THE SOUTH AFRICAN UNDERGROUND IS IN GOOD HANDS

When I first heard the music of 22-year-old Shoka Sunflower, I remember getting really excited. The first project I heard from the Johannesburgbased artist was his threetrack experimental rap EP ECOSYSTEM_01. With a runtime of barely five minutes, the project still manages to showcase intricate production and Shoka’s versatile abilities as both a writer and vocalist.

“I wanted to make something that challenged me and wanted to prove I can do more than jazz beats and pretty Tyler type stuff. I can transcend that. Boxes are weird. This is the generation of the genreless artists,” he explains about the EP that was released in April. ECOSYSTEM_01 presents like a love letter to the internet. From online relationships to the dread that being chronically online brings, the internet acts like a self-contained ecosystem that Shoka tends to escape to.

“I like to say I was raised on the internet because a lot of my brain was wired by my interactions with the online world. Real life too definitely but I live a lot of life online just digging and referencing sound. Also, my older brother — when I was like 6, he played me Graduation by Kanye and that changed my life — He also put me onto Daft Punk and Tyler, The Creator who made me want to be a lot more curious. Now I’m obsessed with finding music,” he said. When asked what is to be expected next from Shoka Sunflower, he answered, “Expect more colouring outside the lines. Hopefully some more non-music stuff cause I just wanna release ideas in many forms.” sword-fighting choreography for the show. Komlosy’s eyes lit up when he talked about the play; he mentioned good dances, catchy songs, and an interesting plot. “It’s just a really cool story.” He further encourages readers to watch. “The play is hilariously funny. The jokes in there — some of them are just so well-written. Besides that, the cast is exceptionally good at what they do.” He gives praise to his fellow cast members. “Their singing voices, their acting [...] It’s just amazing.”

Follow Shoka Sunflower on Instagram @shokasunflower and stream ECOSYSTEM_01 on all platforms.

The principal characters are played by Merwe van Gent as Gomez, Nelandi Boshoff as Morticia, Mia van der Merwe as Wednesday, and Aiden GarthLewis as Wednesday’s love interest, Lucas. The musical, originally written by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice, and directed by Schalk van der Merwe, will feature impressive lighting and décor, with music by Andrew Lippa, musically directed by Stephan Bezuidenhout and Cezarre Strydom.

A press release from Paul Roos Gymnasium’s media management guarantees a “wild-wonderful” theatrical event. Tickets are now available at Quicket and cost R155. The show runs from 22 August to 2 September. This utterly funny and incredibly adventurous play promises to have everyone – young and old – on the edge of their seat.