If you are expecting the usual rigorously researched and meticulously mixed playlist today you are out of luck. It is not because I don't care about the music of South Africa, but because I care too much.
By way of background, my family emigrated to South Africa in the early 1970s. I moved back to the UK in 1979 and have been here ever since but a lot of my family are still over there and I visit them at least once a year. As a result I have acquired a huge amount of South African music over the last 50 years or so.
I set off with the intention of trying to bring some order to the chaos, but even after rigorous cutting and hiving off the stars of Tsonga Disco into a separate post I was left with a 'shortlist' of around 100 artists. So then I gave up and just picked 12 songs I like. I make no claims that my selection is remotely representative of the South African music scene. It isn't.
Today's tracks are mostly from the last century (but then so am I). There is more pop, soul and jazz than traditional music. Only Hugh Masekela and Brenda Fassie have any sort of international profile, while some of the others are barely known even in their own homes. And for the MAR slot I have ignored the late great Lucky Dube and gone for a poet and the Kalahari Surfers.
Where the artist in question has music on Bandcamp I have added a link under their name. Other than that you are on your own.
"Freak Out With Botsotso" - Mpharanyana
"Soul Girl" - Sophie Thepedi
"Skorokoro" - Condry Ziqubu
"All Drivers Slow Down" - Malo A Botsheba
"Bayabaleka Bantu" - John Moriri & The Manzini Girls
"Stimela (Coal Train) (Live)" - Hugh Masekela
"Dark Side Of The Moon" - Hawk
"Second Coming" - The Invaders
"Marabi Yo" - Izintombi Zomoya
"Vuli Ndlela" - Brenda Fassie
"Suffrage Cannibalism" - Lesego Rampolokeng & Kalahari Surfers
The videos are a bit more orderly. We start with what I believe is still the biggest-selling South African single in Europe and follow that with what I personally consider to be two of the best pop records ever made (watch out for the birds in the Mahotella Queens video). Then we have someone I went to school with, and finally Lucky Dube because I felt bad about denying him the MAR slot.
The one we have all been waiting on!
ReplyDeleteAnd its too early. I have just noticed that I forgot to do Sierra Leone between Seychelles and Somalia!
DeleteMust try harder!
DeleteHowever you slice it, still indispensable. Hats off, Mister G!
ReplyDeleteI hope the government here adopt the Malo A Botsheba song, the driving is atrociously awful.
ReplyDeleteMAN ALIVE that Invaders track is the absolute bifters
ReplyDeleteThe "Hawk" album "Africa she too can cry" is on bandcamp
ReplyDeleteThank you Anita. Link now added.
DeleteThanks for these, kind sir, especially the Harai track & the Hotstix vid. The Beaters have always been one of my favorites. Here is a link to Hot Dogs which contains a couple of my favorites, the title track & "Soul-A-Go-Go, No. 2"
ReplyDeletehttps://mega.nz/file/P40FkK7b#YjCZHveOBSLbgYeC2mmjxcvMY17USJKEqfO7HAnyDyM
The Beaters were Harari under their previous name I believe. Thanks for the link, I am particularly looking forward to hearing their Status Quo cover.
DeleteYeah, & Hotstix was one of their main men.
Delete