We first heard of LV's music in 2007 with the release of their monumental collaboration with vocalist Errol Bellot 'Globetrotting'. With releases over the past couple years on Hyperdub and 2nd Drop, LV have been on fire this year with 3 releases so far in 2010. Their first release of the year, a collab with Untold 'Beacon' was released on his Hemlock label in March (complete with stunning remix from Mt. Kimbie on the flip) as well as another Hyperdub release with Japan's Quarta330 titled 'Hylo.' The 5-track '38 EP' on Dusk & Blackdown's Keysound imprint has also seen release this past Spring.
Their most recent 12" effort 'Boomslang ft. Okmalumkoolkat / Zharp' takes influence from South Africa's Kwaito movement and officially drops on Hyperdub on October 11th. For now, enjoy the video sent over from our friend's at Hyperdub/Backspin and also check out an interview conducted with Gerv from LV by Martin Clark about his recent excursion to South Africa, as well as a mix from LV showcasing the South African house sounds of Kwaito HERE.
Latest mix from Zhao in his NGOMA mix series. Zhao had this to say about his most recent mix, "while staying in the same territory as 2, the journey is not the same, and many things make this one unique: the psychedelic motorik genius of Dj Clock's "Durban Guitar"; the monolithic, earth shaking visions of Black Coffee; DJ Sdoko's ominous Kraftwerkian phuture; Manya's soul stirring take on traditonal Angolan melodies; a surprisingly wicked banger from the Dutch DJ Bigga (UK is not the only place currently Afro minded), and ending with Sami vocal style from Mari Boine, reinterpreting the sound of indigenous Norway*. most of the selection are not well known or commonly used tracks in the "scene", with only one exception: just could not stay away from the Yellowtail (but check how it is used before you complain).
concerning the anti-apartheid and war samples used through out the mix: the struggle for freedom from colonialism is the context which gave rise to contemporary South African music: Kwaito was born amidst antagonism and bloodshed, and has led to the current house music scene. thus songs such as "100 Zulu Warriors" and the radio broadcast at the end should not be taken as an incitement of racial conflict (especially in light of last year's wave of horrible xenophobia) but as a reminder of the political realities of the Apartheid era from which this music comes. "
Next up we've got a mix from Chief Boima originally posted on Ghetto Bassquake. Here's a few words from Boima about the mix, "My biggest excitement is the regional similarities. A bunch of tracks are from Southern Africa: Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Angola, and not included, but don't forget Botswana. Also, as evidenced by the start and end of the set, house is big in Latin America and the Caribbean. I added a little Bay Area pride at the end. (But still reppin South Africa!)"
Tracklisting:
1. Fuego-Dejalo Caer 2. Dj Furreta-Minha Mangole 3. Unathi-U R Devine 4. DJ Damost-Wa Ku Kuluka feat. Mr. Dino 5. DJ Jesus-The Thanks 6. Bob Sinclair-The Love Generation 7. Dj Furreta-Ola La Yeah 8. Dj Joca-Djokidos 9. Dj Cleo-Gabz to Mbabane w/Brickz 10. Black Runner-Pump It Up 11. Magic System-Zouglou Dance 12. Dj Killer-Revolucionário 13. Murder Cat-Blam Blam 14. Enur-Calabria Riddim 15. Ding Dong-Go Away 16. ?-? 17. Goapele-Closer (Remix)
The Fader also recently have done a 2-part feature on African house music as part of their Ghetto Palms column. You can read part I HERE, complete with a kwaito/ pitori house blend with tunes by Mujava and Cleo and also read part II HERE, an exclusive interview with DJ Mujava. Fader also created a podcast for their African music centered issue from 2008 that you can download HERE with tracks from Buraka Som Sistema, BLK JKS, Esau Mwanwaya, and more.
Here is a new one from Zhao. If you enjoyed his NGOMA1 mix, which you can find a few posts down, here is his newest mix; this time featuring the sounds of African Techno and House as well as other afro-influenced styles of electronic music. Here is what he had to say about the mix:
'it is said that the drum itself was invented in Africa. and as far as i'm concerned, all modern pop and especially dance music have deep roots in the musical traditions of that continent. i have made the admittedly sensationalist proclamation "techno comes from Africa", and here is an extremely simplified version of my concept of this lineage: slave songs - blues - gospel - jazz - funk - disco - house - techno ---- the circle is complete. some may have problems with this generalization (and in some ways i do too), but all sidelines, exceptions, and details aside, essentially it makes sense to me. after all, the 4 on the floor hypnotic groove can be found in the myriad styles of African music from every era, be it high-life, rumba, or the thousands upon thousands of much older regional traditions.
most people were, and still are, confused, skeptical, or straight up dismissive when i talk about this, but history was made in 2008 with Warp Records' release of DJ Mujava's Township Funk in Europe, which i believe is only the beginning of Europeans coming to grips with the awesome power of African Techno.
i have been playing Euro-centric minimal, hard techno, breaks, electro, etc., for years, but in recent years have increasingly sensed a solipsism, stagnation, and bankrupsy. but i feel the style loosely termed "UK Funky" is leading the way out of the rut; and it is no coincidence that the most exciting thing happening in European dance music is directly derivative of African and Afro-Caribbean rhythmic structures.
enough talk. switch on the amplifier, lower the lights, and put on those dancing shoes.' Tracklist
I was browsing through Fact Magazine this afternoon and came to find they had recently written up an article about South Africa's kwaito music movement, which has come into the limelight recently thanks to Warp Records signing and releasing DJ Mujava's anthem 'Township Funk.' Kwaito relies on stripped down house-friendly melodies over disrupted, broken beat tribal rhythms as it's base and DJs around the world are starting to take notice. A highlight of our recent trip to Seattle's Decibel Festival was the tandem of Michael Mayer and Superpitcher throwing down their own unique 'Township Funk' remix. You can also hear Stenchman's dubstep remix of the tune HERE as well as L-Vis1990's kwaito dub remix of the track HERE.
Here is an except from the Fact Magazine article 'Kwaito invasion?' Full article text can be found HERE at the FactMagazine website. Great Read:
"In a car park amid Pretoria's high-rise housing, I'm watching something special unfold: a DJ has set up on a table, and as he puts on a record by Mujava , all kinds of people drift over and drop what they're doing to dance. It's a fairly amazing sight: they twist their torsos and arms as if trying to squeeze through a tennis racket. They can make their legs turn to rubber at will. The music is even more interesting: with loping snares hitting anywhere but on the beat and a springy shuffle, as if roughly hacked from concrete and metal, the track is familiar to everyone from taxi journeys.
It's time to come clean, though: I've never been to South Africa, I'm just watching the video for 'Township Funk' and it's pretty obvious the above scenario is staged. Thanks to a release in the UK by This Is Music, it's first record in a while I've seen anyone run to a DJ to find out about. Even in a climate that rapidly adopts, processes and recycles other countries' dance music, the attention that 'Township Funk' has been getting is remarkable.
So why are people giving it attention? Partly it must be down to rhythmic novelty: against all the house and techno wallpaper, it's fun to hear the neat grid set down by disco disrupted by beats from other lineages. Mujava, who claims not to have any other influences, simply calls his music "house with an African beat". But in South Africa house isn't particularly distinct from other urban music, known overall as kwaito. Samkelo Ngwenya of kwaito.co.uk – a London-based website dedicated to increasing this music's audience – explains that dancehall, ragga and hip-hop are huge influences on South African artists. It trickles down to Mujava's end of the spectrum, which is usually specifically called mzansi.
Something else that might occur to electronic music fans is the similarity Mujava's sound bears to early nineties 'bleep 'n' bass' from Sheffield and Leeds [something you can read more about in Simon Reynolds' FACT primer]. It's another comparison Mujava seems uninterested in, offering only the following: "I love any type of music. Elements [of bleep] are similar to mine, which proves that music is the international language we all use to express ourselves." And in case you wondered, he doesn't use any of the same out-of-date music-making boxes, listing his equipment as "a PC with music software".
