Bubblegum Club

Author: Andrew Aitchison

  • Bubblegum Club mix Vol 16 by Nakedboys

    Bubblegum Club mix Vol 16 by Nakedboys

    Last weekend the newly founded Cape Town based A11 agency hosted the Durban-based Nakedboys for a short stay in the mother city. The weekend saw the Nakedboys playing sets at popular Cape Town spots like Pretoria bar and Fiction in Long Street and Rands Sunday in Khayelitsha. While in town, A11 recorded an interview with the duo and also had the Nakedboys create an exclusive mix for Bubblegum Club. Listen to the mix and read the interview below.

    A11: Can you tell us a little a bit about this mix that you have made for Bubblegum Club?

    King Ice: It is a Gqom mix with different artists. About four of the tracks are ours. Its just one of those Naked Boys type-of-kind-of mixtapes, that gets you going.

    Madlisa: I think the mix is a true banger, it’s very hot. Especially since it was recorded live.

    King Ice: Yes it’s a Naked Banger as always!

    Madlisa: And we featured a lot of new tracks that we will be releasing soon, and a brand new single called ‘Hide and Seek’ featuring Top Kid and DJ Scratch.

    A11: When is that single going to drop?

    The single will drop soon, in a week or two, hopefully before the 9th of March. On the 9th we have an MTV Base documentary that will play Friday at 6pm.

    A11: Which other Gqom producers in Durban, Cape Town, Eastern Cape, Joburg would you like to give a shout out to?

    To everyone that was supported us. Especially these young cats who look up to us, and who have been with us since day one, pushing our music in clubs and in mixtapes.

    A11: How do you guys feel about the way that this “Gqom wave“ has been flowing and gathering momentum – where do you see this sound going?

    The sound is going to last. It’s here to stay. Gqom is a new and fresh sound, bringing it to the people of not just Durban or Cape Town but globally. It’s turned into a culture. People are hungry for it, they just want more, to get more of this new sound. Certain areas are not aware of the sound at all, and we want to take it to those places. Like here in central Cape Town, its not heard that much. It’s mostly played in outside townships here. Gqom is the future….they were right…. and it’s the present.

    A11: Do you feel the sound is developing sub genres now?

    Some new cats are trying to make their own way by creating their own Gqom and create other genres on top of Gqom. Everyone is trying to claim sounds, instead of just working together. Knowing who started Gqom doesn’t make much of a difference, as long as we are making the sound and pushing it forward. Saying that, we aren’t really on the dark side of Gqom. We are more chilled. It is jumping, but it is not the darkest most hardcore stuff out there.

    A11: As more Gqom is produced, do you think different strains of Gqom will emerge?

    It looks like it is going there, but at the same time – Gqom is Gqom. You can’t say right now you have a different sound.  ‘Sghubu’ is like Gqom, but more chilled. It uses those deep drums, but it is more melodic. More progressive – the sound is warmer and fuller.

    A11: Being there from the beginning, would you say you helped to found and create a framework for other producers to build and push this sound forward?

    When we introduced this new sound, the producers…who were at that time producing mostly deep house and tribal…were very interested and they wanted to copy it. But it can never be the exact same, it will always be different, but in the same genre.

    A11: When did the Nakedboys become the Nakedboys?

    In 2010.

    A11: How has your sound developed since then?

     King Ice: Its changed. In the beginning we were more into the tribal type of stuff. While messing around in fruity loops, we developed new sounds, we got more and more creative with it.

    Madlisa: It’s like learning a new language man, when you hear and read more, you get used to speaking it. You grow! You become more creative, cause you know you’ve done things a certain way, now let’s try do it differently. It’s something like that. You become more fluent, more creative.

    Tracklist:

    Nakedboys – Ride Along

    Nakedboys – Hide & Seek

    Durban Sounds – ###

    Naked boys ft Campmasters – Holy bible

    Campmasters – Angazi nami

    Nakedboys ft Funky Qla – Night Banger

    Dlala Lazz -iqegu

    Black Dust – welcome

    Diskwa & afro sounds – ###

    Campmasters – Afro 1

    Ceeyah – gear 17

    Vanger boyz- straw 80

    ###

    dj ministo – 2018

    dbn sounds – ###

  • Bubblegum Club mix Vol 15 by Xee (Globalize Yourself Stereo)

    Bubblegum Club and Globalize Yourself Stereo present the first guest mix Xee has done outside the Globalize Yourself Stereo platform in South Africa. I had a quick chat with Xee Tshomela, Cape Town based DJ, producer and co-founder of the GYS platform, to hear a bit what he’s been up to and what he has put together for us.

    You mentioned that this is the first mix you have ever done for a South African platform? What’s special about this one? 

    Bubblegum Club has a fringe vibe and edge that I have a natural affinity with being in a similar space in my medium. So I knew I could curate unusual music without getting too much flack about taking such liberties sonically.

    Can you tell us a bit about the mixes you have done before? 

    My first mix series was called Soundtrack to the City. I’d do an overview of the sounds that inspired me that year and put that down in a mix. Print and distribute a few CD’s, when Soundcloud came out I jumped onto that. I then started the GYS with Sakhile and Thulani in 2013. We were on our own in terms of social connectivity and access to creatives so the job of filing up the platform with content fell on my lap since I was the Dj component in the project. Luckily I had been collecting music since I was a teenager, a vast portion of which was unplayable at gigs due to the experimental nature of the music. I never stopped collecting this type of sound so when the opportunity to output came I threw everything I had into molding the GYS sound.

    GYS have published about 400 mixes on Mixcloud prior to this? Please could you recommend a follow up GYS mix to play after listening to this.

    Well I returned to playing Vinyl in 2017 after a decade break from the format and I must say I returned with a different sense of appreciation as I previously saw it as a medium which stored deep house and techno 12 inches at the time. I’ve now started collecting the wider ranges of sound that I was always interested in on Vinyl and also inherited a decent SA Free Jazz and Soul collection from my uncle to help me on my way. Sound really has a magical quality on the format so I recommend a set I played at Sunday Edition in Cape Town.

    Please tell us a little bit more about Globalize Yourself Stereo? 

    GYS is a Cape Town born idea that came about from a need to give the Internet Age South African experience a unique voice in online radio. The show has always focused on juxtaposing African musical influences with various cultures from around the world. Creating a unique meeting point between the vastly unexplored African sonic landscape and similar spirited sounds from around the world. We now have stand-alone shows and branches curated by Dj’s in Vienna, Warsaw, Derby and Singapore.

    What would you say is the best time of the day to put this mix on?

    It’s a long and varied electronic music presentation so it covers different feelings or times within a day. The way I package audio is for it to suit a state of mind rather than any particular time of day. With that being said mornings and late afternoon (magic hour) vibes work best with this mix.

    What percentage of South African music is there in this mix?

    About 40% of the mix comprises of SA music and producers that are friends and collaborators that I’ve worked with or have future projects planned with so this is a friends of GYS showcase on the local and international front.

    Lastly. Whatʼs next for GYS?

    We had no intention of being a full on radio channel starting out so we now having to structure GYS as a standalone platform and service which requires extensive web and app development and also point it towards SA and the African continent more deliberately. So we are looking at branching out into the continent and diaspora to further explore what other interesting sounds and people lay hidden beneath the filter of mass appeal.

    If you are in Cape Town this December, you can catch Xee playing an all vinyl set at Half Fool #1

     

  • Bubblegum Club Mix Volume 12 by Nandele

    Maputo based beatmaker drops an exclusive mix for Bubblegum Club while on a South African x Mozambican collaborative residency with Felix Laband and others.
     
    Nandele is one of 6 artists currently participating in a cultural exchange residency between South African and Mozambican artists called Colagem Co! The collaborative residency is funded by Pro Helvetia JHB and kicked off on 26 June in Maputo. All the participants arrive in Johannesburg this weekend, where you can catch Nandele’s South African debut show at Kitcheners on 1 July.  The event will be a real culture clash between MZ & ZA. Nandele will be playing alongside Felix Laband (post his Maputo-based residency), Mozambican born Dub Rui (WEheartDUB) and DJ Danger Ingozi. There will be live visuals provided by the artists on residency.
    I had a quick word with Nandele Maguni to find out a bit more about this mix, his other work and what he is busy with at the moment.
    Please tell us a little bit about this mix?

    This mix its part of series I’ve been doing, the first one I launched on my birthday last year, so this one is the second one on the series and it was recorded live at a hip hop festival called “Amor a Camisola”. This mix its all about I’ve been listening to during the times, beats and songs that I listen in small get together with friends, its a great way to test new tunes so I can see how my friends react to the tunes.

    How do your mixes/DJ sets differ from your live productions? Does this mix comprise of sounds that inspire your productions?

    My mixing or dj sets are quite different from my live shows, it’s all music that I am listening to at the time and I want to share with the crowd. My live shows are more energetic and aggressive, it’s mostly driven by how I feel on the day of the performance. My dj sets are like compilations of artists that inspire me.

    What will you be doing in Johannesburg this Saturday? What can we expect to hear at Kitcheners?

    In Johannesburg I’ll be performing new material for my new album ‘Likumbi’ that is coming out this year and some new edits I’ve done so far.

    At Kitcheners this Saturday the crowd should expect a performance inspired by Makonde initiation rites which is the meaning of my album title ‘Likumbi’, so it’s going to be a very dark and a heavy experience.

    This album was actually built on the fear I felt during the time I was initiated at Mueda village when I experienced Likumbi, so this will be the atmosphere of my music during my live performance.

    When did you start producing?

    I started producing 5 years ago, but I wasn’t sure of the music i was doing. When I was introduced to Ableton then everything changed. I don’t know why but I started to share my music on Soundcloud with odd names and with friends, sometimes on DJ sets at Dolce Vita, which is a pub in Maputo where I had a residency. It was just to see people’s reaction to the music. So I had positive feedback and then started working on my first EP Argolas Deliciosas (available at nandele.bandcamp.com).

    What are your influences regarding your music and how would you describe your music?

    My music is influenced by my country and everything that has had an impact on my life, whether positive or negative. My Makonde tribe for example was the main influence for my new material. But in terms of artists I am mainly influenced by Pretty Lights, Flying Lotus and Nosaj Thing.

    You mentioned you have an upcoming album called ‘Likumbi’. Can you give us a little bit of information on that? 

    ‘Likumbi’ is a very personal album. It’s about the initiations rite I went through when I was 12 years old, and the Mozambican political climate.

    Its an album that has a different dynamic to my previous EP. It is more experimental and it draws on all of my musical influences from drum and bass, ambient music, big beat, trip hop, hip hop, trap, heavy metal and tribal chants.

    Please tell us about your collaborative work with visual artist Ricardo Pinto Jorge.

    Ricardo and I have been working together since his first exposition during a residency I curated for a spot called Arte no Parke. From that point forward we’ve been working together ever since. He is the designer for most of my projects, and at this moment I am creating the music for his upcoming exhibition Bits of Maputo which is going to be launched this year.

    What else are up to at the moment?

    At this moment I have been working on a project with different artists in the Maputo hip hop scene, working on my project The Mute Band – we’ve done some big festivals this year like Azgo and Bushfire, and at the moment we are working on our Rumble in the Jungle Tour. The Likumbi tour is also coming soon. But I am working actually right now on the Colagem Co! project which is a collaboration between Mozambican artists and South African artists. It’s like a dream come true because through this project I am able to collaborate with Felix Laband who is an artist that I admire very much.

    Whats next for Nandele? 

    I am working on The Mute Band debut album, and the second installment for the Argolas Deliciosas. But I would like to tour in South Africa and the world so I’ll be working very hard to make that happen. I see myself collaborating a lot through the next years, and working on projects like making music for short films and contemporary dance pieces.

    Stream/buy Nandele’s Argolas Deliciosas EP over at his bandcamp page, and find out more about the Colagem Co! project over here and here.

     

  • Bubblegum Club mix Vol 9 by Maramza

    A few weeks ago we featured Maramza on the cover of Bubblegum Club. Maramza has played an important role in pushing South Africa’s electronic music. This 11 track mix demonstrates the work of a producer who has sonic passion flowing through his veins.

    For a little more insight we spoke to Maramza about the mix and what he has planned next.

    Could you tell us a bit about the mix you have created?
    Its a snapshot of the kind of sets I’m playing at the moment. A balance between broken beat electronica and mid-tempo bass house with a good sprinkle of turn-up. This mix is 90% local which isn’t how my actual club sets are (more like 60/40 local / international) and although it features Fosta’s ‘Sjoko Mission’ from the recent Kwaai-Fi comp, I don’t really play straight gqom or sjoko joko in my sets. But otherwise that’s my club DJ sound.
     
    Have you had a hand to play in every track on the mix (how so)?  
    Not all the tracks. I produced Zaki’s “Focus”, remixed Snapbvck’s “Noise ft Red Robyn” and Dunn Kidda’s “Laanie Level”, bootlegged Kaytra’s Track Uno and obviously produced my own joints on the mix. But Fosta’a “Sjoko Mission”, Dunn Kidda’s “Laanie Level Pt. 2” and Jumping Back Slash’s “Come Rescue Me” are just tracks I really feel.
     
    This mix seems to touch on the past, the present and the future of South African electronic music production? Was this intentional?
    No, not at all intentional. But its nice to think of it that way. I guess it makes sense with the old-school mid-tempo feel and future beats kind of vibe. That’s dope.
     
    What next for Maramza? 
    Last year was cool, I remixed some tracks, I produced some tracks for other artists, I collabed, I created some of my own music. So I guess I just wanna repeat that and release as much nice music as I can. I love to DJ wherever there is an open-minded crowd (as in a crowd that doesn’t get miff when I play that old-school mid-tempo or future beats). If I get a couple of gigs a month, I’m more than happy. Every now and then I catch feelings like any artist, craving more gigs and more exposure, but I’m at my best when I’m just grateful to get booked and have my music heard. Really want to help Kwaai-Fi put out a couple of interesting comps this year. That’s a biggie. You can hold me to that.