Manqoba Recording with Driemanskap at Red Bull Studios

As you may know if you’re a regular reader of this blog, we recently celebrated our 3rd birthday by hosting a series of open mic competitions with Kool Out Entertainment and Red Bull. If you didn’t know, you can read all about it here.

The winner of the competition was a young emcee from Khayelitsha, Cape Town, called Manqoba. His prize was a recording session at Red Bull Studios where he made an EP that will be digitally released by Pioneer Unit.

We spent 3 days with Steve Elsworth, the head engineer at Red Bull Studios, recording 5 great tracks. 4 of the tracks were solo joints with Hipe on production. For the fifth track Driemanskap came through with an El Nino beat and recorded a collaboration.

We’re extremely happy with the work everyone put in and the quality of the music that was created. We have always believed that there is a huge amount of unrecognised and untapped talent in Cape Town. There’s always a concern that a dope street emcee may not have the necessary skills for a professional recording environment, but Manqoba was a pleasure to work with. He came well-prepared, his delivery was on point and most importantly, his attitude was great.

We hope to have Manqoba’s EP, Khaltsha Stand Up, ready for release by September 2010. Watch this space for more information.

Check out some photos and video of the recording session…

Steve sets up the mic (click image for larger version).

Manqoba on the mic (click image for larger version).

Manqoba spittin’ heat (click image for larger version).

Manqoba and his boys (click image for larger version).

Manqoba and Redondo (click image for larger version).

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

El Nino gives Manqoba some advice (click image for larger version).

Manqoba in the booth with Driemanskap (click image for larger version).

Check out some video courtesy of So Real TV.com

Check out the full set of photos (24) on Flickr

That’s how we rrrrrrrrrrrroll!!

Ben Sharpa Features on ‘Vagina Rush’ EP by R;Zatz

DJ Raiko just brought back this beautiful R;Zatz’s Vagina Rush 12″ vinyl EP from France. The 6 track EP features our very own Ben Sharpa and DJ Raiko on cuts. You gotta love vinyl!

Check out the Vagina Rush page on the Jarring Effects website.

Buy Vagina Rush on the cd1d website (digital downloads also available)

That’s how we rrrrrrrroll!!

Ben Sharpa / K-the-I??? / R;Zatz – Vagina Rush Teaser (Video)

Check out this video teaser of Ben, DJ Raiko, K-the-I??? and R;Zatz preparing for the Vagina Rush Tour in France…

Teaser Vagina Rush tour : Rzatz meets Ben Sharpa & K-The-I ??? from Jarring Effects on Vimeo

… And check out the live performance of My Brain Doesn’t Work in Paris…

That’s how we rrrrrrrrroll!!

Nguwe Remix – Rattex Ft. Siya

Check out this remix of Nguwe by Rattex from his debut solo album, Bread and Butter. Produced by Hipe. Featuring Siya on vocals. Dedicated to all the Grannies out there! Yours to download for FREE (click the little black downwards-pointing arrow on the right of the widget below)…

Nguwe Remix – Rattex Ft. Siya  by  PioneerUnit

That’s how we rrrrrrrrroll!!

Ben Sharpa in Studio with John Robinson and Tumi

Ben in the booth, JR on the boards (click for larger image).

While we were rehearsing for the 4DLS project at the Red Bull Studio, DJ Raiko turned up with John Robinson who is in South Africa for the Kool Out Live gigs in Cape Town and Joburg.

For those that don’t know, native New Yorker John Robinson, AKA Lil Sci, was part of the legendary east coast group ScienZ of Life. He has worked with the likes of The Roots, Common, Talib Kweli, Mos Def, Dead Prez, Run DMC and MF DOOM. In other words, he is a bona fide heavyweight in the game.

JR sat in on our rehearsal for a while, then him and Ben Sharpa started a little freestyle cipher. Hipe was sitting in on the session and just happened to have a selection of his sickest beats with him (as any good producer should). One thing lead to another and before I knew what was happening, Ben and JR were in the other studio laying verses down on one of Hipe’s beats. The result is a classic.

As I write this, Ben Sharpa, Tumi (of Tumi and the Volume fame) and John Robinson are in Johannesburg in the studio collaborating on another track. With 3 lyrical heavyweights, that promises to be one of the illest collaborations ever made in South Africa. Can’t wait to hear it!

Check out John Robinson at Kool Out Live in Johannesburg tonight at OSC (Cnr Henry Nxumalo and Bree Street, Newtown) and in Cape Town on Saturday at Zula Bar on Long Street.

John Robinson on Myspace

That’s how we rrrrrrrrrroll!!

Rattex Collaborates with Filewile in Cape Town

A big thanks to Pro Helvetia (the Swiss arts council) and Tracy Semptember for organising a collaboration between Swiss electro-dub band, Filewile, and Rattex during their recent visit to Cape Town.

The combination of Rattex’s spaza lyricism and Filewile’s dubby electronic melodies was beautiful. Filewile are good peoples and we hope to continue working with them in the future.

Check out some photos of the performance at All Nations…

Check the full set of photos here (22 photos). All photos courtesy of Filewile and Niklas Zimmer.

That’s how we rrrrrrrroll!!

spo0ky / Rattex Collaborate for NIKE IAM1 Campaign

Anne-Sophie Leens aka spo0ky created a set of images to illustrate the concept of a track Rattex made for the Nike IAM1 campaign called, AirMaxin’. The track is about Rattex’s desire to succeed, despite the limiting expectations some township people try to force upon him.

Rattex uses his new Nikes as a metaphor for ‘making it’ – they are a symbol of success, but they also represent the daily hustle to survive and escape the forces that are trying to hold him back.

‘Movement’ is an essential part of any journey. spo0ky’s images show Rattex in series of dynamic situations which are distilled metaphors for overcoming the negative aspects of his environment that are trying to hold him back – there are always obstacles in his path, but by making the right choices with constant purpose, he stay on the right path.

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spo0ky for NIKE IAM1 on Nikesportswear.com

Rattex for NIKE IAM1 on Nikesportswear.com

spo0ky IAM1 interview on Mahala.co.za

Download Airmaxin’ by Rattex – MP3 – 8.69 MB

That’s how we rrrrrrrrroll!!

Rattex to Perform and Collaborate with Swiss Electro-Dub Band Filewile

Swiss club sensation Filewile are set to rock Africa in a tour presented by Pro Helvetia Cape Town, the Swiss Arts Council.

The dub-driven Filewile duo, Dustbowl (Andreas Ryser) and Dejot (Daniel Jakob), will perform with guest vocalist Joy Frempong and Mago Fluck on bass, and will collaborate with top local artists for a series of concerts in Dar Es Salaam, Johannesburg, Maputo and Cape Town.

The Johannesburg shows will feature Pedro Da Silva, lead singer of the award-winning band 340ml, while the Cape Town shows will feature Rattex, the multi-lingual, edgy Cape Flats rapper.

“This is an awesome opportunity for SA club goers to experience the sound of one of Europe’s leading club acts, in a unique fusion of music with our talented local performers,” says Colin Miller, Deputy Head of Pro Helvetia. “The blending of different styles is going to make for electric performances.”

Filewile began in 2003 as two mobile laptop street musicians, blasting the streets with their battery-driven mobile sound-system. They have recorded and performed with artists from all over the world, own a record label, and produce music for commercials, theatre and documentaries.

Their sound is constantly evolving, from dub-influenced electronica and twisted hip hop, to jangling percussion from mistreated echo devices with cheesy synthesizers.

The SA leg of the Filewile African Tour line-up is:
Joburg: Friday 27th Nov – The Woods, Newtown
Joburg: Saturday 28th Nov – Pretty Drastik at Arts on Main
Cape Town: Friday 4th Dec – The Assembly
Cape Town: Saturday 5th Dec – Fong Kong Bantu Sound System at All Nations

There will also be 2 free outdoor jam sessions:
Joburg: Sunday 29th Nov – Munks Concept Stores, Melville
Cape Town: Sunday 6th Dec – Nyanga Arts Centre, Nyanga

For bookings and further information contact:
communications@prohelvetia.org.za or phone 082 976 7010.

Links:
Pro Helvetia Cape Town
Filewile on Myspace
340ml on Myspace
Rattex on Myspace

That’s how we rrrrrrrrrrroll!!