 Headphones are made with comfort and fit in mind. Ideal for running and working out, they have a special Ergo fit to prevent them from falling out of your ears at inopportune moments, so you can keep listening to your favourite motivating music.

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Durable, shock- and weather-resistant silicone exterior—great for outdoor or indoor use Bluetooth enabled for wireless pairing; built-in microphone allows hands-free calls Crystal-clear Hi-Fi acoustics Built-in battery offers six hours of play

In ear fit Polycarbonate acoustic sound chamber Mesh speaker cap to reduce dust/debris PUMA Cat logo Packaged with extra ear gels Compatible with most phones, computers and audio devices

VIEW QUEST RETRO RADIO

B&O FORM 2I HEADPHONES

The View Quest Retro Radio is designed with a vintage look but features all the modern functionality you could possibly need.

With these headphones you can crank up the volume without compromising sound quality or annoying the neighbors. Dynamic drive units offer true, well-defined sound, allowing you to shut out the world and submerge yourself in pure, listening pleasure. The lightweight Form 2 headphones are easily adjusted for maximum comfort. With a weight of only 68 grams and semi-open configuration lets you stay in touch with the world around you.

The VQ Retro Radio features DAB and DAB+ so you can listen to your favourite digital stations in the UK or across Europe (depending on regional coverage). No digital coverage, no problem, simply switch to FM radio. Time for your own music, access your library via the Lightning dock for iPod or iPhone or the 3.5mm aux input to connect any other audio device. At VQ we believe that colour is an important part of who we are, so why should the technology we buy only be Black or Silver? Join the Revolution with our award winning technology that’s designed to match your style.

The Form 2i are not your typical-looking headphones. Available in black, white, red, green, blue, grey, and limited edition blue, these are as distinctive and stylish pair of on-ears you are going to find.

ZEST T1 SMARTPHONE

MOPHIE JUICE PACK PLUS

ADIDAS ORIGINALS IPHONE HARD CASE

The Amazing Zest T1 Smartphone comes in velvety matte black and pearlescent white finishes. Proudly Designed in South Africa and uniquely positioned, it packs a powerful punch at a fraction of the cost. Your Zest T1 comes pre–loaded with the latest Android KitKat 4.4.2 software and thanks to Over–the– Air Updates, you will continue to get new features for months to come.

This low-profile design provides more than 120% extra battery allowing you to power through just about any situation, while the hard exterior shell along with our proprietary impact-isolation system protects your phone from heavy impacts and hard falls.

The adidas Originals hard case has a lovely matte transparent side parts for the perfect grip, and offers easy access to all the buttons and inserts. With the stylish Trefoil, ‘adidas’ and 3-Stripes print, you’ll be the envy of all your friends.

It has a Quad Core Processor.The Zest T1 uses a powerful Quad Core Cortex A7 Processor based on ARM architecture. Couple this with 1GB RAM, this means faster operation and longer battery life! The Zest T1 focuses on using a high quality 8MP Rear Camera Sensor with Auto-Focus to achieve great results. The Zest T1 comes with two SIM card slots, for Mobile Data and Phone Data.

ALL PRODUCTS AVAILABLE AT ashift8.com 62

The newly designed Impact-isolation System combines our standard rubberized support pads with internal suspension bumpers lining the edges of the juice pack case for even greater protection against shocks and falls.

ANKER ASTRO MINI EXTERNAL BATTERY

ANKER 40W 5-PORT DESKTOP CHARGER

Not all charging ports are created equal. Standard ports only communicate effectively with particular devices, like Apple OR Android, often limiting their recharge rate. But with PowerIQ™ technology, each port intelligently identifies your device to speak its unique charging language. So plug in any brand or model and enjoy compatibility that doesn’t limit your charging speed.

When all you need is a boost, the Anker® Astro Mini’s got you covered. Holds enough juice to get you back up and running without weighing you down (less than 3oz). Add more than a full charge - that’s up to 9 hours of talk time to an iPhone or more than 90 hours of audio playback to most other phones.

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