John Wizards: The magic behind their music

John Wizards is a South African band from Cape Town formed in 2010. They are currently signed to Planet Mu records. The band consists of vocalist and guitarist John Withers, vocalist Emmanuel Nzaramba, drummer and percussionist Raphael Segerman, bassist and keyboardist Alex Montgomery, guitarist Tom Parker and guitarist and keyboardist Geoff Brink. The band released its self-titled first album in September 2012, which includes the singles “Lusaka by Night” and “Muizenberg”.  The band’s style has been described as a mix of R&B, soukous, afropop, reggae, South African house, Shangaan electro and dub.

The band members of John Wizards mostly met either at school or at university. Three of the band members (Segerman, Montgomery and Brink) had previously performed with Withers on other projects. Thomas Parker, a mutual friend, would join the band several months after the others.

Withers met Nzaramba outside a coffee shop in 2010 and the two became friends. They subsequently fell out of touch for a period. In 2012 they happened upon one another in Cape Town and it turned out they were both living on that same street. Prior to their reacquiantance, Withers had been working on recording and producing the set of musical ideas that would later become John Wizards’s self-titled release of September 2013. Nzaramba added vocal recordings to some of the songs and began to perform with the rest of the band. John Wizards released a mixtape, in August 2012, that roughly sketched out the songs on the album. This mixtape was passed on to Mike Paradinas, owner of Planet Mu records. Planet Mu would announce the band as part of their roster in November 2012, releasing the album some ten months later.

In 2014 John Wizards released their EP. Muizenberg.  RavingFox caught with leading man John Withers prior to their performance at Park Acoustics in Pretoria this coming Sunday.

Q&A with John Wizards

 

RF:  Who were your greatest musical influences growing up?

“Franco & TPOK Jazz, Dan Snaith, Nick Drake, Oliver Ngoma, Drizzt Do’Urden”

 

RF:  How have you grown as an artist since you became more actively involved in the music industry?

“I’m not sure if grown is the best way to describe it. I’ve learnt a lot about the mechanics of the music industry, and some of my working methods and musical interests have changed or developed differently. “

 

RF:  What were your biggest highlights in the past year?

“Playing Glastonbury, the Cote d’Azur, Arsenal winning the FA Cup, and coming home.”

 

RF:  What were your biggest challenges in the past year?

“Being broke, and sorting out a record deal.”

 

RF:  What were your fondest memories of spending December holidays as a kid?

“Trampolines, portable pools, Playstation, sunburns, the Wilderness Hotel.” 

 

RF:  How will you be celebrating your festive season?

“I’ll spend it with my family, a couple of hours out of Cape Town. There’s always a big lunch, and a nap afterwards. “

 

RF:  If you could have anything for Christmas, what would it be and why?

“Honestly, I don’t know.”

 

RF:  What can our readers look forward to seeing from you in 2015?

“There should be new releases, and potentially some tours.”

 

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RavingFox

Broken Toy: Built for Outdoor Festivals

Broken Toy is James Copeland from Cape Town, South Africa.

His unique take on producing fullon psytrance with a twisted and quirky edge has earned him his position as one of the most low, down and dirty dancefloor manipulators in the scene today. Combining a forward thinking attitude with respect to the oldschool, you can expect a hard-hitting yet groovy dancefloor experience mixing elements of funk, indie-electro, and rocking psytrance.

RavingFox caught up with Broken Toy, prior to his appearance this weekend at Underground Sound presents Twilight V6.0, to discover more about this phenomenal artist, producer and DJ.

Interview with James Copeland a.k.a. Broken Toy

 

Which artists were your musical influences growing up?

 “I listened to a lot of metal growing up , so that influenced my use of strong riff-like melodies in my tracks , and then also a lot of stuff like early beastie boys and cyprus hill that used a lot of bass sampled from funk and elsewhere that influenced my love of edgy complex basslines. Then obviously there is a lot of electronic music – fairly obvious stuff like Prodigy that played a huge roll in me wanting to get into production.”

 

How has your sound evolved over time?

“I started off wanting to make very banging high energy and aggressive music – like an assault on the senses from which the only escape is to party hard ! But having spent so much time playing in the scene , you learn that there is so much more of human emotion that can be triggered than just maximum hysteria – maximum everything all the time. These days I try and create rare grooves and moments of beauty in counterpoint to all the smashing and bashing.”

 

Take us through your usual songwriting process?

“I wake up in the morning and try and avoid doing too much admin and Facebooking. The first part of the day is by far the most focussed and creative so i really try and lock into that. Then i`ll have a very basic idea in my head of where i want to go with a track and then its all about reinventing the bassline wheel . Once i`ve re-learnt everything i already know , generally i`ll have a foundation on which i can build a track. I`ll try and get at least two separate parts which transition nicely into each other and then I can start arranging. I don’t sit on bad ideas – I`m pretty ruthless about throwing out things that don’t work even if I spend hours on them. Sometimes you can get too attached to something that sucks just because you worked hard on it. I try to keep that in mind at all times. If I`m having a bad day at writing I tend not to write.”

 

Which are your favorite local venues to perform at and why?

“Outside under the sun and stars generally works for me for obvious reasons!”

What have been the highlights of your musical career?

“The goal posts keep shifting. Certain gigs are highlights for sure, but there are always bigger and better festivals to play at and that keeps changing so I’m not so focused on particulars.  I’m happy that I’ve adapted and survived so long in a pretty tough industry , so I’d have to say that my recent Ten years of Toy retrospective set at Earthdance Cape Town was a huge highlight and achievement for me, mostly because of what it represented, but also because that party was off the chain! The crowd’s reaction to the older stuff was the stuff dreams are made of as a producer. It’s not like I`m going to get a lifetime acheivement award or a Grammy if I retire one day, so I`ll gladly take this instead.”

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RavingFox

 

Twilight V6.0  Open-Air Festival Facebook Event Page

The Nomadic Orchestra – The Adventures of #FindTheNomads

Cape Town based Balkan party band, The Nomadic Orchestra, recently undertook a campaign called #FindTheNomads.

Throughout the month of March 2014, The Nomadic Orchestra played 10 free pop-up shows in the Cape Town area.

The location of each show was kept a secret, with the band releasing clues to the location of each show in the 24 hours that led up to it, through their Facebook and Twitter pages.

The day before each secret show during the month of March, the band shared clues with their fans via their Facebook and Twitter pages. For every show, three clues were shared at approximately 10AM, 2PM and 4PM in the build up to the event. Fans who were able to figure out the three clues, knew the secret location and time and were be able to attend the pop-up shows, which took place anywhere in Cape Town, for free.

The shows took place at a venue where fans least expected it, and during any time of the day.

The reason behind the campaign is to promote the band’s upcoming music video launch, taking place on Friday 11 April at The Assembly.

RavingFox caught up with The Nomadic Orchestra after their campaign to hear about their musical journey through the streets of Cape Town:

 

RF:  What were the most memorable moments of the campaign?

 

NO:  “It’s so difficult to say. Some highlights were:

The morning traffic show. No-one at all in the world was expecting that!

Skipping gym ladies sending us a video of themselves skipping to our Jason’s show.

Security and police at various venues thanking us for our music but at no time reprimanding us, even though I’m sure what we were doing was against the rules.

Jiving construction workers on the roofs of UCT.”

 

RF:  What makes campaigning in South Africa such a unique experience?

 

 NO:  “I’m not sure how people would respond to spontaneous Balkan music elsewhere in the world, but everyone here has responded amazingly warmly and with much excitement. We we received absolutely minimal negative response (one noise complaint). “

 

RF:  Did you meet any interesting characters along the way?

 

 NO:  “Hahaha! GOOD QUESTION! We met a very interesting guy at one of the shows. He apparently has a big Macintosh sponsorship, is an important player in the film and advertising industry and has no phone but does have a whole book filled with the numbers of important actors, businessmen and politicians. After telling us all about himself, he promptly disappeared, leaving us with a non-working USB flash-drive and the bill for his lunch. ”

 

RF:  Why couldn’t you have asked for a better group of people to tour with?

 

NO:  “I’m not sure why we get on so well but we really do. We’re all very focused, pretty moral people, I guess. We’re very different to each other but I think we have the important things in common. Love at last.”

 

RF:  Which instrument is your biggest dream to master and why?

 

NO:  “Everyone in the band will have their own ideas here but for Me (Joe) it would be Jazz and classical piano/tuba. I’d also like to learn to sing, or at least pitch accurately. I think every musician should be able to vocalise their musical ideas. I love the idea of a band being able to perform their whole set completely a capella, just because they are such good musicians and they have such good ears.”

 

RF:  Who were the greatest supporters of your campaign?

 

 NO:  “Wow. I’m not sure how to answer without giving specific names. Aside from the gigs themselves, which were all pleasantly well-attended, there was a lot of interaction on Facebook and Twitter. ”

 

RF:  Why shouldn’t our readers miss out on seeing you perform?

 

NO:  “Our live performances are what our band is really about. While we are really happy with our recordings, they are not a substitute for our live act. Each of our performances is different – we are really receptive to our audience and our location. You can’t say you’ve heard nomads until you’ve been to a live show.”

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Janie Bay – Behind the Voice and the Guitar

Hailing from the beautiful Helderberg area in Cape Town, Janie Bay started out her career with her solo effort, “I Remember” securing three No. 1 hits on local mainstream and student radio stations.

JB: “I was mostly exposed to 60’s rock ‘n roll in my younger years. In my teens, I went from Alanis Morrisette to Green Day to Metallica to more underground punk bands.”

After the album launch in April 2011, Janie & her brother (The Beard) started playing her current songs in an acoustic / unplugged setting. This was a totally organic progression as they wanted to carry on writing and playing without the financial pressures of session musicians joining in. This progression lead to their recent live project, “Janie & The Beard”.

JB:  “Because we’re siblings, we grew up listening to the same stuff and I suppose certain chord progressions and styles grew on us over time. Even though The Beard understands music in a more ‘mathematical’ way and I tend to have a more natural feel for it, when we come together, we just click.”

Since 2012 they’ve had many successful tours, played more than 100 shows in every province in the country and have been invited abroad regularly. They have appeared on 5FM, Two Oceans Radio Vibe, SABC 3 and RSG. Some performances under their belt include Oppikoppi, White Mountain Festival, STRAB, Up The Creek, KKNK and Park Acoustics with back-to-back tours and corporate events around Cape Town.

JB: “Performing live is still where it’s at for me personally. I put most of my efforts into being the best I can be on stage. I’m hard on myself and when I put the hours in rehearsing as much as I can, I feel more confident, energised and satisfied and people take you more serious when you’re at the top of your game. ”

Having played with local acts like aKing, Plush, Ard Matthews, Francois Van Coke, Valiant Swart, Klopjag and Mr. Cat & The Jackal to name a few, they are steadfast on a journey to share their music with friends already made and with those along the way.

JB: “My voice is my first instrument (guitar second) and I’ve spend time over the years especially honing control and tone. One’s voice is the most organic instrument in the world and it’s fallible, but for me, it’s probably the most beautiful, because we are able to put emotion into it, with or without words. It’s quite amazing actually.”

Some recent collaborations include SA’s top selling hip-hop artist Jack Parow on a song called ‘Veilig’ on his latest release and a feature one of Bouwer Bosch’s singles, “Hardloop”.

JB: “I’ve only ever done one music video production with one of my songs from my first solo effort. I was very involved with writing the treatment, shotlists and directing. I also edited most of it myself. Every video after that are live videos as ‘Janie & The Beard’ never released an album, so we kinda saw ourselves as a live band only. A lot of them were also edited by me.”

With the promise of a great career, Janie is more surely than slowly finding her calling in the folk-pop environment while charming audiences with a captivating voice and heartfelt performances.

JB: “I’ll be focusing more on my solo effort this year, but there are a few different prospects on the table right now, so even I am not totally sure yet what’s to come, but something is coming for sure…”

Janie Bay on Facebook

Join the Park Acoustics Event Page

Mix n Blend talks about ‘Rebel Gun’ and ‘Mercy’

This latest 2-track release features two incredible vocalists, blues artist Sannie Fox on Rebel Gun, and maloya singer Yaelle Trules from la Reunion on Mercy. Stepping out of their usual comfort zones whilst creating the music, both came up with something unique, special, blending their own styles and sounds with flavours not familiar to them.

 

 

“I think that’s where you get them to deliver themselves to a song. Because there are not really a lot of pre-conceptions about what they should or should not be doing, they have to go with their gut, with what feels right to them. I think that’s where you get really great results.”

 

 

 

 

First up, Sannie Fox blends her trademark dreamy blues vocals over dark, deep and melodic dub rhythms onRebel Gun – something unusual for her, but a mixture producing great results.

 

 

“We [Sannie Fox] met, we hung out a lot, started chatting about a lot of stuff, and decided ‘let’s make a track together’. She’s really really amazingly talented. I think it’s an absolute crime that she is not huge in this country. She is walking proof that making original, amazing music in this country means absolutely nothing in terms of success. She will make it huge though, she’s one of the hardest working, most original people I know.”

 

 

 

 

Yaelle on the flip side of the release, hailing from la Reunion Island, sings her verses in Creole and brings her unique flavour to the collaboration.

 

 

 

“She’s [Yaelle] an amazing vocalist. She has a really unique voice, and I think she adds so much emotion to that track, such a sense of loss and desolation on it, and really accentuates that feeling. She brings the track to life.”

 

The song, Mercy, was born in la Reunion on one of Mix ‘n Blend’s previous trips to the Island.

 

 

“If you listen to the tune, when I was writing it, I think quite a lot of the imagery that we saw when we were there was playing on my mind. This lush tropical island, so beautiful with a sense of desolation to it, and the volcano looking down over everything. My ex-girlfriend from there also had introduced me to a band called High Tone while I was driving around with her, and their sounds really influenced that track. Then we saw Yaelle singing on that trip and we thought she was amazing.”

 

Seeing her perform at Sakifo Festival, they knew immediately that they had to make music with her. A classic horn line composed by the bands brass maestros Lee Thomson and Ross McDonald rounds out this hooky affair.

 

 

These two tracks are released through the record label Ngomso – a boutique label looking towards the future, created by Mix ‘n Blend, allowing for the easy release of their own music and other artists whose music they admire, as and when they create it.

“I think we’re basically going to be focusing making Mix n Blend about our live band, which is what it should be about. We’re going to release more music. Hopefully, we’ll get to write a new full length album somewhere in the course of this year.”

 

Listen to Rebel Gun and Mercy on SoundCloud here:
https://soundcloud.com/mixnblend/sets/mercy-rebel-gun-release

 

Both tracks will be available for purchase within the next week on iTunes, Beatport, Amazon, 7 Digital, Juno Download, eMusic, and more.MIX N BLEND

 

 

Contact:

 

 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mixnblendTwitter: http://www.twitter.com/mixnblendyoSoundCloud: http://www.soundcloud.com/mixnblendWebsite: http://www.mixnblend.com

Counterstrike (Algorythm Rec) – A Homegrown Underground Revolution

Tactical, international, sensational and confrontational: no dark bass study would be complete without paying serious attention to Counterstrike. Renowned for smelting genres and pushing performance techniques to their limits, they are respected from the deepest, darkest, most discerning corners of the underground right up to some of the biggest labels in electronic music.

Decorated in every aspect of the industry, this unique London/Prague-based partnership has excelled as producers, performers, promoters and label owners since the late 90s. They currently boast over 100 releases on labels as rich and diverse as Dim Mak and Moving Shadow. Many of these releases have achieved Beatport D&B Top 10 and Beatport Main Top 20 status and have enjoyed full support from respected taste makers such as Mary Anne Hobbs, Black Sun Empire, Tech Itch, Dieselboy and John B.

This year alone they’ve torn up dance floors in over 15 different countries from Russia to Greece to Mexico. As the founders of Algorythm Recordings and Counterstrike Recordings, they’ve hosted label parties across Europe to South Africa and signed material from some of the most ground-breaking, agenda-setting artists in action such as Audio, Limewax and The Panacea. Just like their own material, no releases on their labels go by without denting the download charts.

To understand this ever-increasing list of conquests and achievements, it’s wise to understand a little about their inspiration and determination: In 1995 Justin Scholtmeyer made a pilgrimage to London from his home base in Cape Town after hearing a jungle mixtape. Heading straight for the source, he landed a job at London’s most revered club, The End, where he became anointed by the stark sermons of Renegade Hardware. Exporting mix tapes back to his long-standing partner in grime Eaton Crous, a London/Cape Town pact was founded. When Justin returned to Cape Town, the duo established Homegrown. Heralded as the birthplace of South African drum & bass, their parties attained church-like status during its 100 party, 10 year lifetime where genre-defining guests were welcome from all corners, from Pendulum to Dieselboy to Camo & Krooked.

From their Homegrown roots Counterstrike’s crossbreed meld of drum & bass, dubstep, gabber and raw, undiluted bass has scored fans around the world. First signed to Allied Recordings in 2001, their prolific production regime expanded onto myriad agenda-setting imprints such as PRSPCT, Rottun, Human Imprint, Barcode, Evol Intent, Dim Mak, Obscene, Moving Shadow and many more. This consistency and range ensured them both national and international spotlights that have proceeded to get brighter and brighter as the years go by.

 

Now boasting a wider sonic scope than ever before, both Counterstrike releases and performances reference everything that’s exciting about contemporary electronic music. From their original uncompromising tech-entrenched D&B to dubstep and neuro, they pull inspirations from every corner and twist them with their own distinctive, hard-nosed motifs. Naturally there’s no better place to experience this furious fusion than their live performances; now armed with a mesmerising audio/visual show that incorporates next-level technologies to fuse unique graphics to every track, every switch, and even every frequency, Counterstrike have upped their game once again. Tactical, international, sensational and confrontational… Counterstrike’s dark bass studies continue at a rapid pace. It’s time to pay serious attention.

Interview with Justin Scholtemeyer AKA Animal Chin

How has it been adapting to life abroad?

 

“I’ve been in Prague for almost 5 years. It’s been a major change in my life. I’m no longer driving, I only take public transport. It’s as punctual as a 4/4 kickdrum. I mostly hibernate in the winter. Hardly leave the house, except for Wednesdays when I go snowboarding and the weekend when I travel to gigs. No snow yet this year though, really strange. Most people in Czech Republic do not speak English. I communicate in really bad Czech. I can just say “thank you” and how many beers I want. That’s all you really need. It’s been fantastic having access to so much good beer. I definitely don’t miss South African beer. All of the rest, I pretty much miss.”

 

Tell us about your most memorable moments in the Czech Republic.

 

“My most memorable moment in CZ was tasting unpasteurized Pilsner Urquell from a tank. Not to be confused with draft beer. Basically they only have tank beer within a 400 km radius from the brewery. Other than that, Prague is an incredibly beautiful city. Summer is just next level in this place. Such a good vibe. Beer gardens everywhere and did I mention the beer?”

 

You have had the privilege to work with some of the most talented producers.  What can local producers learn from them?

 

“They are just people like you and me. Most of them worked really long and hard at their craft and through that achieved success. Some of them worked a lot less, but are amazing at marketing themselves and know who to collaborate with.”

 

What goes through your mind when you see how quickly drum & bass is growing in South Africa?

 

“I was blown away by Science Frikshun last year. Definitely brings a warm feeling to me heart.”

 

A lot of local young producers are placing their mark on the global music industry.  Which local producers do you think people should keep an eye on?

“The SA DnB producers I know of at the moment with a constant output is ALXR, SFR, Damage Inc, Phaze and Teh Synes. If I’m missing anyone, please fill me in!”

 

What do you look forward to the most every time you return to South Africa?

 

“To braai breakfast, lunch and dinner.”

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RavingFox

Counterstrike will be touring South Africa in 2014 as well as the following cities around the globe:

18 Jan – Aarau, Switzerland

25 Jan – Science Frikshun, Johannesburg, South Africa

1 Feb – Pressure, Cape Town, South Africa

14 Feb – Bogota, Colombia

15 Feb – Buenos Aires, Argentina

21 Feb – Prague, Czech Republic

22 Feb – Poznan, Poland

8 March – Dresden. Germany

21 March – Bilbao, Spain

11 April – Bratislava, Slovakia

12 April – Bucharest Romania

19 April – Zwolle Holland

HOLY COAST 2013 – THE PINEAPPLE EXPRESS TOUR!

HOLY COAST is SA’s number one DJ road trip party! With headlining artists HAEZER and NISKERONE, and with guest DJ’s DAS KAPITAL, SIDESHOW and JAKOBSNAKE joining them along the way.

HOLY COAST is now in its second year of summer living! Last year we hit the road with a motorhome and a film crew, took two of SA’s top club DJ’s HAEZER and NISKERONE and traveled the coast in search of the ultimate summer parties.

Watch The 2012 Documentary Here!

This year, we are teaming up with Olmeca Tequila, Red Bull Studios Cape Town, GRIET and Beatnix to once again bring you HAEZER and NISKERONE performing 7 massive coastal events and to explore the wonders our beautiful shores have to offer. Last year we took them swimming with seals, boat cruising, river trailing, bridge jumping and surfing! This year we have more fun stuff for the DJ’s to do and you can watch all their adventures in the HOLY COAST 2013 film set for release in February 2014.

Be sure to follow the HOLY COAST 2013 Tour:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/HOLY_COAST
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/holycoasttour

Join the FACEBOOK EVENT here!

HOLY COAST 2013: THE PINEAPPLE EXPRESS
TOUR DATES AND VENUES:

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Date: Wednesday, 25 December 2013
Venue: Manila Bar, Cape Town
Time: 9PM
Entrance: R80
Line-Up: Haezer and Niskerone, Tommy Gun and More.

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Date: Thursday, 26 December 2013
Venue: Cobs Cove, St Francis Bay
Time: 10PM – Late
Entrance: R100
Line-Up: Haezer and Niskerone
Guests: Sideshow

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Date: Friday, 27 December 2013
Venue: Winkies, Kenton On Sea
Time: 11AM – 2AM
Entrance: R80
Line-Up: Haezer and Niskerone
Guests: Sideshow and JacobSnake

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Date: Friday, 27 December 2013
Venue: Raggies, East London
Time: 8PM
Entrance: R100
Line-Up: Haezer and Niskerone
Guests: Sideshow and JacobSnake

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Date: Saturday, 28 December 2013
Venue: Oxbraai, Bathurst
Time: 9AM – 3AM
Entrance: R150
Line-Up: Haezer and Niskerone

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Date: Sunday, 29 December 2013
Venue: VIP, Plett
Time: 8PM – 4AM
Entrance: R70
Line-Up: Haezer and Niskerone

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Date: Monday, 30 December 2013
Venue: Zanzibar, Knysna
Time: 7PM
Entrance: R100 Pre-Sold
Line-Up: Niskerone
Guests: Das Kapital

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THIS TOUR IS PROUDLY BROUGHT TO YOU BY OLMECA TEQUILA, RED BULL STUDIOS, BEATNIX & GRIET!

More about HOLY COAST:

Last year HAEZER and NISKERONE took to the road for the first HOLY COAST Tour and came back with one incredible experience. The party scene all over SA has exploded over the Summer season and every show was packed to absolute capacity and with some of the most rewarding audiences for the DJ’s to play to.

SA has seen time and time again that Haezer and Niskerone both tear venues apart as DJs. Although they are very different from one another, they both play sets which work extremely well together as co-headliners. The two are also great friends, thus the decision to start HOLY COAST came naturally.

“I have seen so many tour documentaries of big DJ’s traveling to interesting places and playing these crazy shows and it just looks like so much fun. It was so obvious to do this here as we have one of the most beautiful coastlines in the world with scenic holiday towns which all have bars and clubs catering to the masses of kids who go there during the holiday season. We are very cut off from what is happening in our back yard as no one has really been documenting what is going down, and so we decided to just do it.” – Dominique Gawlowski, GRIET.

HOLY COAST is a crew of eight people – the DJs, the film team, the tour manager, social media manager and friends. They hit the road in two motorhomes for 5 nights and 6 days. Apart from the shows, they also organize fun stuff for the DJ’s to do during the day like for instance last year they went swimming with seals, ocean cruising, surfing, bridge jumping etc. HOLY COAST really wants to paint the picture of what the possibilities are for people traveling to the coast for their summer. Their aim is to expose our party scene to the rest of the world who can come here on holiday and find plenty of awesome things to do. They also want people to get up close and personal with some insight into HAEZER andNISKERONE and what they are really like as people.

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Glen Hartmann – In Leaps and Bounds

 

Glen Hartmann is a local Cape Town musician with a passion for different styles of music. This indie folk/synth musician has performed alongside big South African acts such as Jack Parow, Isochronous and Ashtray Electric at many well-known venues in Cape Town.

He has also performed live on many local radio stations such as 2 Oceans Vibe Radio and Assembly radio and his music has been played on 5fm, East Coast Radio and Kfm.

At the beginning of 2012 Glen participated in the Paco Rabanne “Be a rockstar” competition, where he performed at UCT. His music video for ‘The Sign’ received the most votes which gave him the title of “Crowd Favourite”. Later that year Glen made his way into the top 10 of the Barleycorn Music Club’s Songwriters competition.2013 has been a great year for Glen so far – he ended off 2012 and began 2013 with a tour to Durban; he was featured on 5fm’s Rocking the Republic and less than a month later his song “I don’t breathe” was featured as a Treffer on 5fm which received a score of 90% ‘hot’; he performed live on The Expresso Show on SABC 3 and just over a week later performed on Hectic Nine 9 on SABC 2. The rest of this year will focus mainly on tours outside of Cape Town with some of South Africa’s finest musicians. The first stop is a music festival outside of Durban, called Splashy Fen.

 Interview with Glen Hartmann

What’s your connection with Pretoria?

 

“I have some amazing friends who live in Pretoria so I always have a place to stay, and in July I had the opportunity to open for Zebra and Giraffe at Arcade Empire, which meant that I had a reason to come!”

 

What makes the Pretoria ‘vibe’ such a unique experience for any artist who performs in the Jacaranda city?

 

“The people of Pretoria are some of the friendliest people I have ever met! At the gig at Arcade Empire (which is an awesome venue!) I was blown away at how encouraging people were. This definitely makes Pretoria special.”

 

2013 is drawing to an end.  What are your most memorable moments of this year?

 

“Earlier this year I released my debut EP, For the Hurricane Chaser, so my most memorable moments have included sharing it on national TV and radio.  I traveled to Johannesburg and Pretoria to play shows for the first time.  This was an incredible experience!”

 

If you could only listen to one artist/band for the rest of your life, who would it be?

“Two Door Cinema Club!”

 

Park Acoustics will be pulling out all the tricks for their final event of 2013.  Which acts do you look forward to seeing?

“I’m pretty amped to see aKing perform, they have a great energy on stage!”

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RavingFox

DJ Trip – Our Psy Warrior

Trip’s journey in the trance scene began Feb 2003. Progressing from the dance floor to DJ’ing in Dec 2004 and producing psytrance music from Aug 2007. His first gig was in Mozambique, and since then he has played both in Johannesburg and Cape Town at indoor and outdoor events. He has also been producing Psytrance as ‘Synthetic Alkaloid’. As a result of his chance encounter with trance he found purpose and direction in his life and through his DJ’ing and live music he endeavours to touch as many lives as he can to help others on their journey through trance. As with any journey there is a short and a long version.

Short Version:
Introduced to Psy trance by Moog of Mushroom Mafia in Feb 2003. Played his first gig on Macanetta Island in Mozambique Dec 2003. Progressed from playing morning and late afternoon trance to full on night time Psytrance. Trip’s night time psytrance sets have taken dance floors by storm both in Johannesburg and CT. He takes his dance floor on a journey. The enthusiasm, energy and passion that he puts into his sets are contagious. His sets get young, old school, male and female trance heads onto the dance floor.

He supports both international and South African artists and always searches for fresh new material when playing a gig. He has played for most of the best production companies in Johannesburg such as Black Feet, Red Eye, Spring Chicken E Radio, TechnoTribe, 4Tune Records, G.A.S.S. Earthdance, Dragonfly, Fu Cha, Psychedelic Mansions, Orbit, Noisy Radicals, Project Pulsate, Thorn Fest and even formed his own production company, “Psychotic Productions’. Also played at various clubs e.g. Horror Café, Submission, DJ Club, CCHQ, Tempos, Safari Inn, Rock Bar, Truth, Le Mix Room and The Bridge Diner.

After meeting with Dave Love, Frozen Ghost and Hiyarant of Disasterpiece Records in Jul 2008 Trip spread his wings and flew to CT Aug 2008 to do a crash course in Q-Base with Barry and Stuart. Also got to do a few gigs in Cape Town through Dave Love. On his next trip he met up with Calvin aka Switchcache and has since been a regular guest DJ at Psynopticz. He has played for production companies Psynopticz (Bang Bang Club and Butterfly Studios), Electric Gnome and at the clubs Gonzos, Evolution, Embargos and Roots. Trip has been on line ups with the likes of Moog, StarSpine, Regan, Shift, Hydraglyph, Artifakt , Digital Dream, Cooks, Zirken, Wobblz, Bruce, Dean Fuel, Frozen Ghost, Hiyarant, Dirty Motion, Zion Linguist, Deliriant, SignLanguage, Fright Rate, Terror Mental, Phyx, Brethren, Switchcache, Plusminus, Tune Raider, Humerous, EMP. Gonzo, Sonic, Broken Toy, Headroom, Zezia, CMYK, Manifesto, Boogey Monster, Ironstein, Cold Turkey, Rabdom L, Insaneacyde, , Parallax, Psysymetrix, Bazooka Boy, Illuminati, Gwen C to name but a few!! Never forgetting the trancers who have supported him over the years he is always up for doing gigs at private events. Trip has an insatiable love of trance, give him a sound system and some decks and he will go out there and give it horns.. 2013 promises to be an exciting year, filled with challenges, collaborations, releases and producing new tunes. He embraces the year ahead and hopes to see all of those who support him on the dance floor smiling and stomping to the beats. P.L.U.R.

FOLLOW LINKS>>>>>

PSYCHOTIC PRODUCTIONS :: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=4223882922

SYNTHETIC ALKALOID :: http://www.facebook.com/pages/-SYNTHETIC-ALKALOID-/11620934503

DJ Trip on Sound Cloud http://soundcloud.com/dj-trip/dj-trip-sound-clod-mix-16-hrz

 

INTERVIEW with DJ TRIP

 

What does ONE Festival signify for you?

“The ONE festival is the coming together of like minded people. It is a gathering of the tribes of various genres celebrating music and dance under the African skies. All brought together in unity and set in magical surroundings.

 

One creates an opportunity for DJ’s and live artists to show case their talents and grow the electronic music scene in Jhb. It incorporates all the music genres to satisfy everyone’s taste.

 

Having had the honour of playing at the first One Festival and being invited to play again this year is a privilege. As a DJ and producer it is good to know that the organizers have put together an event that truly caters for the party goers safety and pleasure. Given the surroundings, décor, lighting, sound and stage set up it is bound to be an event one will never forget.”

ONE Festival will be held at The Lost City of Enki.  Which sights do you look forward to seeing?

 

“The area as a whole is filled with ruins which date back to ancient times. Sightseeing in this area is a holiday in itself, but for me I would like to visit Adam’s calendar, some of the Bantu Ruins and the Crystal Caves.

A tall order with a festival which promises to keep me busy and entertained for the full 5 days!”

What are your tips for surviving a 5-day festival?

 

“Read the flyer about what to and what not to bring. The organisers have pretty much supplied a survivor’s guide as far as the practical side is concerned.

Always stay well hydrated and avoid doing anything in excess.

Pace yourself, read the line ups and choose the acts that you don’t want to miss.

 

Know where to go in the case of an emergency and have a buddy system in place to look out for each other.

 

Catch a nap at intervals and eat. There will be plenty to choose from in the way of food.”

Tell us about your most insane and memorable experience at a festival.

“I have attended a number of festivals and it is very difficult to make a choice. There are so many amazing memories spent with good friends and awesome vibes.  A festival has an atmosphere which is unique.

The most insane festival I attended would have to be Woodstock 5. This was my first outdoor event. There was so many stages and genres of music all going on at the same time. It was mind blowing to have virtually all ones senses teased simultaneously.

 

My most memorable festival was Synergy in Cape Town. I had the opportunity to see Prodigy live. I have been a fan for years and they did not disappoint.”

Which stage do you reckon will go off with the biggest bang at ONE Festival?

“The festival has incorporated a number of stages featuring the best of the best representing their various genres. The headliner Minimal Criminal from Brazil will be playing on the main stage, so it will definitely attract a big audience. Given the wealth of variety of music that will be on offer, each one will draw its own audience and the DJ’s and Live sets will be supported by their fans.”

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RavingFox

Hybrid Minds – Meant To Be

Comprising of Josh White, Matt Lowe on production, and Jeff Crake on vocals, Hybrid Minds represent a new musical force, with their melodic, soulful Drum and Bass already making waves across the globe. A synergy between influences including trip-hip, acoustic, soul and jazz, Hybrid Minds, consisting of Sensa, Josh and Grimm, draw on a myriad of influences to produce the smooth sound they are known for.

Josh and Matt [Sensa] had worked with one another for a few years running record labels before deciding to put their drive into music making. After only a few joint efforts, the duo immediately shot to the forefront of the Liquid scene, with household names such as Netsky, Lenzman, Marcus Intalex, Logistics, John B and Camo & Krooked all playing tracks from the newly formed duo. Their method of bouncing ideas off each other in the studio yielded immediate results with one of their first tracks, ‘The Place’ becoming one of the biggest liquid tracks of 2011, and receiving vast amounts of love from the UKF fans, a market they did not expect to reach. Combining hard drums, delicate vocals and enchanting melodies, ‘The Place’ features all the elements that now make up Hybrid Minds’ distinctive, soulful sound.

After the unprecedented success of ‘The Place’, Sensa and Haste made the permanent jump to liquid, to the delight of millions of Drum and Bass fans, and began to look for a permanent vocalist. That search ended in the discovery of Grimm, a vocalist from Canada, thus Hybrid Minds was formed.

Hybrid Minds are now set to solidify their rapidly growing reputation in the scene, and become one of liquid’s new supergroups.

Read the RavingFox interview with Hybrid Minds:

Hybrid Minds – A Melodic Dream Affair [INTERVIEW]