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 – ###