Behind the scenes with Driemanskap at the Ivamna video shoot

We had a great weekend shooting the video for Driemanskap’s romantic summer anthem, Ivamna (Love Potion). For this shoot we were joined by Cape Town-based filmmaker, Ari Kruger, who runs Sketchbook Studios. Ari shot and co-directed the video with spo0ky – a great combination. We were also joined by a gang of beautiful and talented ladies who performed the roles of Driemanskap’s romantic partners.

Ivamna has been getting major airplay recently and, judging by the fans’ comments on Facebook and Twitter, it was the most popular choice for Driemanskap’s fourth video from their debut album, Igqabhukil’ Inyongo.

For day one of the two day shoot we were on location in Gugulethu. For the second day we moved to town and shot at The Company’s Garden and the beautiful waterfall at Deer Park. Two perfect locations for romance.

As always, shout out to Driemanskap Family, Butan Wear and Deep Settle Movement. Massive thanks also goes out to our stylist, Nande Njanya, who made the ladies look even more beautiful.

Check out some behind the scenes photos…

El Nino gets romantic

Biker Dla with his girl

Dla’s wife

Dla with his wife and baby

Ari Kruger and spo0ky getting the shot

Hair and makeup

El Nino gets a trim at the barber shop

Ari shoots Dla going for a romantic walk

Caution! El Nino and the ladies

Ma-B and his beautiful (video) wifey

El Nino performing his verse at the waterfall

Ari shooting the picnic scene

Planet Earth and his entourage

Click here for the full set of photos (47) on Flickr

That’s how we rrrrrrrrrrrroll!!

Driemanskap Perform Live to 4 Million People on National TV

Driemanskap and Planet Earth tore the house down at a special live broadcast of SABC1′s primetime music show Live in Cape Town last Friday. We shot this video ‘backstage’ in the VIP section of Trinity, where this special edition of the show was broadcast from. The sound quality isn’t great, but Driemanskap’s energy as they performed a medley of their tracks, is unmistakeable.

The show’s producer told us that there was an estimated 4-5 million viewers for this broadcast. Crazy!

That’s how we rrrrrrrrrroll!!

Rattex shoots video for Ewe Nje

Rattex just finished shooting a video for Ewe Nje from his recent EP, Street, Raps & Us. As always, Rattex stays representing for the streets and real hip hop so expect gritty visuals to go with his hard-hitting lyrics and classic production by Hipe. Look out for cameo appearances by BraZuka and DJ Raiko, who did the cuts on the track.

Expect to see the video on a screen near you before the end of July. Candy floss rappers fall back.

Click on any of these photos to view them at larger sizes (in Flickr)…

Listen to Ewe Nje…

That’s how we rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrroll!!

Mobilise Your Unit: Pioneer Unit on Your Cellphone

We’ve just launched our new mobile website. Take your celly to http://pioneerunit.com and give it a test run.

Our new mobile site is optimised for…

iOS / Webkit: iPhone, iPod, Incognito, Webmate
Android: Android, Dream, Cupcake, Froyo
Blackberry Storm / Torch / Bold 3: 9500, 9520, 9530, 9550, 9800, 9780
Windows Phone 7: Iemobile / 7.0
Palm Pre / Pixi: Webos
Samsung: s8000, Bada

Please let us know if anything is not working how it should be.

That’s how we rrrrrrrrrrrroll!!

Behind the Scenes with Driemanskap at the I Will Make It Video Shoot

We spent this weekend shooting a new video for Driemanskap’s I Will Make It from their debut album Igqabhukil’ Inyongo.

As always we had a lot of fun but we also got some serious work done. The video tells a rags to riches story of a man who is down on his luck. He goes through a series of trials and tribulations before getting his life back on track. Shaun ‘Kritsi’ Jonas plays the main character and he did an amazing job.

Driemanskap Family came through in numbers to help us out with everything from production assistance to playing extras. You won’t see a more authentic hip hop video coming out of SA any time soon.

We still have a couple more shots to complete but editing will start this week. Hopefully you’ll get to see this video sometime in June. For now, check out some behind the scenes video and photos…

Video

Photos

I’m so hood! (click image for larger version).

Driemanskap represent! (click image for larger version).

Kritsi shooting at the shebeen (click image for larger version).

Kritsi got big boy swag (click image for larger version).

Checking the footage (click image for larger version).

El Nino shooting his verse (click image for larger version).

Crowd scene for the chorus (click image for larger version).

Dla shooting his verse (click image for larger version).

El Nino and Kanyi (click image for larger version).

The Director happy after a long weekend of shooting (click image for larger version).

Kritsi: from rags to riches (click image for larger version).

Click here for the full set of photos (30) on Flickr

That’s how we rrrrrrrrrrrroll!!

Video: Kat 7 (Meerkat) Preview – Jaak

We’re in the final stages of production for Jaak’s sophomore album Galant. We’ve learned not to run our mouths about release dates but we’re hoping it will be out in before the end of June. There are lots of small bits and pieces of post-production to do, and cuts to be added by DJ Azhul.

The album is produced entirely by Jaak himself under the name Loufaai. All the samples Jaak used were taken from various Afrikaans music. We’ve always thought of Jaak as an Afrikaans Madlib with his eclectic, sample-heavy boom bap. Obviously Jaak doesn’t actually sound like Madlib but it’s a similar aesthetic.

We met last week to finalise the album art concept and spo0ky has been set an exciting and demanding challenge. While Jaak was here we decided to shoot a small teaser for Galant, so check out Kat 7 (Meerkat) and let us know what you think…

That’s how we rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrroll!!

Where to get music by Pioneer Unit artists

Because of the recent media attention Driemanskap have been receiving, we have a lot of new fans who don’t know where to get our music. If you are new to Driemanskap and Pioneer Unit – welcome to the family! We also represent Ben Sharpa, Rattex, Jaak, KONFAB, Manqoba, Pure Solid, DJ Raiko, Planet Earth, Hipe and Dplanet.

So, where can you get our music? We thought it would be a good idea to answer the question for everyone to read, as well as give a small insight into the distribution challenges we face in South Africa. We also want to let people know what they can do to help make sure the music is always stocked in major retail outlets.

Physical distribution in South Africa is a big challenge for independent hip hop labels. Pioneer Unit is currently distributed by Soul Candi. In theory our album releases are available in all the major retail outlets (Musica, Look & Listen and Reliable) – and have been for some time. However, it is up to the individual stores to order stock. Store managers of most major retail outlets are primarily interested in creating profit for their companies so they tend to stock music that sells in large numbers (primarily international chart music and local dance music). The current reality is that South African hip hop is a relatively small niche market with relatively low sales – so keeping our music in stock is not a top priority for many major retail outlets.

Naturally we are working round the clock to change this situation by marketing our artists as aggressively as we can (with the resources at our disposal) to raise awareness of our music and create demand. However, it is up to the fans to make sure they help create demand by ordering our music at the counter if it is not available on the shelves. If enough people ask for the music, the shops will take note and start supplying the demand.

However, if you have tried ordering our music at a major retailer and still haven’t had any luck, we have a number of alternative options:

1. African Music Store
If you are in Cape Town, all our music (including EPs) is available at the African Music Store. They always have stock so it’s never a wasted journey – and it’s great to support an independent music store that actually cares about the music. You can find them at 134 Long Street – (021) 426 0857.

2. Our Online Store
You can download our music or order CDs through our online shop (credit card or Paypal required). It’s 100% safe, secure and reliable – powered by Bandcamp.

3. Mail Order
If you don’t have a credit card or Paypal you can use our mail order service and pay via EFT (electronic transfer) or cash deposit. We deliver across South Africa and internationally.

4. International Download Stores
Our music is also available on all the major international digital download sites including iTunes, Rhapsody, eMusic, Nokia, Shockhound, Napster, Amazon MP3 and the Limewire Store.

5. At Shows
All our artists are armed with copies of their latest releases, so if you see them at a show, don’t be shy – go buy a copy and get a photo taken with them while you’re at it!

We need your help to spread this information, so please link to this article on your Twitter, Facebook or blog.

That’s how we rrrrrrrrrrrroll!!

Video: The Making of S’phum’eGugs – Driemanskap

Take a look behind the scenes at the making of Driemanskap’s latest video, S’phum’eGugs (‘we’re from Gugs’). If you haven’t seen the video on Channel O, MTV Base, Music Lounge or Youtube, where have you been!? Check it out here.

This mini-documentary directed by spo0ky follows Driemanskap, Macho and Kanyi as they shoot their latest video in Guguletu, the kasi (hood) where they grew up and stay to this day.

Click here to check out photos from the day of the shoot on Flickr.

S’phum’eGugs appears on Igqabhukil’ Inyongo. Listen to and buy it at our online store.

That’s how we rrrrrrrrrrrrroll!!

Behind the Scenes at the S’phum’eGugs Video Shoot

We were planning to shoot a video for I Will Make It by Driemanskap with Anton Visser, a Director at Velocity Films. He came up with a great concept and we were all very excited about making it happen. Sadly we ran into unforeseen logistical issues – the insurance costs for the equipment we were planning to use ended up being out of our reach – so we had to postpone the shoot indefinitely.

It was a big disappointment for everyone but Velocity did everything in their power to try to make it happen. Sadly, there really was no way around the insurance issue and the costs involved were just too high for Velocity or Pioneer Unit to absorb.

We know Drie fans are hungry for more videos so we quickly set about re-scheduling a shoot for a different track. Recently we conducted a poll asking fans which track they’d most like to see a video for. The results were close but S’phum’eGugs came in at the top with 22.52% of the votes.

Anton very kindly agreed to come and shoot the new video for us so we quickly set up a new date and made the necessary arrangements. S’phum’eGugs is a street anthem dedicated to Gugulethu so there was never any question where we were going to shoot.

Driemanskap, Kanyi and Macho had scouted locations that they felt really represented Gugs. The locations included several spots on the street where El Nino grew up (and where he and Ma-B currently stay), the railway track, Mzoli’s, the Sports Complex and various street locations.

We started shooting at 11am and wrapped the final shot at around 6.30pm. It was a long hot day but everyone gave 100% for the whole day. Lots of people joined us during the day to add hype to the relevant scenes or just to watch and lend a hand.

Some of the highlights of the shoot were a gusheshe doing burnouts at the Sports Complex, Redondo spitting about writing, ‘million dollar concepts’, whilst sitting on a toilet with his trousers round his ankles, blocking the traffic whilst we shot out of the back of a car, Kanyi and Ma-B doing a battle of the sexes with a large crowd joining in, and Drie, Anton, Kanyi and Macho shooting right next to the train tracks as a train narrowly missed them.

One of the stars of the shoot was El Nino’s dog, ‘Julius’ Malema. He tried to get into every scene and, like his owner, got hyper when the music was playing. He was dishing out a few friendly bites here and there too!

Big thanks to Drie, Macho, Kanyi, Planet Earth, spo0ky, Anton, Christine, X and the Gugs massive for all the hard work. It’s going to take us a couple of weeks to get the video edited. We also shot a ‘making of’ video which we need to edit too. In the mean time, check out some photos courtesy of spo0ky…

Blocking the main road as we shot out of the back of a car (click for larger photo).

Kanyi spittin’ (click for larger photo).

Blocking the road again (click for larger photo).

Redondo wants his headphones turned up! (click for larger photo).

El Nino and Redondo are tooled-up in the garage scene (click for larger photo).

The garage scene (click for larger photo).

Dla gets on his bike (click for larger photo).

Dla is finished with this beef (click for larger photo).

Drie, Kanyi, Macho and Anton on the train tracks (click for larger photo).

The rooftop scene (click for larger photo).

Shooting the rooftop scene (click for larger photo).

A normal Sunday at Mzoli’s (click for larger photo).

‘Julius’ Malema – El Nino’s dog (click for larger photo).

For the full set of photos (118) on Flickr, click here.

S’phum’eGugs appears on Igqabhukil’ Inyongo. Listen to and buy it at our online store.

That’s how we rrrrrrrrrrroll!!

Ben Sharpa and DJ Raiko set off last week on their 16 city European tour. You can check out behind the scenes footage of what they get up to via their video diary on Vuzu.tv (channel 123 on DSTV). You can also check out updates, photos and video by making friends with Ben and Raiko on the Vuzu.tv social network.

Make friends with Ben Sharpa on Vuzu.tv social network

Make friends with DJ Raiko on Vuzu.tv social network

In the mean time, check out some photos from the first few days of the tour…

Ben in his Odda-T (Click photo for larger version)

Ben and Raiko at the airport (Click photo for larger version)

Ben, Oddateee and Raiko on the tour bus (Click photo for larger version)

Ben on the streets of Hamburg (Click photo for larger version)

Ben with Hamburg graf (Click photo for larger version)

Coolin’ at Club Hafenklang (Click photo for larger version)

Peace! (Click photo for larger version)

Click here for full set (24) of photos on Flickr

That’s how we rrrrrrroll!!