The local underground music scene has reached new creative heights in recent years, but all too often we see talented musicians backsliding into day jobs and semi-retirement way before their time. Many talented collectives never get the opportunity to document their chemistry and another chapter is resigned to distant memory.
It is this sad state of affairs that has prompted one of the godfathers of the South African underground to rise from the ashes, not only resurrecting his independent label, One F, but also the influential noisemongers Battery 9.
As life carried on around him, Paul Riekert put together three brilliant albums and produced a bunch more. “I think the underground needs a bit of help,” says Riekert. “Which is why I decided to resurrect the label. I felt they needed some help regarding production and infrastructure.”
In the past couple of years, Riekert has produced delightful albums by the likes of Trike, Swim Club and Rokkeloos — and had the time to release an electro side project called General Dealer, a country side project known as Die Manere and a new Battery 9 album, which have quietly slipped on to the shelves at good record stores. When I ask Riekert why there has been no promotion for his new creations, he sarcastically replies: “I am a kak salesman.”
Riekert may have disappeared from the public eye, but his creative output has not slowed. Even when the songwriting dried up in mid-1999 amid a reaction to what he describes as the pressure of the music industry cycle, he retreated into painting and short story writing.
Since 2003 Riekert has been simultaneously working on the new Battery 9 album, Straks, and Floukop, the debut album from Afrikaans project Die Manere. “It was quite a relief to get away from the quiet stuff or away from the noisy stuff, it was a nice balance,” he says.
Sitting somewhere in the back of his mind, says Riekert, was an album like Floukop waiting to get out. “We were bored and we had stopped touring. We always did heavy stuff — it’s what I’m known for — so it was great doing this stuff. We did it for fun.”
Riekert was at the SABC one day and happened to walk past a studio where old Afrikaans music was being transferred for archival purposes. “I started delving into local Afrikaans music from before the 1950s. All the harmonies are straight from there,” he says. But Floukop is no straight-laced country album; it is a dark, sparse collection with hilariously cynical songs that wonderfully parody the Afrikaans cultural landscape. “I love parody,” says Riekert. “I heard someone say the only way to parody properly is if you love what you are parodying.”
Riekert has a wonderful sense of humour, which has not been limited to his country side project. The new Battery 9 album is littered with its own funny take on Afrikaans culture, the local music scene and anything else that falls in his targets. Titles such as Sitting Bull Swanepoel and Trust Your Instincts, Never Trust Your Feet only hint at the amusing nature of the most diverse Battery 9 album to date. Old fans will not be disappointed, as there are enough of the industrial maniacs you grew to love so fondly, it is just that Riekert has added a few more feathers to his bow.
Fans will be also be overjoyed to know that Riekert is in the process of getting a Battery 9 line-up together and says that they could be on the road before December. “It’s quite a mission starting up the whole machine again. I am busy training a guitarist. Those riffs are simple, but it’s in the way you play them. It takes people a while to get that robotic repetitive thing going, you need to get fit to play that live.”
He also has plans to take Die Manere on the road with a live double bassist and organ player, but that will have to wait.
In between he plans to squeeze in the odd production duties to help along struggling artists trying to realise their creations, which means the rest of us can sleep easy knowing the underground is in safe hands.
On the One F label
Swim club
3471
Swim Club is Capetonian Willy Siaayman, who is now a resident of Jo’burg. He has previously released music under the moniker Khaki Monitor and is an award-winning commercial editor. 3471 sees Siaayman delivering a beautifully organic electro album that reminds me of New Order, Aphex Twin and some of Billy Corgan’s electro solo work. This album is a silent killer: unassuming at first, but before long you won’t be able to get it out of your system. — Lloyd Gedye
Trike
Volle Militêre Eerbetoon and Kennis van die Oggend
Trike are Drikus Barnard and Esme EvaÂkwaad, who also fronts rock band Plank. Volle Militêre Eerbetoon is their debut offering and was released on One F in 2004. It was followed by Kennis van die Oggend last year. The two albums are very different offerings, with Trike’s debut presenting great acoustic duets that are carried along by some funky grooves. The second album is a straighter affair, a mostly acoustic feel that is a lot darker in nature. I must admit to favouring the debut a bit more for its upbeat nature and hilarious songs such as Skaamkoekie, which details the blossoming of young love. — LG
General Dealer
High and Mighty
One of Paul Riekert’s other side projects, this electro affair’s credits are a who’s who of the local music scene, featuring the likes of Brendan Jury, Anton L’amour, Jonathan Neaves and fellow Battery 9 comrades Arnaud van Vliet, Huyser Burger and Cesare Cassarino. The changing line-up on each track means the album offers up a wide variety of sounds, but on the whole it delivers a mellower electro feel than Riekert is known for. Experimental offerings from some of South Africa’s best. — LG