Bubblegum Club

Tag: Robin Thirdfloor

  • Missu’s ‘An Education’ is the Soundtrack to your Next Summer

    Missu’s ‘An Education’ is the Soundtrack to your Next Summer

    Missu makes music for the summer. Feel-good synthy grooves that are just as much a jam cruising with the windows down or sweating it out on the jol. Which makes his debut EP ‘An Education’ well timed since it’ll take South Africans a month or 2 to pick up on the dopeness at hand.

    In a weird way, it reminds me of Gateway Drugs’ self-titled EP. Not that it sounds the same although there’s plenty of 80s pastiche weaved into ‘An Education’, but in that it’ll probably be the cult-hit soundtrack for those who find it. Those who do find it will love it and make it blow up amongst an ever-growing fan base. Missu is already a rather popular chap in Durban with his fun live shows that are just straight up impossible not to dance to. Both his energy and songs are infectious, the dude is a multi-instrumentalist who puts effort into making each live show a unique experience.

    ‘An Education’ has five tracks and 4 features, most of whom you should probably recognise. Red Robyn, Costabesta, Robin Thirdfloor and Moonchild all add their unique personalities to the tracks. Each song suits the vocalist and feel like they were made closely together, making the EP a well-rounded release.

    ‘Dilemma’ is the opener and features Red Robyn. It kicks off as a dreamy synth pop number and then diverts into a sci-fi rap breakdown for a bit, only to then kick into this section that feels like you’re playing Space Invaders. It has so much depth and commands multiple listens. It’s fun, it’s cheeky, it’s sardonic, it’s honest. Oh, and the Luke Nelson directed video will have you feeling some type of way.

    Costabesta comes through with a grime flow on ‘Coast’ which might have you mistaking him for Dizzee Rascal rapping over a beat made using cups and spoons. I can’t tell if the “You and you and you” line is a Max Normal reference, because it’s said with a similar cadence, but either way it’s a vibe.

    ‘Engojeni’ features Robin Thirdfloor and it’s an up-tempo feel-good dance track that’s all about the art of thrift shopping drenched in Kavinsky-like synths with a thumping beat. No Macklemore vibes here though as I know for a fact that Robin’s style comes from living that thrifty life.

    Moonchild does her thing on the closer, ‘Popcorn’, which is a song about the pains of wearing high-heels and has a chorus about popping the corn on your foot. I shit you not. It’s amazing. Moonchild has a penchant for providing earworms and this one encourages on the jol footcare, although the imagery makes me think of Dr Pimple Popper which means this is either gonna gross some people out or turn them on.

    ‘An Education’ is a solid offering from a musician who really should be on your radar by now. There’s plenty of weirdness that’s held together by pop sensibilities, collabs that accentuate both, and a love of synths that would make Robert Moog proud.

    Listen to Missu’s debut EP, ‘An Education’ here.

  • Robin Thirdfloor is More Than a Musician

    I first came across Robin Thirdfloor in 2016 when I was booking acts for Outland, an ambitious music festival that was fun for the one time that it happened. I was looking for young hip-hop acts who were doing cool things but hadn’t really been on festival lineups. Sthembelo Dlamini, our hip-hop plug at Durban is Yours, recommended a few acts but 2 in particular stood out, ByLwansta and Robin Thirdfloor. Both these cats have since carved unique paths for themselves in the industry and have achieved impressive feats, both locally and internationally, which says something for Sthem’s ear for talent.

    This is about Robin, but you should definitely google ByLwansta if you’re not familiar yet.

    At the time, Robin was promoting his Sounds Empty Pockets Make EP, a homage to old school hip-hop that was all about being young and broke, which is always relatable. On the EP, he told the story of a young rap dude with a fake gold chain who just wanted to be like Biggie and Pac and to do his mama proud.

    I’m pretty sure his mama is proud by now, and if she’s not, she should be. I mean, off that EP the young rapper went from Umlazi to SXSW, which I’d consider to be a pretty big deal. Coming off of that career high, Robin dropped his ‘Bhotela’ EP, exclusively to Deezer thanks to locking down an ambassadorship with the streaming platform.

    Bhotela is vastly different to S.E.P.M and Robin seems like a vastly different person from the kid he was in 2015. There’s more confidence in everything he does now and Robin seems more certain of the path he’s walking. While S.E.P.M was an ode to old school hip-hop from the States, Bhotela is an ode to Umlazi and draws from kwaito and hip-hop to deliver something more distinct.

    Every time I chat to the young rapper and entrepreneur (he has a side hustle called Somdanger Concepts), he always has new questions about the industry and how to navigate it. He’s constantly calculating his next move and putting in the time and effort to make sure that everything he does is just right. From visual aesthetics to sponsorship proposals, Robin makes sure that everything is on wax which is why I don’t doubt that 2018 will be the year his pockets start jingling.