12 COVER FEATURE
By Tendai Luwo
THE CLASS OF 2013
SOUL CANDI PROVES ONCE AGAIN TO BE AHEAD OF THE URBAN HOUSE GAME, AS TENDAI DISCOVERS, CHATTING TO SOME OF THEIR BRIGHTEST NEW SIGNINGS. WELCOME TO SOUL CANDI'S CLASS OF 2013...
Muzart: Star Pupils There is a calm and jovial air when one is in the presence of Soul Candi’s latest act, Muzart. Despite coming from spectacularly different backgrounds, they all seem to gel like old friends sharing childhood memories and happily welcoming you into their world to share in their experiences as a growing band.
Marking the register. Muzart is an emerging talent coming out of Soul Candi. As one of the star products of the Class of 2013, they have huge shoes to fill but something makes me feel they’d much rather kick off their shoes and leave their own barefoot prints in the sand. The group is made up of five artists, Tshegofatso ‘Tazzy’ Lehutso, Victory ‘Vic’ Chauke, Rorisng ‘Rori’ Thandekiso, Nkanyiso ‘Nka’ Khanyile and Sol Mosetle. Patience is one of the key ingredients in the pot of success and it seems this eclectic group of individuals has it in bucket loads! When they first started out, the group tells me they decided to send their demo CD to Soul Candi, but it took a year before they got any feedback from the label. This included a whole three months where the label was trying to locate them and a further three months before they
had made up their mind on the deal. All this waiting didn’t deter them though and they kept refining their craft. Now they feel they fit comfortably under the wings of the same label that has released shining stars such as Mi Casa and The Layders. Fuelled firstly by a desire to glorify God’s name, the group cheerfully describes their sound as “modernized old school”, a fitting description for their mature and yet ever so funky grooves. Their main goal though is to provide music that listeners across all borders can relate to. A tough order for the group but certainly one they plan to tackle head on.
Star pupils In the midst of all the laughter that laces the interview, I enquire how they feel working under Soul Candi has influenced their career. They unanimously agree that now, more than anything, they are aware of the music industry and how it functions. After working independently, signing to the music powerhouse has allowed Muzart to break into the public domain and receive a steady amount of recognition and attention. Their lead single, Jukebox has enjoyed heavy rotation in DJ sets and on radio stations. Interestingly enough Tazzy mentions that
this single, a song he penned, took three months to make but only two hours to record even though it was only the second time they had met band mate, Rori! However long the song took to see the light of day, the end result is clear to hear. Jukebox has managed to garner the attention of individuals across all borders and has seen the group being invited to perform as far out as Japan!
Graduation By the time you read this, Muzart’s album will probably be on every music store shelf and in even more digital baskets. There is no denying that Soul Candi is onto something here. A group of talented friends before they are musicians, one gets the sense that the mutual love and appreciation for each other’s talents will be the elixir that will see them ascend their dreams. Without as much as a music video they already have the ears of the masses glued to their speakers and there are no signs of them letting up. These Soul Candi graduates will undoubtedly continue to be the proud torch bearers for their record label and we doubt Soul Candi could have found any one better!