Bubblegum Club

Tag: futuristic

  • AFROPUNK returns to Constitution Hill

    AFROPUNK returns to Constitution Hill

    It is fitting that the first AFROPUNK Festival to be held in South Africa took place on the historically significant Constitution Hill in Johannesburg. The festival, inspired by the documentary ‘Afro-Punk’, which spotlighted black punks in America, was first held in 2005 in New York City’s Brooklyn. Originally aiming to help black people build a community among the white dominated punk subcultures, it has grown to include a wider audience and a broader range of music, yet still highlights alternative black artists.

    With this shift away from pure punk culture towards celebrating blackness in its many forms, the festival has grown. Events are being held in Atlanta, Paris, London, and Johannesburg, with a total of more than 90 000 attendees. Utilising their platform for entertainment as well as change, the mantra of AFROPUNK is: “No Sexism, No Racism, No Ableism, No Ageism, No Homophobia, No Fatphobia, No Transphobia and No Hatefulness”. A free space for black and other bodies that do not fit into the moulds presented by mainstream media.

    Judging by the expressions and attitudes of those who attended South Africa’s first instalment of the festival, it is clear that this approach is highly welcomed in the country. For many this is a cathartic experience, beyond just the amazing music that is on offer from local and international musicians.

    And it is this fact, that the festival both provides a high standard of music along with a safe environment to enjoy it in, that has led to its success. Returning to Constitution Hill, this year’s AFROPUNK line-up is no different, with a strong balance between forward-thinking local and international artists. From the likes of Los Angeles’ future R&B superstars, The Internet and Thundercat. To experimental electronic music from Flying Lotus, who is debuting his 3D show on the African continent for the first time, to the superb dance grooves from producer Kaytranada. The legendary hip hop group Public Enemy and the queen of New Orleans bounce, Big Freedia. The international acts are a highly diverse showcase of black creativity.

    Similarly, the local acts on the line-up have all carved out niches for themselves in South Africa’s competitive music industry. They have stood out as artist that not only make a difference, but sound different. Local hip hop in its many guises is represented by Mozambique’s Azagaia and Cape Town’s YoungstaCPT, and Dope Saint Jude. Each of which are incomparable with their unique take on the art of emceeing.

    Other acts on the line-up include Joburg’s performance duo FAKA with their sound that is familiarly South African, yet utterly futuristic. As well as the sex-positive performer Moonchild Sanelly with her leanings towards Gqom and alternative pop. Joburg’s Thandiswa brings her revolutionary fusion of modern and traditional African sounds, while Nomisupasta brings a unique take on locally inspired music. Rounding off the local acts is Soweto’s BCUC, AKA Bantu Continua Uhuru Consciousness, with their highly energetic and emotionally charged rhythms.

    Themed THE PEOPLE RESIST, this year’s AFROPUNK is a call to action against racism, patriarchy and any form of hate. With 20 000 people descending on Constitution Hill for the first instalment of AFROPUNK Johannesburg, this year’s event promises to be even better and bring people closer together. Aside from music, the festival also encompasses Bites & Beats, Activism Row and the SPINTHRIFT Market as well as the chance to earn tickets via the Earn a Ticket programme. In the build-up to the event, the Battle of the Bands Joburg competition is held that seeks to unearth new musical talent.

    To buy your ticket click here, and keep your eyes on AFROPUNK’s social pages to find out which other acts are announced and for more details about the event.

  • The performers bringing SA flavour to M.I.A’s shows

    The performers bringing SA flavour to M.I.A’s shows

    M.I.A will be performing for the first time in Africa in Cape Town and Johannesburg on the 7th and 8th of June, and some of South Africa’s best talent will be sharing the stage with her. The selection of DJs and performers bring together sonic and creative experiences that touch on South African genres and their evolution. K-$, Jakinda, and Angel-Ho, will inject SA flavour at the performance in Cape Town, passing the torch to Buli, DJ Doowap, Phatstoki and Dear Ribane the following evening in Johannesburg. I interviewed the supporting artists to find out about their connections to M.I.A’s work and what audiences can expect at the shows.

    This will be the first time Cape Town will get to experience one of Angel-Ho’s live sets. When asked about the connection M.I.A’s fearlessness and determination and their own musical journey, they expressed that, “being fearless is something I grew into, being on stage my whole life, I developed a strong sense of self playing the roles of many characters. The same sensibility and comfort of performing is my greatest strength and I think that speaks to my journey to empower the voiceless.” Buli shared similar sentiments stating that, “I’ve always stayed true to my sound. I’ve never compromised my art for the purpose of trying to appeal to mainstream/commercial crowds. I think that’s the one thing I’ve always taken away from observing M.I.A as an artist. She always stays true to herself and sound; she never tries to compromise her music or herself.”

    K-$ will be kicking off with a 2 hour set, taking the audience on a trip down memory lane, and then increasing momentum for a real jol. Jakinda will draw on his Afro-futurist and industrial sound, while allowing space for experimentation. Phatstoki’s appreciation of feeding off the crowd’s energy will be the guiding premise for the set. As someone who enjoys re-inventing herself through fashion and music, DJ Doowap will be mimicking her brightly coloured hair and striking clothing with bass tunes. Transcendental and futuristic will be the name of the game with Dear Ribane, while Buli brings together a mix of electronic and ambient elements backed up by hip-hop based/inspired drums.

    With fearlessness, determination and an understanding of the connection between music and movement as the thread that is present in the journey’s and work of each performer, these shows are definitely not ones to miss.

  • Jlin- Infinity and Simplicity

    Jlin- Infinity and Simplicity

    Jlin‘s Black Origami was widely hailed as the one of the albums of 2017, with publications from Pitchfork to Mixmag featuring it high on their year-end lists. The second album from the US producer is a blend of visceral thrills and cerebral discipline, with pounding beats running into stretches of beautiful ambience. The album manages to be at once hyperactive and delicate, a creative tension which makes the songs reverberate in your ears for days.

    Intriguingly, the standout, penultimate track ‘Never Created, Never Destroyed’ features guest vocals from Cape Town’s own Dope Saint Jude. Jlin pitches the local rapper’s voice into a memorising loop, conveying a sense of strident power. (And fittingly, this cinematic track was featured on a recent episode of Donald Glover’s Atlanta).

    Jlin is herself from Gary, Indiana, a steel mill town most famous for being the birthplace of Michael Jackson. Her earlier production was bracketed with the Footwork genre, a vibrant style of House pounding out of the nearby city of Chicago. In 2015, she dropped the intense debut album Dark Energy. This futuristic collection was named album of the year by cult UK magazine The Wire and won the admiration of electronic legend Aphex Twin.

    For her sophomore effort, she stripped her music to the core of rhythm and movement, with a laser focus on finding the very heart of experimental dance. As she described it in a press statement, “the simple definition of origami is the art of folding and constructing paper into a beautiful, yet complex design. I chose to title the album Black Origami because, like Dark Energy, I still create from the beauty of darkness and blackness. The willingness to go into the hardest places within myself to create, for me means that I can touch the Infinity“.

    In Japan, the origami discipline sees its practitioners build incredibly sophisticated shapes from simple squares of paper. As her album title suggestively hints, Jlin is bringing the same discipline into experimental electronic music, raising sonic vistas from the raw clay of percussion and synthesiser. Black Origami triumphantly heralds her arrival as a visionary artist.

  • The new adidas NMD: style meets technology

    Futuristic and transformative. By combining the breakthrough technology of BOOST™ and Primeknit fabrications with the adidas signature style, these two words perfectly describe the adidas NMD. This season the NMD_CS2 PK takes center stage in its reference to the brand’s collective memory while innovatively elevating the familiar three stripe design. The sneakers are crafted with a Shadow Knit technique and features the Japanese Sashiko stitching method, a form of decorative reinforcement stitching. Tonal uppers with engineered patterns are finished off with embroidered tactile colour pops, and a signature NMD heel pull. This season also sees new versions of the NMD_R2 featuring patterned Primeknit uppers and striking graphics for men and women.

    In conjunction with the launch of their new products, adidas presents AREA3 CPT ’17; a space for co-creation underpinned by design. This space was the backdrop for the NMD campaign shoot.

    Taking the descriptive words for the NMD as a point of departure for the shoot, this was translated into how our human bodies have become futuristic and transformative. This includes how our physical bodies have been rendered into avatars as well as through genetic modification. These two themes were explored through a fashion story.

    Playing on this, the use of a mirror articulates this exploration by creating two versions of the body; the body IRL and the body reflected in the mirror as the digital avatar. The mirrored image of the body wearing a VR headset highlights the futuristic and how technology has allowed for the coded versions of ourselves. This highlights the use of breakthrough technology to construct the NMD, which is still able to pay homage to the adidas Originals DNA.

    Photography & Styling: Jamal Nxedlana

    Post Production: Lex Trickett

    Makeup: Isabella Raad