Tag: Thor Rixon

Darkie Fiction – Bringing back South African sounds

It’s been almost a year since the duo Darkie Fiction burst onto the scene with their nostalgic, feel good single ‘Selula’. Produced by Stiff Pap’s Jakinda, Darkie Fiction’s Katt Daddy and Yoza Mnyanda didn’t expect the track to have such an impact. “It was honestly just experimenting, trying, seeing what we could be if we came together.” recalls Yoza.

The past year has seen the duo work hard in studio with like-minded producers to create their debut EP ‘Sobabini: A Mzantsi Evolution’. Meaning the two of us, the title is a reference to joining forces between rapper Katt Daddy and singer Yoza Mnyanda. Born out of frustration from hearing local music on commercial platforms that didn’t sound South African, the EP references a time when local sounds were dominating the airwaves. “We missed hearing Boom Shaka vibes and TKZee vibes. So we wanted to carry the baton from those kinds of people”. Yoza explains.

Featuring productions by Fosta, Original Swimming Party, DJ Mdubulo, Thor Rixon, Albany Lore, as well as Maloon the Boom, the duo were looking for producers eager to experiment with them, but who also had their own style. “We want to take these producers out of the alternative/leftfield boxes and bring them into mainstream along with us. To change the perception of how people consume music and what people perceive as South African music.” says Katt Daddy of the duo’s decision in choosing the right producers for the EP.

Stylistically the duo is similarly rooted in South African culture, with their photoshoots and videos referencing local culture heavily. The cover art for ‘Selula’ for example aims to portray the lives of Black South Africans during the 1970s & 80s that wasn’t documented or as Katt Daddy put it, “Black people were not seen in fancy houses with dinner tables and paintings on the wall.” Adds Yoza, “we wanted to say ‘hey, we grew up very nicely, [our parents] did their absolute best’”.

Aiming for a shift in the local music industry, the duo believe that there is an appetite for local sounding music, but a lack of commercial support for it. “You play TKZee in the club now and people go crazy. But it’s access, it’s not circulating on radio, it’s not played on television. That’s what drives us to get back to be circulated again because we hope that our names are the names they speak of when the wave of the South African music industry shifted one day.” Yoza explains.

Noting America’s dominance of media and culture, Katt Daddy also believes a major factor in the success of American sounding local music is due to an inferiority complex amongst black people thanks to apartheid’s legacy along with black South Africans admiration of black Americans who went through similar struggles during the Civil Rights Era. It is for this reason that Darkie Fiction is focusing on South African music for South Africans. “We’re not making music to be noticed in America and go to America, of course I’d like to be exposed to countries overseas, but it’s very important that we make music for South Africans as South Africans.” explains Katt Daddy.

With the EP still fresh, the duo is currently working hard on promoting it and will be releasing a video for ‘My Ntliziyo’ next. “It’s focusing on the title of the EP, because we are also in a romantic relationship and lots of people ask if we are in one or not, so this video is going to say yes we are.” shares Yoza of the treatment for the video. They do have new songs in the pipeline, but are giving their EP some time to breathe first.

Having played the likes of Design Indaba and Oppikoppi, the duo are no strangers to large stages and feel more comfortable in that environment. “It’s actually the smaller stages we find more challenging. We performed at Kitcheners and that was the smallest stage we’ve ever performed on. It’s challenging, intimate, very different vibe, not to say that we don’t enjoy it but we conceptualise our performances on big spaces.” explains Katt Daddy. “We watch a lot of how Boom Shaka used to perform. We have a lot of grievances with the music industry at the moment. Sometimes we go to shows just to see how people perform and it’s so boring. So we decided to actually put on a show. We sweat! The visuals, the music, the performances it all has to tie in together and when you see Darkie Fiction on stage you say yes that makes sense. Quality is very important for us.” continues Yoza.

Although Yoza and Katt Daddy aim to make music for South Africans they are acutely aware that in the current industry it is not sustainable as yet, still they believe artists shouldn’t be making music to be booked in certain places. “The ones that are making American sounding music are making the most money in South Africa and the ones that make South African music are the ones that get invited to Sweden or Switzerland to perform. It’s very funny. I think it’s possible and we as Darkie Fiction are advocating for that, that South Africans can be called to play overseas but you must not focus on making music so that you can perform overseas.” says Katt Daddy.

Yoza continues, “…if you’re not being appreciated at home you should go where you’re appreciated. But I don’t think people deliberately don’t want to make it at home, it’s just the way it is. Hopefully it changes tho!”

In the end Katt Daddy and Yoza want their listeners to take positivity from their music. “Be South African. Remember where you come from. Always stay positive in any situation. Just know that things will work out.” exclaims Katt Daddy. “Feel good. Katt & I both struggle from mental illness, so our music comes from there. It comes from when we’re feeling shit, we make music because it makes us feel better. And in turn when people listen to it they say they feel good. I think it’s not necessarily an intention that we’re going to make feel good music, but because of the place that it comes from for us then it ends up translating that way. Which is awesome.” adds Yoza.

21 August 2018
Diamond Thug release their debut album ‘Apastron’

My first experience of Diamond Thug was when I booked them for a gig at Cool Runnings in Durban along with Thor Rixon as part of their first nationwide tour about 4 or 5 years ago now. If you’ve been to Cool Runnings, you wouldn’t expect the 2 acts to sell out the place, but we had a packed room and the audience took in sounds which were unfamiliar to Durban at the time, with open hearts. They were new to the game, but they were professional, ambitious and put on a moving performance to an unfamiliar audience. I knew then that I’d be watching them on big festival stages down the road.

A few years later, that became a bit of a self fulfilling prophecy when I booked them for an ambitious music festival called Outland that weirdly enough led to me writing for this site. At that time, I saw a band on the verge of breaking out. The years of touring together were paying off. They were captivating and had the crowd hanging on every note. I found myself floating in a beautiful sea of sound under the stars in the Midlands, with waves of intricate melodies and enchanting vocals crashing over me. It was as clear then as it was the first time I saw them, this was a band who was destined for big things.

Those ‘big things’ have been happening. They’ve recorded in New York thanks to Converse and played at SXSW which is quite the feather in a musician’s cap. They’ve toured Europe and are looking to go back. And even local festivals and promoters are starting to give them premier slots and are being rewarded for it, if the glowing reports of their performance at Lush this year are anything to go by.

It’s on the back of all of this, the years of putting in the hard work on the ground, that Diamond Thug have released their debut album ‘Apastron’. And, well, it’s pretty much a masterpiece. I mean, it’s just an incredibly beautiful album where nothing sounds out of place. Every note, every chord, every beat sounds like it’s meant to be there. Diamond Thug weave elements of pop, electronica, psych and even elements of country with the fullness of sound that reminds me of stadium rock. It’s intricate and deliberate in its execution but provides an easy listening experience on the surface. If you want to dig deeper, there are many layers to peel away on ‘Apastron’.

There’s no doubt in mind now that Diamond Thug are going to be huge. I mean, now that I know that they’ve already racked up over 2 million plays on Spotify, but still. The saying goes that it takes 10 years to become an overnight success. With ‘Apastron’, Diamond Thug might just knock a few years off the adage.

24 April 2018
1991 Put Out Dope Electronic Music That Cape Town is Known For

Growing up, I always admired Cape Town’s electronic music scene. With the sounds of Sibot, Markus Wormstorm and Richard The Third finding their way to me through SL Magazine’s compilation CDs, I got a taste of a scene I’d never get to experience but would always revere through their releases. These days, while I get to visit Cape Town every now and again, I still find myself in the same position of admiring it’s electronic musicians from afar because either they don’t play live or I visit at the wrong times. At least we have Soundcloud, and lately I’ve been racking up the plays on Cape Town label 1991’s page.

I don’t really know all that much about 1991 other than that they’ve been going for about 2 years, their aesthetics are on point, and the music they put out is either wavey or ravey.

If you check out their website, you’ll be treated to slick design, with them using stamps featuring butterflies and Olympic rings as album art, giving things a nostalgic feel. Something about it (probably the rings) reminded me of those Olympic promotional playing cards Caltex once gave out in the 90s.

So far, 1991 have put out music rom 3 artists over the 2 years with most of it coming from Gourmet (wavey) and Maxime Alexander (ravey), with one track by the brilliantly named Constantia Mom (bit of both).

Maxime Alexander image from MA14

Gourmet makes what he calls Spaghetti Pop which actually reminds me a bit of Thor Rixon’s earlier work with a touch of future bass and chill wave goodness. Thor even jumped in on a remix of Gourmet’s ‘Good With a Nose Bleed‘ a while back. Gourmet’s latest release, ‘Jamaica‘, sets the scene for a night spent under the stars, on the beach in Jamaica, naturally.

While Jamaica is very chilled, the next track on 1991’s Soundcloud isn’t. ‘Fake It‘ by Maxime Alexander gets ravey with some dark and methodical acid techno. I’m already dripping in sweat with my jaw clenched tight just sitting at my desk. I can’t even imagine what this dirty, dirty, dirty piece of electronic music would do in a dark club.

They might not have the deepest lineup, but for my money, 1991 have been putting out some of the dopest electronic music that Cape Town is known for.

Still from ‘Cashmere’ music video by Gourmet

Still from ‘Yellow’ music video by Gourmet

12 March 2018
No Clowning Around with Thor Rixon’s Latest Music Video

The first press release I got about Thor Rixon was about his album “Tea Time Favourites”. In it, I was introduced to a dreadlocked white dude who made world music. Not exactly my cup of tea. That I clicked play and not delete was either because I wanted to slate it or I really trusted whoever sent the mail. I’m grateful that I did, because I was introduced to the charming and eclectic sounds of a sentimental sweetheart who I’ve come to really appreciate as an artist. Tea Time Favourites is still one of my favourite albums – ever. There’s a sincerity and earnestness to Thor’s work, with layers of sardonic humour and irony that resonates with me. I know it’s not for everyone, Thor know’s it’s not for everyone. I mean, look at ‘fuk bread’, that song and video divided people. A seemingly lighthearted look at diet drew love, hate and confusion from whoever came across it.

With Thor’s latest music video for ‘The Clown’, you might be fooled by the title into thinking that those layers of humour would be present once again, but, spoiler alert, they’re not. Like, at all. Or maybe they are and I’m missing them, idk. That’s all I’m going to mention about the video because Thor wants “the audience/viewer to have their own view of the piece and for them to take from it what they feel is necessary for them – if that makes sense? It just feels necessary for the piece to work.” Yup, we did an interview for a music video and we barely discussed the video at all. Instead, we waxed philosophically about the Cape Town music scene, racism and art, man.

Here’s the thing, Thor Rixon is a unique cat, so I started off our Facebook chat by asking if he considers himself to be a bit of a weirdo. “Yes, I do, but doesn’t everyone feel like that?” He replies. To a degree, yeah, I’m sure everyone feels like an outlier, but not everyone tattoos their head for a music video, like Thor did with ‘fuk bread’. It seems that Thor truly doesn’t give a fuck about fitting in. “Maybe it’s that I don’t really put that much energy into making sure people don’t find out that I’m really strange or weird?” He offers as an explanation. ”Maybe everyone is strange and weird but they spend more time covering it up and making sure no one finds out? I don’t know. Just a thought.”

Thor seems hyper aware of the world around him and his place in it, and through his various creative endeavours, plays with the relationship between the audience and the artist. I ask if he enjoys playing with people’s perceptions “Yeah, I do enjoy surprising and entertaining people, but I don’t actively try and be strange or ‘out there’.” He continues “To be honest, I don’t really want people to focus on me but more the work, or the message that I am presenting. I see the reaction as an extension of the work or the message and that I enjoy because then the audience becomes a part of the greater work/message.”

I asked him to explain what he means, “So, for instance, there was a message in ‘fuk bread’ that people commented on. The audience’s opinions and comments on that work shows you the thoughts and feelings of a society ranging from meat consumption to what it is to be queer etc.” He continues to explain “Usually there are 2 main viewpoints: pro and against, and the size of that divide is usually the most interesting part of the work. Well, it is for me at least.” I found it strange that a song as whimsical as ‘fuk bread’ can elicit so much love and ire, but at the end of the day that’s what Thor wants. “I hope that all the work I create is provocative to be honest. it would be a waste if it weren’t, I think.”

Last year, Thor lived in Berlin for a few months and has found adjusting to life back in Cape Town difficult. I asked him about the experience and what it’s like to be back home. “Berlin is amazing. Cape Town is pretty fucked.” The conversation turns to something that more and more South Africans are discussing at the moment, racism and structural inequality. “I say this because CT has a lot of serious issues mainly to do with how the city was built and structured to create divide. Yes, it’s beautiful and full of nature and shit but socially it’s so wrong. The racism is strong.” I ask Thor if he thinks it’s fixable, “To be honest, I don’t know. I think that it is possible but I don’t know how.” I narrow the question down a bit, because it’s often easy to wax woke about racism in South Africa. I ask him what he’s doing to enact change in his own life and what other “woke” white dudes can actually do when faced with the reality of racism in our country. “I choose to have messages in my work that hopefully makes the viewer think and question the way they live their lives. What I have also started to do is try and educate my peers and the people I interact with who are racist to become aware of their their prejudice towards others just as I have become aware of it in me. This is not to say that I understand racism completely. I feel I still have a lot to learn and look forward to learning more to hopefully fully eradicate the racism I see in myself and in others.”

You can watch the video for ‘The Clown’ below then look out for it’s release on Get Physical Music (Berlin) on Friday 7 July with remixes by Few Nolder and Lord Of The Isles.

5 July 2017
‘Wear me and make art’: New fashion label Artclub and Friends

After spending some time thinking about how she could combine her love for fashion, art, music, and desire to work with creatives, young designer Robyn Keyser launched her label Artclub and Friends in November 2016. At the core of the label is ensuring that everything is locally made.

As a label they are trying to create clothing that reflects youth culture and the kinds of conversations that young people are having at the moment. This can be seen in their first collection which combines traditionally masculine cuts with colours that are usually translated as feminine colours. The merging of these replicates post-gender conversations which subvert the assumption that there are only two genders and that each of these can only be associated with particular styles. This exploration of gender neutral clothing also comes from a personal space for Robyn. Growing up she considered herself a tomboy and refused to wear the colour pink because of what it represented. However, it has been interesting for her coming into contact with the colour as she has gotten older. This can be seen in the t-shirt which has “Pink is not a gendered colour” printed on it. The vision is to make clothing that people wear because they want to, not because it has been dictated to them.

The name Artclub and Friends reflects how Robyn imagines her label being involved in a number of collaborative projects. The tagline ‘Wear me and make art’ captures this desire to collaborate with artists, performers, musicians to create clothing that speaks to a variety of people and can become physical manifestations of her emphasis on working with and caring for people. Their first of these projects was a collaborative t-shirt design with Thor Rixon in conjunction with his launch of ‘Songs from the Bath’. Artclub and Friends is also planning to invite artists to combine their chosen mediums with clothing and curate an exhibition for charity.

Paying homage to where she draws inspiration from is part of the foundation of Artclub and Friends. It’s about “understanding inspiration, acknowledging it, giving credit where due. Not just about seeing a trend, adapting. It’s about understanding what you are designing,” Robyn explained.

Be sure to check out their Instagram page and website to have a look at their first collection and to keep up with what they have planned for the year.

6 February 2017
From the Bath to Inner and Outer Space

I’ll tell you one thing, Song’s From The Bath is a fucking trip. I’ll tell you some more things, I just felt like that was a good way to start. What else do you want to know? Is it a homage to Max Normal’s Songs From The Mall? No, no it is not. Did Thor Rixon actually write it from a bath? Nope, I asked him. He said “The bath is a metaphor.” “Like”, “as”, that sort of thing. Oh, you want to know how the album sounds? I just told you, it’s a fucking trip. Have you ever done psychedelics? Yes? Well there you go. No? Then listen to the album. These songs may not actually be from the bath but they’ll take you to inner and outer space my dudes and dudettes. An adventure of magical musical discovery awaits.

First though, a warning before you go adventuring: If you just fully don’t like experimental music, then maybe this isn’t the journey for you. Don’t listen to the album and then be like, “Why are there birds chirping? That’s so lame.” This is the type of album that has birds chirping follow hectic rave parts. But also, gentle, ethereal chords that linger and stick with you after being washed out by reverb and literal water as the next song kicks in. So yeah, it’s experimental, and emotional, and eclectic. It’s chaos intricately woven with order. There are layers to this shit. Deep, deep layers.

If those sound like qualities you like in an album, you still might not be emotionally ready for it. I don’t know where you are in your life. I don’t know how this is going to make you feel. That said, you should listen to it anyway because trying new and experimental things is good for your personal development. Personally, I feel weird. I feel overwhelmed. I feel like I’m staring at the space between stars, contemplating my existence whilst my body slowly floats down through my chair. I feel like that’s a cheesy line, and I’m not even sure what the logistics of ethereal form would be, but bare with me. I’m trying to tell you that Songs From The Bath makes me feel, and it’s going to make you feel too. What will you feel? Well, that’s up to you.

‘Songs From The Bath’ contains 7 tracks with featured artists such as; Alice Phoebe Lou, Hlasko, Itai Hakim, Olmo, among many more. The album marks Rixon’s 3rd full body of work after 2014’s ‘Tea Time Favorites’ and 2013’s ‘Shared Folder’. ‘Songs From The Bath’ has also been pressed to vinyl and is available in limited edition blue or standard edition black vinyl, available from Roastin’ Records.

Rixon will be hosting 2 live and improvised performances of the album which will be held in Cape Town at The Centre For The Book in Gardens on Wednesday the 1st of February and in Johannesburg at The Bioscope Theatre in Maboneng on Saturday the 4th of February. Each showcase will feature; Alice Phoebe Lou, Hlasko, Olmo, Pavlov and more. For more details regarding these events please visit;

CT – https://www.facebook.com/events/1835599113395368/

JHB – https://www.facebook.com/events/1785322511793234/

Tickets will be limited and only available online via Quicket.

31 January 2017
Bubblegum Club mix Vol 6 by Thor Rixon

Cape Town based producer Thor Rixon has blessed us with an eclectic mix, filled-to-the-brim with deep melodic gems and beautifully textured soundscapes, all his own original productions. The mix was originally performed live at Churn Festival where Thor performed alongside other local and international acts pushing the boundaries of electronic music.

Thor revealed that most of the music that made it on this mix was produced earlier this year when he spent a few months living in Berlin and according to him the rich concentration of great electronic music coming out of Berlin was a huge influence to both his live performance and his production.

Keep and eye out for Thor Rixon’s upcoming album set to be released in December but for now listen to this exclusive mix and acquaint yourself with the direction his ever expanding sound is taking.

19 October 2016