Bubblegum Club

Tag: distruction boyz

  • Film, music and art events to attend in 2018

    Get out your diaries. Here is our list of not to miss film, music and art events for 2018:

    Inxeba (The Wound) is on circuit in South Africa

    When: From 2 February

    Where: Throughout the country

    Inxeba (The Wound), South Africa’s official entry to the 2018 Academy Awards for best foreign language film, will be released in South Africa from the 2nd of February. It will be screened at a number of independent movie theatres as well as mainstream movie houses. The film focuses on bringing questions and realities around homosexuality and tradition together. It stars SA musician Nakhane Touré who has received much praise for his performance as initiate Xolani. The movie’s engagement with gender, sexuality and tradition makes it a worthwhile watch.

    Gaika performs in South Africa

    When: Johannesburg – 8 February

    Cape Town – 9 February

    All the way from Brixton in the UK, the dystopian style of Gaika will be greeting South Africans for the first time in February. His childhood was surrounded by various forms of tech and scientific innovation. His current mode of production is inspired by the digitization of humanity. You can look forward to a live performance of some of his recently released tracks, including ‘BATTALION’.

    Click here for more information about the artist.

    Drop in Drawing

    When: 10 February

    Where: Wits Art Museum

    From: 12:00 – 13:00

    For their Valentine’s Day Edition WAM will be hosting Drop in Drawing, and just as the title of the event suggests, all that is required from participants is to come by the gallery during the allocated time slot. No experience or booking is required.

    If a cheesy Valentine’s Day events such as a film screening or dinner is not quite your thing, we’d recommend giving this one a chance. Let your hand lead your chosen implement of mark making and experiment in a gallery environment. Honestly, what could inspire creativity more?

    ‘Cape to Tehran: Re-imaging and re-imagining personal history in post-Apartheid South Africa and post-revolutionary Iran’

    When: 13 February – 29 March

    Where: Gallery MOMO Cape Town

    Opening Tuesday, 13 February at 18:00

    For this group show a diverse set of artists have been selected largely from South Africa and Iran by the curatorial hand of Sepideh Mehraban. The featured artists engage with complexities surrounding their individual country’s histories and legacies of trauma. Emphasis is placed on personal experiences of both conflict and change through their work resulting in the presentation of a multifaceted discussion. This discussion takes on areas of cohesion and divergence between post-apartheid and post-revolutionary Iran.

    ‘Cape to Tehran’ does not take the form of a sole narrative but instead acts as full-bodied conversation amongst artists from varying geographies and generations. This show serves to juxtapose personal encounters of socio-political turmoil experienced by the artists in their motherlands. They create art as a way of reflecting instead of simply representing their experiences of change and conflict.

    Featured artists:

    Kamran Adl | Shagha Ariannia | Patrick Bongoy | Stephanie Conradie | Rory Emmett | Thulile Gamedze | Black Hand | Svea Josephy | Francois Knoetze | Wonder Marthinus | Sepideh Mehraban | Emmanuel de Montbron | Sethembile Msezane | Neda Razavipour | Kathy Robins | Roderick Sauls | Berni Searle | Rowan Smith | Jo Voysey

    Petite Noir & Slow Jack perform at Kirstenbosch 

    When: 21 March

    Where: Cape Town

    As part of the Kirstenbosch Summer Sunset Concerts, Petite Noir and Slow Jack will be performing on the 21st of March. For those who are feeling a little out of the loop, Petite Noir is a Belgian-born Congolese musician and songwriter now based in South Africa. His EP The King of Anxiety and his album La vie est belle / Life Is Beautiful demonstrate why watching him perform live should be on everyone’s bucket list. Slow Jack was formed in 2015, and has grown to include some of Cape Town’s best musical talent. Be sure to have a listen to their Soundcloud as a warm up for the concert. Access tickets for the concert online. The availability of tickets at the venue is dependent on online ticket sales.

    ‘Bakhambile, Parktown’, 2016 by Zanele Muholi

    Stevenson group show BOTH, AND: commemorating 15 years of the gallery’s existence

    When: 7 July – 24 August

    Where: Johannesburg and Cape Town

    The Stevenson gallery turns 15 this year. A commemorative group exhibition titled BOTH, AND will take place from 7 July to 24 August. This exhibition reflects on the foundations that continue to allow the gallery to stand tall in South Africa’s art scene – being a space that has its finger on the pulse of the art market while remaining dedicated to art history and the development of ideas. Two new directors, Sisipho Ngodwana and Alexander Richards, aim to unpack this through their curation of the show. They will look back and look forward, outlining the history of the gallery, its unique publication programme, local presence and global perspective. The show will include artists who began the journey with Stevenson, namely Zanele Muholi, Deborah Poynton, Nicholas Hlobo, Pieter Hugo, Wim Botha, Guy Tillim and Nandipha Mntambo, and those who joined the gallery’s journey at a later stage, like Robin Rhode, Meschac Gaba, Barthélémy Toguo, Penny Siopis and Moshekwa Langa. New and existing work by these artists will tackle the questions, “How have we, over the past fifteen years, collectively navigated the paradox inherent in the commercial gallery model? And what might the future hold?”

    Red Bull Music Festival

    When: 3-8 April

    Where: Johannesburg

    Just when the weather will be getting a little cooler, Red Bull plans to bring the heat to Johannesburg with the Red Bull Music Festival. Trompies, Oskido, Moonchild Sannelly, Moozlie, Stiff Pap and Distruction Boyz are among the musical stars who will be performing at this exciting explosion of sound. The festival has something for everyone, with artists from genres such as jazz, hip hop, electro, gqom and kwaito. Different spots throughout Johannesburg’s inner city will come to life at varying points throughout the festival. These spots include The Orbit, Newtown Music Factory, Republic of 94, Great Dane, and Kitcheners. Be sure to get your tickets online.

    2017 Fak’ugesi theme

    Fak’ugesi African Digital Innovation Festival

    When: September

    Where: Tshimologong Prescinct, Johannesburg

    This year will mark Fak’ugesi’s fifth consecutive run in Johannesburg. The festival is due to take place in September, hosted at the Tshimologong Prescinct in Braamfontein in partnership with British Council ConnectZA. It offers an interactive space to celebrate digital technology, art and culture in Africa. Events and projects that should not be missed at the festival include the Digital Africa Art Exhibition, Market Hack, ColabNowNow, A MAZE and Block party. Dates are subject to change.

  • The Sound of Black Joy: A New Year’s Eve Meditation

    There is a New Year’s Eve I remember vividly like the afterglow of a fireworks display. I was very young, barely five, enjoying the newfound victory of staying up until “Happy New Year”.

    I stood in the fog created by the multiple braai-stands, mystified by the happenings of black joy that intensified with every song that played on the chart, counting us down to the anticipated three-two-one and, most importantly, the song that was to carry us into the new year straight after.

    The moment finally came. I remember my mother screaming around the yard with her sisters, with 100-if-you-lucky shooters in hand, muting the stars with crickets. I remember blocking my ears to cushion the thundering blows of Ama-Bhomu and I remember the sound of zinc roofs trembling under the terror of Malum’ Mthoko’s Telefunken sound system. I may not remember the exact song that played at midnight that year, but the significance of “Ingoma Ehlukanise Unyaka” was something that stayed in my memory until today.

    The space between then and now is filled with many songs that defined the times that never stopped moving. From Brenda Fassie’s ‘Vulindlela’, Mafikizolo’s ‘Bhuti Ngihamba Nawe’, to the more recent ‘Umlilo’ by Big NUZ, and last year’s heavily meme’d ‘Sobulala u Van Damme’. I should also highlight the difference in tastes that resulted in one Metro-FM-listening echelon of our culturally diverse society “splitting the year” to Babes Wodumo’s Wololo, in the same year that ‘Sobulala u Van Damme’ did.

    It is now December 2017. The December of the vosho-induced paralysis and Gin salads, amongst many other things. New Years Eve is around the corner and many of us are ritualistically sacrificing the dick that is to stay in 2017, for the sake of our own wellbeing. More importantly though, we are about to find out which song is worthy of carrying us into 2018, the sonic epitome of alrightness in 2017.

    There are many contenders. ‘Omunye’ by Distruction Boyz, for one, had the entire nation proclaiming their wig-less-ness since the release of their much anticipated album titled ‘Gqom Is The Future’. If you listened to Gqom 5 years ago, back when The Boyz had their phone numbers at the end of their song titles, when GTi driving bhutis tried to silence Gqom ngoba lento inomsindo, you’ll understand why this moment is so important. The Boyz have worked from the start to carve their own space in an industry that was not really about them. Now they have one of the biggest songs and that kind of impact makes me look at them with the same vicarious pleasures my uncles had when they watched soccer players rise from similar circumstances and make it to some big squad or whatever.

    The other big contender is Midnight Starring by Busiswa and Moonchild feat. Dj Tira & Dj Maphorisa (in all honesty). Another Gqom gem. I’ve actually heard more of this song since I have been in Durban and that is very telling. 5-year-olds will scream “please call future baby” with their last niknaks breathe, aunties demand the song like “aw’fake i panty eline lace lapho”. It literally gets more iconic. Those lyrics, those voices, those yebo’s that demand that you agree – it’s all power, with the black femme face we deserve.

    When we reach the pivotal three-two-one this weekend, I would be happy if any of these songs took it. It’s not an easy task to get the entire nation gyrating into the promising arms of a new year. And it’s all the more significant now that it feels like it will be one of our own who will define the times that never cease to move.

  • Distruction Boyz are the Future of Gqom

    Emerging out of the townships of Durban, the reach of gqom has spread over the last five years touching the rest of South Africa and making an impression on the global underground. With pioneers such as DJ Lag and the Rude Boyz having laid the foundation for the next generation of artists, now more than ever there is an appetite for the stripped down, minimal sounds of Durban.

    Having produced Babes Wodumo’s breakout hit “Wololo”, Kwa-Mashu based producers Distruction Boyz’ 13 track debut album “Gqom is the Future” showcases the duo’s intention of leaving a lasting impression on the music industry with one of the most exciting sounds to emerge out of South Africa in the last decade. Dubbed sghubu, a subgenre of gqom, Distruction Boyz’ sound is softer, more melodic, with more commercial leanings than it’s underground cousin.

    The album features collaborations with rising stars and heavyweights of the scene including Prince Bulo, Benny Maverick, Dlala Mshunqisi, Rude Boyz, Tipcee, Cruel Boyz and even DJ Tira. Favourite tracks from the last year including “2 O’Clock”, “Madness”, “Midnight” and 2016’s nationwide hit “Shut Up and Groove” all make an appearance. With relentless grooves and syncopated rhythms, the 13 tracks on “Gqom is the Future” hit you like a freight train and make sitting still an impossibility.

    With “Gqom is the Future” Thobani “Que” Mgobhozi and Zipho “Gold” Mthembu have assembled an album that captures the vibrant energy of Durban and it’s no surprise that the album has been released in time for summer. With promising initial sales, the Distruction Boyz’ goal of reaching Gold seems within reach. Expanding the palette of what one expects from Gqom, the Distruction Boyz have added new elements to what is an already exciting and evolving genre. The only questions that remains is where the future of Gqom is going to take it next.

  • Meet Distruction Boyz: The savvy young producers taking Gqom to a new audience

    By 2012 the gqom style of electronic music had already made a huge impact on youth audiences in Durban’s townships. The new sound rumbled across dimly lit dance floors, reverberated within customised taxis and murmured through beat-up handsets. Inspired by the hysteria/excitement surrounding the new sound, three childhood friends, Manique Soul, Que and Goldmax (real names Lindelwa Mbhele, Thobane Mgobozi, and Zipho Mthembu)  began DJing and producing gqom music together. At the time they were all still Grade 10 high school students.

    Like the many other producers in their area, Manique Soul, Que and Goldmax are all self-taught, having learnt their craft purely through trial and error. It was via this process of experiential learning that the group developed both their mission and their identity.  ‘Pazamisa’ is a Zulu word meaning to disrupt and from this the Disturction Boyz name was coined.

    que

    Although gqom is what inspired Distruction Boyz to start making music it is sgubhu, a ‘melodic’ sub genre of gqom that has gained them recognition in the music industry. Their track 2OCLOCK is a good example of how dark strings, broken kick-drums and repetitive vocal samples, all traditionally gqom characteristics, can be fused with melodic house synths to create sgubhu. Apart from being more melodic than gqom, sgubhu is a more commercially viable sound. The perception amongst dj’s and producers on the scene is that gqom is inaccessible for a mass audience and that its place is in the underground. It’s a fair assessment considering that gqom has mostly been ignored by record labels and radio stations in South Africa, despite the genres widespread popularity in KwaZulu Natal.

    Since starting to produce sgubhu, Distruction Boyz have seen their audience grow and their star rise. They have worked with industry heavyweights like Dj Tira, Mampintsha and Dj Sox and are now closely affiliated with the record label Afrotainment. Both Que and Goldmax believe that they wouldn’t have met Tira if they were only making gqom. Although their focus is now on sgubhu, Distruction Boyz are still producing gqom but are no longer releasing it with commercial intentions.  Que sees it as a exclusive sound, something ‘just for us and our friends when they come over to visit”.

    goldmax

    The young producers now emerging out of gqom’s first wave are more industry savvy than their predecessors. One of the reasons Manique Soul, Que and Goldmax joined forces is because they believed that being a part of a group would fast track both their artistic progression and their trajectory in the industry. New ideas and approaches are key to ensuring that Durban’s new sounds reach a wider audience. Distruction Boyz, along with peers like Dark Dawgs and Da Golddust, are candid  about their intentions. Not only do they want to make gqom accessible but they also see their music as a business. A successful career in the music industry is that much more attainable  thanks to the foundation laid down by gqom pioneers like Rudeboyz, Dj Lusiman, Dj Target No Ndile, Griffit, Sbucardo and Dj Lag.

    Despite Gqom not getting the recognition it deserves, the genre’s contribution and influence on Durban’s and South Africa’s music scene is undeniable. It is a fertile sound which is inspiring new artists and spawning popular sub genres like Sgubhu, Gqom Trap and Core Tribe.