music day
With top-class gigs happening across the country for an entire 24 hours, South African Music Day is set to take local is lekker to new heights. Michelle Constant takes the microphone
The key to the very first South African Music Day (March 27) is not to find all the answers but to feel confident raising the questions about our industry as it stands today. And so, without further ado I’ll lay my quivering head on the public block. I’ll even wear one of those new fashionable henna neck tattoos so when the dissenting axeman cometh, he’ll know where to strike.
Subsequent to the first real elections of 1994, the democratisation of the airwaves and the introduction of the sometimes controversial IBA quota created a resurgence of interest in South African music. Stations were forced to start looking at, listening to, and, in the end, playing the local sounds appropriate to their format.
But over the last year or so interest seems to have waned slightly. Are we, the media, tired or bored perhaps of the hunt for a new story and a new angle? I once worked on a free range chicken farm, and made the distressing discovery that free range chickens are not interested in the so-called “free range”, but rather choose to spend their short-lived time crammed into crabby interiors while streamlining the pecking order.
Likewise, as South African radio becomes “free range”, and moves from fledgling chick to petulant chicken, some of our stations are dramatically narrowing their South African on-air musical possibilities. Understandably, niche marketing has a lot to do with this, but whereas South African music in the past struggled to be heard because of political circumstances, now censorship comes from within the stations themselves. How ironic.
I recently heard members of the Fresh label describing their initial struggle to have tracks from their Re Rooted album playlisted. Many believe this to be a totally top-sport dance album, featuring remixes of the likes of Ladysmith Black Mambazo, E’smile of Prophets of da City and Tananas. So much drop dead terrible eurotrash gets the green light, so why does this album hit the red?
Niche marketing in music radio has also played a role in the ghetto-isation of music. Kwaito, R&B and rap go to the so-called “black” stations; dance, rock and pop to the so-called “white”. Stations themselves often don’t attempt to change the status quo. Kwaito as a developing, indigenous dance form, should and could cross radio genres with absolute ease.
At the moment it would appear to be the campus stations who are taking the bull by the horns. When one looks at the selection of South African music on Tukkies (Pretoria University) Radio for example, there is an impressive mix of “white” and “black” music. Abashante jostles for airplay with Boo!, while TKZee and Blunt snuggle up close and personal to Louise Carver.
Recognition of international South African stars has been slow to register here at home. So many of our musicians are real stars and yet are not acclaimed as such. We may know about Hugh Masekela and Miriam Makeba, but what about Ladysmith Black Mambazo who recently went to number one on the United Kingdom charts and who’ve done collaborations with Dolly Parton?
What about Big Voice Jack who was invited to perform in the United States with Dave Matthews, or Lucky Dube who is considered one of the finest reggae artists in the world? What about Lebo M and Ian Herman? The list continues.
It is the ironic and sad truth that in order to successfully advertise the South African Music Day campaign to a market larger than those in the know, the MIDI Trust had to go with an advertising campaign featuring the poster endorsments of sporting stars, models and comic strip characters. After all Doc Khumalo is probably more recognisable to a larger South African audience than Jabu Khanyile or Abdullah Ibrahim.
Perhaps the media and public don’t always give due homage to the elders of the industry, but many younger artists do. One often hears younger musicians referring to more established South African artists in their work. Abashante returns to traditional sounds on one of their tracks, Bongo Maffin pays respect to Miriam Makeba’s Pata Pata, and I recently watched a young band called Crayon covering Juluka with some verve, loads of confidence and plenty of support. Hearing fresh young bands cover South African musicians is always encouraging, and hopefully that enthusiasm, joy and respect will spill over into all areas of the industry.
The aim of South African Music Day is to take stock of where the industry is at – to stimulate debate and definitely some change. South African Music Day is an awareness campaign which aims at the recognition of our musical talent, our past, present and potential greatness.
For me, South African Music Day has felt like a vitamin B shot in the bum – momentarily painful, but I’m looking forward to the after-effects. It’s been interesting to see who has come to the party; industry folks, media, retail, government structures and musicians. Certainly the Midi Trust should be commended for taking on what is, in many ways, a tough task. As Rosie Katz of the Midi Trust says: “It’s a first attempt and it hasn’t always been a bed of roses, but the long term ideal is exciting and worth working towards. I believe and hope that this will become an annual event”.
The South African Music Day gig guide, featuring all the live South African music we can watch on March 27 nationwide is, in no small way, symbolic of what this country has achieved musically, historically and politically.
The Observatory Music Day Splash in Cape Town features a multicutural blend of music; a strong cross section of kwaito, R&B, jazz and rock. From Meeka to the Honeymoon Suites, Cool Funk to Blunt, Dantai to Colourfields, this is a community event crossing genres bravely and celebrating the diversity of South African music in one place.
The Kaktus is Voelvry Rockfees at the Klein Karoo Kunste Fees pays homage to the Voelvry movement of the Eighties – honoring Afrikaner musicians who fought against the system.
The beauty of Vusi Mahlasela and Chris Letcher playing at Oppiyard in Pretoria cannot be lost on one, considering a musical history where black and white artists could not perform together.
Bayete in Bloemfontein, Caiphus Semenya not in Germany or France but back at home at Club 707i in Soweto – each is a victory.
The greatest victory though, will be knowing that audiences around the country are preparing to spend a Saturday watching and listening to some styling South African sounds. And while you’re listening to those fine sounds, why not applaud those who have succeeded, and cheer our young guns who are making forays into the international market?
In fact the month of April sees a collection of kwaito artists, including M’du, Mashamplane and Bongo Maffin, touring the United Kingdom, while a week earlier rock bands Sugardrive, Amersham, Boo and Just Jinger tread similar ground. Back at home in South Africa, the Springbok Nude Girls are also in the studio with producer Kevin Shirley of the Black Crowes and Aerosmith fame.
Yes, South African Music Day may up the feelgood stakes and stroke the right body parts, but it should also help us acknowledge the possibilites for development of the industry both nationally and internationally.
The problems are there and we certainly need a long-term plan to pull together the industry, musicians, media and, last but not least, the public.
For a guide to South African Music Day gigs check out the music listings on page 15 Michelle Constant is a well-known media personality contributing to the promotion of South African music. She writes a fortnightly column on music for ZA@Play