Pioneer Unit was invited to take part in the ‘After Dark‘ sessions at the SAE Institute on Wednesday. As Ben Sharpa was in town rehearsing for his forthcoming European tour with Pure Solid, we decided it would be a good opportunity to get him involved. Hipe supplied a banger and Ben took care of business, dropping verses on the subject of ‘fallen heroes’.

The SAE students filmed the whole session as well as interviews with Ben, Hipe and Dplanet.

We ran a competition to join us at the recording session. The winner, Mahluli Mngadi Jr, chilled with us while we took care of business. Shout out to him.

Shout out to Trenton Birch, Itamar Weiss, Jerome Overmeyer and all the SAE students for making it happen.

Ben, Hipe and Mahluli

Hipe prepares for his interview

Itamar at the controls

Ben in the booth

Neve desk

Lethal combination

Ben and Hipe with Mahluli

Sharpa dropping science

Group shot

Keep following us for information about how to get hold of the track.

That’s how we rrrrrrrrrroll!!

Three of Pioneer Unit’s finest will be throwing down at the SAE ‘After Dark’ session this coming Wednesday 11th April. Ben Sharpa, Jaak and Ma-B (Driemanskap) will be joined by Kanyi – who you will know from her verse on Driemanskap’s, ‘S’phum’eGugs’, and her own debut video single, ‘Ingoma’. Pioneer Unit’s own super producer Hipe will also be in attendance to make sure everyone does justice to his beat.

The SAE Institute is the largest provider of creative media education in the world. They hold monthly events where they invite prolific artists from the industry into their studios to record a track of their choice. The sessions are recorded in their spectacular live room via their Neve Genesys hybrid console by artist/engineer and former SAE student, Itamar Weiss. The sessions are filmed and photographed by their Film Department students.

WIN!

2 people can win a chance to hang out with Pioneer Unit as we record a track for this After Dark session.

Entering is simple:
1. Go to our Facebook page (and ‘like’ it if you have not done so already)
2. Post on our wall why we should choose you to attend
3. We choose our favourite 2 answers.

Please make sure you are available to come to central Cape Town on Wednesday evening.

Hopefully we’ll see you soon. Good luck!

That’s how we rrrrrrrrroll!!

Rattex was in the studio yesterday recording a new EP with Pure Solid. Rattex brings his unique kasi flavour to Pure Solid’s dark, dub-influenced griminess to create hardcore ghetto vibes.

The EP is going to be called, Spazatronic, and we’re hoping to have it out sometime in November. Watch this space for more news.

That’s how we rrrrrrrrrrrrrrroll!!

This week we’ll be in studio with Ben Sharpa recording the Fourth Density Light Show (4DLS) project. We started recording on Saturday and so far the sessions have been great. 4DLS is primarily a live audio visual show concept but we decided to make a recorded version that we will release prior to touring the show. You can read more about 4DLS, as well as checking out some photos and video, by clicking here.

Ben is down in Cape Town until Friday, then he’s briefly back to Joburg before flying out for his third European tour of 2010. You can check out Ben’s tour schedule by clicking here.

While Ben is away, we’ll mix the project and spo0ky will start creating visuals. Ben is back in South Africa at the end of September at which point we’ll go into full rehearsals. Hopefully we’ll start touring the show in early 2011. Keep it locked for more info.

That’s how we rrrrrrrrrrroll!!

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!!

This week we’re at the Red Bull Studios in Cape Town recording Rattex’s new 6 track EP. Today we smashed out two spaza bangers with ill beats courtesy of Hipe. Brazuka killed a feature verse on one of the tracks and obviously Rah spat his usual brand of kasi fire.

The EP doesn’t have a name yet, but Rattex is definitely back with a vengeance with his first offering since the release of his debut solo album, Bread and Butter. Keep it locked to PioneerUnit.com for release details and more photos and video from our recording sessions.

Check out some photos and video from our first session…

The dream team – Hipe and Rattex (click photo for larger version)

Red Bull’s resident engineer Steve at the controls (click photo for larger version)

PU in effect (click photo for larger version)

Rattex on the mic (click photo for larger version)

Rah Spittin’ fire (click photo for larger version)

Steve giving advice with Hipe in attendance (click photo for larger version)

Rattex listening to the new track (click photo for larger version)

This is hip hop! (click photo for larger version)

That’s how we rrrrrrrrroll!!

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!!

Every night this week I’ve been at the Red Bull Studios in Cape Town with Ben Sharpa, DJ Raiko and spo0ky, rehearsing our new collaborative project, Fourth Density Light Show (4DLS). 4DLS is a collision of freestyle underground lyrical hip hop, improvised electro-dub Robot Army Music (RAM) and analogue impulse triggered visual stimulus. Our ‘band’ consists of Ben Sharpa on vocals and Korg Kaoss Pad, me on Ableton Live and Akai APC40, DJ Raiko on Serrato and SL1200s and spo0ky on VDMX (VJing software).

These sessions are our first rehearsals together after months of planning. We first discussed the project with Ben while we were on tour in Réunion Island in June 2009. Having thought about this for so long now, it’s exciting seeing and hearing it come to life. Our first sessions are all about seeing what we can do together, so it’s a bit chaotic – but that’s just how it goes – we’ll work on polishing and tightening up once we’ve seen where we can take this.

It’s really important for us to maintain a feeling of improvisation throughout the show. So many so-called ‘live’ electronic music sets are a disappointment because there really isn’t that much improvisation – producers often just run their tracks and add a few effects. Obviously tracks need some sense of structure but there is no point going to a live show to hear music exactly the same way it was recorded. Reading the crowd and feeding from, and into, that energy is more important than getting through every track in our set list.

We don’t have plans to release this project as a recording at the moment – it’s just a live show concept. It’s possible we might release a DVD of a live show at some point, but we’ll think about that after we’ve done a few shows.

Ben and Raiko are flying out to France for the start of their latest European tour on March 1st. We’ll resume rehearsals when they come back in May. We hope to start touring 4DLS in the last quarter of 2010. To book 4DLS contact us.

Big ups to Richard and Ivan at Red Bull Studios for making us welcome and taking care of our technical needs. Check out the Red Bull Studios Cape Town blog.

Check out some lo-fi videos of our first rehearsal session…

That’s how we rrrrrrrrroll!!

2010 is going to be a busy year for Ben Sharpa. Ben is back in Europe for the Vagina Rush Tour with R;zatz, K-the-I??, Bluebird and DJ Raiko. So far they have 9 dates booked for March and April, but more are being added all the time. Check out the gigs page for more info.

Check the Myspace pages:
Ben Sharpa
R;zatz
K-the-I??
Bleubird
DJ Raiko

We’re also working hard on the new 4D Live Show. Rehearsals start at the end of February before Ben leaves for Europe. 4D is a live improvised hip hop, electro-dub, grime mashup featuring Ben Sharpa on ‘freestyle’, dubbed-out, sampled, re-sampled, chopped-up, cut and scratched vocals. Dplanet on production, using Ableton Live and an Akai APC40 to manipulate heavy Robot Army riddims. DJ Raiko behind the decks, using Technics SL1210s and Serrato to create cuts, scratches and live DJ effects. spo0ky on the Vidvox VDMX using bespoke graphic and motion design to create high-impact visual stimulus and Siya singing dubbed-out African melodies

4D is a collision of futuristic freestyle underground lyrical hip hop, apocalyptic electro-dub Robot Army Music (RAM) and mind-altering, analogue impulse triggered visual stimulus. Participants will be taken on a 4 dimensional journey through the heaviest, darkest, dirtiest, raw dubs narrated by the astro physicist Kaptin’ of your ship, Ben Sharpa.

We’ve also started working on Ben’s second solo album. It’s still in the concept phase but you can expect more dark, grimy, electo-dub – this time we’ll be twisting the fabric of time and space to create a project that goes back to Ben’s GroundWorks roots in hip hop.

The collaborations keep on coming too. Ben has worked with Mode 9 (Nigeria), Siete Nueve (Puerto Rico), Foreign Beggars (UK), Milanese (UK), K-the-I?? (US), High Tones (France), R;zatz (France) and, most recently, LV (Hyperdub, UK). Expect a lot more for 2010!

That’s how we rrrrrrrrroll!!

We just got back from a nice session at Hipe’s studio in Ravensmead. DJ Raiko was laying down cuts for Jaak’s forthcoming album, Hipe Presents: Flêtse Maniere.

The album is currently in the final stages of post-production and will showcase the talent of one of South Africa’s most lyrical Afrikaans emcees alongside one of South Africa’s dopest producers.

We’ll update you with release dates as soon as we have them fixed. Keep it locked!

Jaak and Hipe (Click photo for larger version)

The Unit at work (Click photo for larger version)

Hipe vinyl (Click photo for larger version)

Jaak, Hipe and Raiko (Click photo for larger version)

Jaak and Da Bo$$ share a joke (Click photo for larger version)

Raiko in the cut (Click photo for larger version)

Click here for full set (8) of photos on Flickr

That’s how we rrrrrrroll!!