Disparate issue #7 by Disparate Online Magazine

LWA N S TA / / J A R O D M A S O N / / M AT T W I L S O N / / S T O R M L A N G L E Y / / E D G A R R O S H E V / / S A N E L E B A L I N TA B A

AND JOIN US ON

ORVISIT OUR SITE

CONTRIBUTORS So, the last few months have been quite the ride for us here at DISPARATE. New website, new feel, new content… still the same family values. As weird as it sounds, we like to keep up with all the mind-blowingly awesome creatives that form the backbone of this little initiative. We thought it would be cool to shine the spotlight on the regulars that make up the DISPARATE team, as well as introduce you to some new faces who have existed behind the scenes up until now.

PRUNELLE AMAN If ever there was a lass who could do, it’s Pru! From being a featured illustrator in Issue #1, to helping out with everything from styling, to reviews and late night chats, Prunelle Aman has been with us through the entire journey that is DISPARATE.

TARYN KETTLE TK knows more about DISPARATE than DISPARATE knows about DISPARATE. She helps us with everything from media and marketing strategies to links about the latest international pop-culture crises and has become an indispensible part of the team. The fact that she’s listened to literally every artist’s album ever created also kind of helps when she handles the music review section.

KYLE VAN ZYL >> A new-comer to the family, llustrator and writer, Kyle Van Zyl has been kind enough to share with us some of his musings around the idea of independent music.

ANELE TSHABALALA>> I sometimes think that Anele Tshabalala is the reason I wake up in the morning. Nothing is as satisfying, or informative, as checking out DISPARATE’s resident fashionista and twitter mogul’s newsfeed everyday. Breaking her record by tweeting twice every five minutes for the entire duration of this year’s Grammy awards, this powerhouse is the reason we know the things we know. CRAIG MALAN Another stable at the DISPARATE round table, Craig has been doing the app reviews for the past few issues. He has also been putting his technical know-how as a multimedia designer to good use with everything from photoshoots to nuts and bolts issues when it comes to our digital publication.

NIVESH RAWATLLAL We still aren’t quite sure whether we should call Nivs an artist or a god-damn rockstar. Either way, we couldn’t not mention him as one of DISPARATE’s core contributors. He’s either helping us behind the scenes by supplying copious amounts of alcohol and conversation or writing regular articles for DISPARATE whenever he’s taking a break from being badass HELOISE ALEXANDRA HUNTER >> Not as much a person as she is a woodland sprite in the body of a photographer and copy editor. When Heloise isn’t doing a 9000KM hike across some god forsaken wilderness in the hopes of taking a picture of a rare animal, she’s chilling with DISPARATE, engaging with the team and forcing us to think deeper and harder about the content we bring to you guys.

CONTRIBUTORS << LYDIA SMERDON More than just a pretty face, Lydia always has her finger on the pulse of Durban’s movers and shakers. Forever keen and ready to get her hands dirty with some of DISPARATE’s content she’s an indispensible part of the DISPARATE team

<< JESS VAN RENSBURG Mam-Jess, aka DISPARATE’s fairy godmother, has been helping prevent us from starving by bringing us the most delicious cupcakes as well as ensuring that DISPARATES copy isn’t a dog show. The magic she does for DISPARATE’s copy is only rivaled by the magic she does on the dance floor at Tiger Tiger to Christina’s Dirty. >> MAYURI SANICHUR Chilled vibes and pics of food on Instagram, all day, err’day, May started off with us by covering various events around the 031. These days she’s an integral part of the DISPARATE machine, consulting with us on everything from content and media to fast food decisions at 2am.

<< DAYN WELLBELOVED & MARK LYNE We literally wouldn’t be here without these two fine gentlemen. When it comes to the digital production and web design Mark and Dayn are always willing to drop us a few golden nuggets of advice that have helped shape how DISPARATE arrives on your screen.

SHARON NINOW >> I don’t even understand how Sharon manages to be awesome 24/7 but she does. The compressed ball of legs and pure creative awesomeness has been helping us out since Issue #2 with everything from modelling, to creative direction, and even introducing us to that dudeshe-got-drunk-with-that-one-time. Any lass willing to vomit paint on-camera for the sake of art is worth a mention.

PRESS PLAY

NOW.

Issue #7 // 2015 Editors-in-Chief Li Joshua // Yoshen Nair Photography Heloise Alexandra Marshall

// Li Joshua Layout and Design DISPARATE Editorial Lydia Smerdon // Mayuri Sanichur // Heloise Alexandra Marshall // Kyle Van Zyl Media Taryn Kettle // Jessy J Van Rensburg // Craig Malan // Nivesh Rawatlal // DISPARATE Digital Production Yoshen Nair // DISPARATE

ED’S LETTER

Earpods ready? The FREQUENCY Issue

poster, and all the emerging artists who

is officially here! The DISPARATE team

created such radical album art for the

has been grinding away at a complete

“Seeing Sound” article (pg. 20)

repackage of the very publication you have open in front of you. We’re back

We have 5 copies of Lwansta’s EP

with the bass and ready to showcase

“NORMVL” to give away. Email the

some of the finest musical ventures that

address below and drop us your contact

Durbs has to offer.

details. We’ll get it to you ASAP.

We appraise the local scene with local

DISPARATE belongs to the very artist

rock star Matt Vend (pg. 12). Spit lyrics

of our beautiful city. If you’re a Durban

with MC extraordinaire Lwansta (pg. 46)

based artist looking to showcase your

and receive some insight from cool kid

independent body of work, just mail us.

Jarod Mason (pg. 30).

Lets make magic! Thank you to the local scene for the patience and support!

Get to know the DISPARATE team, in all their glory (pg. 04), and soak in the awesome content by our ever-evolving list of contributors. Props to design student Chad K for creating our rebellious “coming soon”

Li Joshua & Yoshen Nair DISPARATE Editors-in-Chief

Enjoy!

CONTENTS

THE MONUMENTAL MATT VEND

SEEING SOUND

THE OVERLOAD OF JAROD MASON

STATIC TIDES

BEING NORMVL

WINNING AT WINNIFEST

F E AT U R E

Artist/photographer/journalist/musician/ generally damn awesome guy; Matt Vend sits down with DISPARATE to shed some light around being a musician in Durban.

So Matt, pretty much everyone in Durban knows who you are, but for the record, who is the real Matt Vend? What can you tell us about your musical roots and entering the Durban Music Scene? Matt: I started playing music kind of by chance. A few school friends were talking about starting a surf/punk band influenced by the music of the 90’s Californian surf culture (Pennywise, NOFX, Bad Religion etc.). No one wanted to play bass so I would learn. My dad didn’t really think bass guitar was a real instrument so at about the age of 13 or 14 I saved up all my pocket money, sold Christmas presents for a few months, and eventually bought my own… that was almost 20 years ago! The band Sibling Rivalry started a few years later, I couldn’t have been older than 15 when we did our first show. After that I got into other instruments like lead guitar and banjo and haven’t looked back since.

F E AT U R E

Obviously you are no stranger to the Durban scene, can you tell us what you have been involved with lately? Lately I’ve been trying to push my solo project; Matt Vend and the Tender Ten. I’ve toured internationally with that to the West Coast of the United States, as well as parts of South East Asia, as well as featuring regularly on the Durban acoustic scene to make my ‘bread and butter’. I try and tour locally at least once a year with smaller tours scattered throughout the year and a couple of festival shows. I’ve also been working hard as a songwriter and guitarist and front man for sonic/folk/rock band The Accidentals over the past two years. The Accidentals have also just been to the UK to perform in Brighton as part of The Great Escape Festival. When I am not recording, doing shows or touring, I am also a writer/journalist/photographer. This helps me to earn some extra money. I can’t keep still for very long and like to keep busy! Seeing as though you are such a seasoned musician, what works and what doesn’t in the Durban Music scene? I think the thing that works the least in Durban is people’s attitudes! Every town you play in has its own set of ups and downs and a place like Durban can actually work in an artist’s favour for various obvious reasons. Creatives do need to stop bitching at and fighting against each other and work together in this town. Bands from out of town need to start returning the favour. Durban acts constantly look after touring acts when they are around and then promoters constantly use out of town acts and only give the locals ‘peanuts’. They tell us it is good exposure! We need honour amongst thieves: Durban acts must stand up for themselves and be in solidarity with each other. (Sorry for the rant). I seriously

“DURBAN ACTS MUST STAND UP FOR THEMSELVES”

FASHION

F E AT U R E

believe we can make things a lot better for ourselves if we do this. I think musicians, artists, and all creatives need to travel more. They need to travel to get fresh ideas but they also need to travel to see that Durban has something special going on! Ok, we aren’t LA, London or Berlin, but we are unique and I personally think there are more than enough talented people here to get it going, hell it’s already going! People just need to wake up and see it. Some of the world’s greatest musicians come from the most obscure places, so why can’t they come from Durban as well? Where do you see music in Durban going in the next few years? Ag there will always be ups and downs and there will always be the people being negative towards what’s going on. I really can’t say where Durban music will be in the next few years but I can say that I’m excited to see what happens. The landscape has changed so much and to be honest I often feel like I’m sometimes a bit behind on musical trends. I still love the sounds of the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s and a lot of music has gone very electronic. I used to be against this but I’m slowly appreciating the good electronic acts who use the same principles as other musicians do – it is unique and inspiring and it’s giving me a new way of looking at playing acoustic music even though I’d rather still listen to some Neil Young or Toots and the Maytals, hahahaha. We know you’re pretty much all over Durban, all day, errday. Where can we see you play next? I play wherever I can, for whomever, I’m not fussy. But just check the gig guides for either Matt Vend, The Accidentals or Sibling Rivalry and you’ll probably see me playing somewhere soon.

N E V E R F O R G O T T E N / / R . I . P PA S T L E H E A R T

EDITORIAL

SEEING SOUND Music is a place that many go to feel joy, to find a release, or for a place of comfort. Sometimes, the more you listen, the more you feel. Music is where we go to lift spirits and mend hearts. It moves and inspires and is a major part of life. We asked a few local illustrators to show us how they use music as inspiration as they illustrated some of Durbanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hottest tracks.

21 6

EDITORIAL

Artist: Lwansta

Track: NORMVL

Album: NORMVL

Illustrator: Storm Langley

We asked a few local illustrators to show us how they use music as inspiration by getting them to create illustrations for some of their favourite tracks. We explore the notion of being able to create visual images that are inspired by music, and in turn how these images eventually form ideas for a piece of work or a story. We’re amazed at how their brains can connect music to images with such ease – how we connect the music we listen to with a memory and how that leads to something else and eventually, how ideas are formed.

A design student shares his daily struggles with college, music and relationships. “It’s that time of the month where two minute noodles are like a fucking meal bro, ‘cause I just fucking decided ‘let me buy clothes’”. I love this line, because I can relate to it. This is NORMVL for me, and that is why I decided to draw someone eating noodles. The amount of noodles in the picture are show that it’s equivalent to a full meal. The cap is my take on the afro-punk vibe emerging in fashion now. I tried to keep the colours in the illustration simple. My initial thoughts were to keep it black and white, to kind of comment on the irony associated with the idea of “normal”. Everyone’s idea of normal is not simply black and white, it differs. I did end up using colour but focused mainly on primary colours because they are often found in contemporary African designs and they complimented the bold black lines.

EDITORIAL

Artist: Annalyzer

Track: Ndenzeni Na?

Illustrator: Edgar Roshev

____

I found Ndenzeni Na to be quite transy when I first listened to it. I don’t speak Xhosa but I could catch the traditional local sound as well as what appeared to me to be Caribbean influence. The rhythm is very hypnotic; it puts you in a meditation-like state. All these connotations brought up the notions of African identity, shamanic and spiritual mysticism, and a trancelike state of the mind. These notions impacted my art direction for the cover illustration.

The main subject is the African mask which has a facial expression of confusion. When I listened to the track, granted I did not understand the actual lyrics, I found myself being confused about the content of the track which made me unpackage it mostly through the feel of the mood of the music and the song. Also, the phrase “What did I do?” (which I found out to be the literal translation for Ndenzeni Na) directed me towards the portrayal of confusion and of the questioning nature of the track.

In the general progress with the illustration I let the music dictate my direction. It was a meditative experience for me. As I worked on the ideas that the track’s flow inspired me to portray, I felt that the experience was more on a subconscious level. As I was listening I attempted to address the elements such as the juxtaposition of modern and traditional (as I imagined what can the statement “What did I do?” be about), the motion and the rhythm of the track, the emotion of the artist and the mood of the lyrics.

EDITORIAL

Artist: The Frown

Track: The National

Illustrator: Sanele Balintaba

Album: Amen

The National is a song that carries an interesting idea. The contrast between bad and good is evident in the lyrics of the song. It opened my mind to a larger idea of morality and immorality. This has given me the ability to exercise my imagination, stretching it in order to develop a concept that correlates with the theme of the song.

The task of interpreting the song was not a very challenging one. I can relate to this theme based on my knowledge of the ideas of morality and immorality. I used ideas that represent the two concepts. This was simply playing with the idea of good and bad. These topics are dealt with caution, making very little room for exploration.

The representation of a nun is highly respected as a concept of morality. In a larger context, nuns represent purity which is based on the adherence to the principals of Catholicism. The experimentation of any immoral behaviour breaks down the whole idea of purity in the Catholic world. Immorality encompasses all the ideas that are a contradiction to these beliefs. The combination of these two concepts calls for a larger idea. Fusing these two concepts helped me in grasping a better understanding on the lyrics of the song. Simply taking things for what you think they are gives you little room to work. The combination of the two ideas breaks down the rules of good and bad. To a sensitive, narrow minded viewer it may be a very offensive illustration yet to one who is open minded it gives a new idea to the concept of Cultural Revolution.

STUFF

THE THINGS WE

LIKE 01. Apple Inc. has evolved the in-ear headphone with a state-of-the-art double speaker! Behold, the “earpod”. R429 www.istore.co.za

Welcome to the era of Hybrid music technology. We find the recent music movement meshing the old with the new - a modern day take on the older music technology products. DISPARATE picks the latest in music swag below:

02. Musica accommodates Hipsters in their masses with a selection of the latest releases on vinyl. R99.95 - R499.95 www.musica.co.za

03. Convenience of music in motion - the new mini Boom Box from Nixon is a must have.

Nixon Blaster - R1862. www.nixon.com

04. Dadâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s vinyl player not working? Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s cool, Crosley has you covered with their modern day update on this old classic. Crosley Cruiser - R1240. www.crosleyradio.com

05. Crosley takes it a step further with a futuristic design in comparison to the nostalgic record player. Crosley Revolution - R993 www.crosleyradio.com

06. Sony releases a unique digital MP3 player with the look and feel of a vintage cassette tape player. USB / SD Card compatible.

Sony Casstte MP3 Player - R603. Urban Outfitters.

F E AT U R E

<JAROD> <MASON> Hardcore ninja of the Durban underground scene, Jarod Mason has been an active member of We Were Archers for a good part of the last 5 years. Lydia Smerdon, always keen for a good WhatsApp DMC, lets us in on one of their convos. * THE FOLLOWING INTERVIEW HAS BEEN EXTRACTED FROM IM PLATFORM AND HAS NOT BEEN AMENDED IN ANY WAY.

MAKE NOISE WITH US

Have something to say? Got something to show? contact us via Facebook or check us out at www.disparate.co.za

EDITORIAL

TID

When I think about collective musical works

as either mainstream or underground I find it

easier to understand and envision, as if I was reading some novel of naval description, a

great body of swirling liquid strange and deep. Words by Kyle Van Zyl

STATIC

EDITORIAL Filled with an outpouring of cultural narrative, Sound waves, key notes, strums, whistles and haunting melody swirling in and around each other. The stories of our making and of those who came before us Take form that our senses can perceive, and thus take pleasure or displeasure in.

What rages on the surface are the waves and tides of stories that many a mind give credence to, or accept as appropriate representation of cultural standard in relation to experience. The more a constructed determines its buoyancy upon What

society

enjoys

a foamy shadow into

medium is appreciated and perpetuated, the tides of image and voice. most, collectively casts the curdled currents

beneath.

What

did

the

world sound like

before we filled

shouting

for

attention

crashing

against

begging

one

another

direction-

directions in which to push. to return in form and content to differing value to the tumbling waves above. An

voices,

another,

heard. What takes

its name as counter in

with

culture, is a push And there are infinite The expression of desire something less fleeting and of echo of oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s own voice, calm and unburdened

seeking itself, yet suspended in a torrent of unrecognisable voices, shouting their own identity and purpose.

Say something, say anything. Drown out the dreary squeaking of fat fingers squeezing into tight spaces, ripping them open. Talk of the nature of things before they had names, before they were made finite. Open expanse to be explored and discovered. Rain, pure and clean falling from vast and unimagined space. The push back against cultural normality sees expression of a desire to uncover roots as feeling, thinking, problem solving beings. In constructed society form is subject to authority wherever it

occurs. Ownership and extortion are the tools of greed that hinder the expression of true freedom. We marvel at achievement and advance in the sciences and arts, which are squandered to the perpetuation of a system that serves only itself. The general populous labours under illusion and belief, buffeted by a constant stream of narcissistic wallowing.

All here who make, sing and speak, experience a trade off between art and skill, expression and profit. Certainly things are not so simple and discriminating.Though many who feel inclined to express find themselves abandoned, standing without support or audience. Here arises the need to do things for oneself. Bring to attention the distinguishable labours of free expression. Matter of fact opinion unhindered by grubby outstretched hands, waiting to be filled.

Making something of true value to reflect the majesty of existence outside of indoctrination. The ring of something familiar and small. No need to shout. What one looks for one finds. Sing your heart out, to nothing but open space and let the sound waves travel outward into dark expanses, regardless of who or what listens. Say what you will. Push back the conditioned torrent into the lurch. Not for profit and fettered attentions.

Alas. submerge your body in the murky sea and float, asleep while all the world around you sings.

IS S U E #8 COMING SOON

MONTAGE OF HECK Words by Mayuri Sanichur

No amount of disturbing, privacy-violating home videos could destroy the romanticism Kurt Cobain carries with him. Cobain: Montage of Heck was like a moving picture of Cobainâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Journals and it was intense and frightening. As insanely uncomfortable as it was to watch, your eyes could not tear away from the screen and your mouth could not stop singing the lyrics to the soundtrack of his life.

REVIEW

Everyone close to him was interviewed save

his loathing for being termed the spokesperson of

for one notable exception, famous former

a generation was blatant. The film made clear how

bandmate, Dave Grohl. Why he was missing

fame and his feelings of “selling-out” drove him

is not mentioned, but we’re free to make

into a further rage against society and aided his

our own deductions. Cobain’s wife, Courtney

crippling addiction. One couldn’t help but feel as

Love, was ever-present with her all-too-familiar

claustrophobic about the entire situation as he did.

commentary on what he was. Whether truly honest or not, we’ll never know. (Sidebar: No

Part of the hype of this film came with the highly

amount of video footage of her makes her not

publicised fact that executive producer credentials

look like a fame whore. Somehow she manages

went to Cobain’s daughter, Frances Bean. Jaded

to always come out blurred and villainous, even

from over-publicity, however, the film offered nothing

when edited to seem softer.) Krist Novoselic

that hasn’t already been documented. What it did

offered insight into his closest friend’s mind and

offer was extraordinary art in mixed media that took

beautiful memories were offered by his mother,

existing information into a transcendent dimension.

sister and ex-girlfriend. I have to note that the

Textures and distortion of sound created a graphical

saddest face interviewed was Cobain’s father,

masterpiece so fitting for the unpalatable scenario

Don Cobain. Hardly speaking a word, the sense

an extremely talented artist faced, to his obvious

of loss and regret on his face was telling.

dissatisfaction. A must see.

It was told as a chronological archival narrative using no-holds-barred real and imaginative imagery. A montage of photos from his childhood to adulthood interspersed with beautifully ugly virtual creations and animated sequences of his journals rolled the opening scene as Territorial Pissings played at high volume. From a happy, high-energy child growing up in Aberdeen, Washington we see his downward spiral begin - starting with his heartbreak over his parents’ divorce. We see his high school rebellion coupled with the pain of being outcast; his first botched suicide attempt; and his blossoming heroin addiction. There was a song that perfectly fitted every narrative. Although he achieved monumental success,

BEIING

NORMVL.

F E AT U R E

So, I have a list of questions here as a back up just

wanting to deliver the best lyrical content, production

incase we branch off on a tangent, seeing as though

value etc. All the contributing factors to what makes a

it happens so often when we sit down and have a

good record.

conversation. These are actually quite interesting,... pick a number.

Your mom is quite a devoted Christian, and it is clear from the content of the mix-tape that your

dad had other plans for your future, how has this affected your musical journey?

Do you feel you’re quite aggressive when it comes to your music?

I think the part about my father has definitely fueled a lot of my determination. There was definitely this

I can see why you would want to ask such a question

feeling of suspense, seeing as I made a lot of my music

haha. I wouldn’t say that I’m aggressive as a person, my

“undercover”. I mean my success story is gonna be the

mixtape was honestly used as a venting session for a

shit given all the obstacles I’ve had to overcome.

lot of the frustration I was experiencing in my personal life. I say venting because I internalized a lot of stuff

Your mix tape NORMVL isn’t your only mix tape to

as a child, middle child syndrome anda host of other

date, why do you think it’s blown up the way it has

issues. Music became my form of expression. I won’t

in comparison to the previous releases?

lie, I have been sleeping better after its release. I think in the beginning I was making music just for Given the success that the NORMVL mix tape has

the sake of it. I had access to specific resources which

received, and the growth in popularity because

made recording possible and it was just that. I think

of what was delivered on that mix tape, are you

I’ve developed as a musical artist, and I’m a bit more

worried that you wouldn’t be able to recreate that

sensitive to creating a holistic piece of music with a

delivery as an artist?

specific purpose.

Honestly, I am. I’m actually very worried. Not because

With regard to production and various components

of the delivery, because I don’t just look at that factor in

to creating a single track, is there any specific

isolation. I think it’s more a generalized feeling of always

creative process that you follow?

Well I think the conventional process for a lot of rappers would be to hear an instrumental track first. You’ll find a lot of guys losing their flow as soon as they hear the instrumental, because they’ve written prior to hearing it.

So for me, I would say 70% of the content on NORMVL came to me when I least expected it. Like I would wake up in the morning and BAM! I’ve got a few lines to a song floating around in my head. I do work a lot on lyrical content as my first step, which gave me a bit of trouble at the beats and production phase, having already written the content. So my process would be, writing, feeling and making things fit in place really.

Are there any obstacles you face on a creative level, how do you work around those?

As soon as I hit a ‘creative block’ I just kind of leave what I have and come back to it at a later stage. I think I work in this really organic way when overcoming a lot of my creative obstacles.

Who would you list as your major musical influences?

Eminem

Why?!

I just like the way he challenges the societal norm by mocking it in a way.

F E AT U R E

I NOW PRIDE MYSELF ON THE THINGS THAT MAKE ME DIFFERENT AND NO LONGER SEE THEM AS FLAWS 50

Okaaaaay, moving on…

Frank Ocean, Ummmm…

No Biggie? No 2Pac?

Nah I think I was born too late hahaha. I would say Lil’ Wayne, The Weekend… What’s weird is that I don’t listen to a lot of hip-hop. On the average day, if you had to look at my playlist, that genre of music is in the minority. My dad also listened to a lot of Jazz and I’ve incorporated this on quite a few tracks on the mix-tape.

Give us a quick glance into the mix-tape concept, why NORMVL?

It’s an idea, which exercises the contradiction of the dictionary definition “normal.” It speaks of how normal is constructed by society. Personally for me, I was being coined as “weird” but upon my own self-reflection I saw myself as normal. I think Normvl helped a lot with my confidence, I now pride myself on the things that make me different and no longer see them as flaws.

You’ve been quite busy toward the latter half of 2014. NORMVL has also been up for various nominations; what’s next for you?

I definitely want to properly explore the various manifestations of NORMVL as a concept. I also think I’ve come into a general space where I’m ready to create new work, hopefully by the end of 2015. I guess we’ll see…

PROFILE

DISPARATE’s latest contributors, handling a decent amount of our promo material for the FREQUENCY issue, Kyle Eddy and Chad K have been breathing some glitch-tastic energy into DISPARATE’s latest release. Check them out on Instagram: @eddy_ohthreeone @chadkoek

REVIEW

Our heavily opinionated music enthusiasts, Taryn Kettle and Delon Qaid Leonard, are at it again. Delon gives up the goodies on Flo’s new Album, hot off the presses, whilst TK grapples with Bjork’s latest body of work. Checkout the iTunes links below: itunes.apple.com/us/album/vulnicura/id960042103 https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/how-big-howblue-how-beautiful/id965931771

Florence + the Machine are back! After a good while of touring and fame since 2011’s ‘Ceremonials’, there’s a renewed band before us and it’s in the sound. Where ‘Ceremonials’ was darker and richer, ‘How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful’ is fresh and bright; less organ, more organic. It’s a revisiting and refinement of all the best things we loved about their debut effort, ‘Lungs’. Think: tambourines, harps, guitars, all armed with that signature awareness of the darkness amid all this light we’ve come to love. Opener “Ship to Wreck” is disguised as a pop song yet really speaks to dysfunction and destructive behaviour; while “What Kind of Man” is more straightforward in its angst.

FLORENCE + THE MACHINE HOW BIG HOW BLUE HOW BEAUTIFUL Best Tracks: “St Jude”, “Which Witch (Demo)”, “How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful”

Their third offering has no grand gestures to impress or catch our ear; we’re already won over by now. There’s this freedom to present a really developed, authentic Florence + the Machine. Here her vulnerability and fragility are strengths. It’s all about gentle guitars and subtle beats, most beautifully displayed on “St Jude”, with Florence more controlled and sincere than ever. There’s also a new depth and intimacy, purred along soft rock strings in songs like “Long & Lost” and “Caught”. But don’t get too comfortable, you’ll be jolted back to life by pounding high-flyers “Hiding”, “Make Up Your Mind” and the sublime “Which Witch (Demo)”, which deserved far more than being left to the end of the album. ‘How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful’ is a sophisticated collection of indie pop/rock songs that are wildly alive, stylised and made for the stage. You could imagine hearing them come alive at a festival somewhere. Someday maybe even on our local shores, Florence? A kid can dream...

BJORK - VALNICURA Over the past 3 decades, Björk has incessantly altered the evolution of sound by fearlessly pioneering her musical art form, before any artist could put their finger on it. Björk never gets old! She’s as timeless as her tectonic fantasies! 9th album, you should see her artwork! It illustrates her wound as she heals herself with musical expressions. Oh, Björk! And here I thought she was superhuman. She feels way more than the average person, but far less creases than any artist her age. On second thought, Icelandic people never seem to wrinkle! Hmmm, anyway how about we call this LP ‘Vulnerable Vulnicura’ for a lack of a better name? Vulnicura emerged from an emotional heartache between herself and her exhubby Matthew Barney. It’s practically a voyage that takes us into both her pre & post love life, with dark and twisted productions by none other than Björk, Arca and Haxan Cloak. Despite her marriage that not only ended after 10 years of trying, it also left a little girl named Isadora smack bang in the mess of it all. Björk expresses her experience of love and disappointment between the two and partly how it affected the family in reverse. Singing lyrics like, ”Where can I pay respects for the death of my family?” in the track titled ‘Family’. Then strangely enough, sings about how she misses his love in ‘Notget’ singing, “Without love I feel the abyss” Vulnerable Vulnicura shares her beautiful textures of luxurious string arrangements with scattering pulsations by our Venezuelan prodigy, Arca too. We absolutely love this guy! In the track “Quicksand,” Bjork sings of finding new life through a broken heart: “When I’m broken I am whole and when I’m whole I’m broken“ she says. In the midst of things, somehow I hear hints of her past, from ‘Medulla’ to ‘Biophillia’, swerving into her serene tones of ‘Vesperine’ and ending with transcendent sounds of her ‘Homogenic’ album. It’s basically incestuous, if you think about it! Bottom line, in my opinion its not Björk’s best album she’s ever made. In fact it has been slightly underwhelming at times, but there are some amazing tracks to feast on out of the 9. You’re guaranteed to love more than one of them! So, go on & be the judge in her pain. Björk we love you though!

CD’s FOR WHAT? Gone are the days of cassettes and cd walkmans in an un-ironic kinda way! Here’s three of the best when it comes to the mobile music app scene.

Ever get that feeling when you are listening to a beat that it could be better if it was just tweaked a little? SoundCloud is a social media platform that focusses on just that: original content, tweaks, edits and remixes. Chances are you will find exactly what you are looking for. The app is also a great place for keeping your online libraries and has excellent ‘cloud’ storage capabilities. My ass however is poor and I cannot afford the data needed to use said service.

REVIEW

Probably one of the most useful apps on my android at the moment! Shazam is unbelievably accurate and Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve used it literally everywhere, almost always without fail. Rowdy club? Shazam doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t give a fuck. Toilet flush in the background? Bring it! Shazam hears whatever is playing in your vicinity and identifies it for you. The only thing that could possibly make it better would be if it were able to identify songs as you hum or sing them.

Now I know most of you are not willing to pay for apps because, lets be honest, we have the internet. But if you are willing to pay, PowerAmp has got to be the greatest music player and equaliser out there for android devices. Not only does it look bloody sexy, it also has a ton of cool features and an ambient booster that does a great job of making your music sound better!

WINNIFEST

W I N N I N G AT

If you live in Durban and you like music, beer and kick-ass company, chances are, you’ve heard of The Winston Pub. It’s pretty much an Institution in Durban. No mess (depends on the night really) and definitely no fuss or pretentious bullshit. This is where some of Durban’s finest come to let down their unwashed hair. It’s also the regular haunt of some of Durban’s most well known live acts. Saturday the 7th of June marked the first Winnie Fest – a spectacular live music jol that turned out to be one of best events (half of) the DISPARATE family has been to this year.

EDITORIAL

The Winston is pretty much an institution for the local music scene. With most of the best local acts coming out of Durban, cutting their musical teeth on The Winstonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Stage.

Mitch, front man for Life Below

EDITORIAL

Common Creatives kicking ass.

Growing up in Durban as a person of Indian descent, there is one thing I became absolutely certain of at a really young age. Durban people love that old school R&B. And gangsta rap. And hip hop. I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t mean to generalise anything I say in this writing but itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s something that, as a Durbanite, is almost undeniable. The force that electrifies MP3 players and external hard drives in cars and pockets all over Durban together with the fact that the most popular clubs play some variation of it, whether it be mixed or not, whether it be on a separate dance floor or not, is testament to the fact that Biggie and Tupac, Groove Theory and Robin S., SWV and En Vogue, BoyzIIMen and Montell Jordan all live on in 2015, with all the glory of the 1990s.

Words by Mayuri Sanichur

I was born in 1988. I’ve been exposed to so many different circles, but it seems that by at the end of the night someone’s always blaring “Show Me Love” on repeat. That song came out in 1994. I was 6-years-old, yet when that song comes on, people my age (and even younger) throw their hands in the air with the all too familiar “Aaah, yeah yeah. You’ve got to show me love!” (You sang that, didn’t you?) And there comes the question. Why are we, a vast majority of people of colour, so attached to this era of music? I have to admit, although I love the genre, I don’t have the same connection others have. I do, however, have a deep appreciation and understanding of where I think it comes from. I’ve spoken to people of all ages and races, fans and vehement non-fans of R&B and hip hop alike, and this is the general insight I’ve gained. The 1970s and 1980s were an era of aggressive activism in South Africa. It was a time where people were coming together with Umkhonto we Sizwe to take some of the most drastic action in our history in attempting to overthrow the Apartheid government. It was a different age from that of the years prior and things were coming to a head. We must remember that there was a huge amount of censorship in South Africa at the time, so incredibly different from the age we live in now. People of colour didn’t have the luxury of free access to information, and with that censorship came the censorship of the arts, music being one of them. Black music was barely played on mainstream radio outside of Capital Radio, and an underground movement began to sweep through the tunnels of nightclubs and parties all over the country for the ears of people of colour to hear, and embrace and seek solace in, in the continued fight for freedom. In Durban, people my parents’ age were frequenting Aquarius and Mermaid on their nights out, seeking out new (black) music as the night went on whilst they buried their struggles in dancing and togetherness. It’s a universal truth that music brings people together and can be the saving grace and escapism needed to pull anyone through anything. The children of that generation watched as their parents took to partying to Lionel Ritchie’s “All Night Long”, Earth Wind & Fire’s “Fantasy” or Bob Marley’s “Could You Be Loved” and so it became a part of their upbringing. By the time the mid-1990s came around, the children of the 1980s were now the teenagers of the 1990s and a new South Africa was being built with a new freedom. The openness of the 1990s allowed the teenagers of the time to blare this uncensored, raw, emotional music that spoke to them so far away from the source. In the “ghettos” of Chatsworth, Newlands East and West, Wentworth and Phoenix, American artists were sharing their struggle to success with young people experiencing the same social ills as them. The same pain and glory that mirrored their own lives, to a certain extent; showing them just how real their lives were; validating their existence; sending hope

EDITORIAL

waves and happiness to the hearts and minds of a generation that were just realising they had the opportunities their parents didn’t. And those deep bass lines never hurt anyone either. I remember my cousins booming Snoop Dogg, Mary J. Blige and Tevin Campbell on repeat. I remember realising that it was almost a sin to not know all the lyrics to “Ain’t Nothin But A G Thang” or “Regulate”. I remember driving through Blue Lagoon on a Saturday night and every car ripping “Gangster’s Paradise”. This was the sound of a free generation. The genre has changed, no doubt. Drake, Lil Wayne, Chris Brown, Wiz Khalifa and Nicki Minaj don’t necessarily have the same message their 90s counterparts shared but I guess with even more freedom comes even more boundaries to be pushed. A newer subculture is emerging, though. The interesting part is that it’s no longer something that just people of colour are a part of, showing that the walls of censorship of a time passed have been pushed down and everyone’s been let inside. It could be argued that this new subculture is one focussed on wealth, arrogance and raw sexism. On the other hand, the number of female rappers is growing daily, taking power with them and showing that sexuality is ours to embrace. It can’t be denied, however, that those artists gained their strength and hope from the artists who paved the way before them, however different their truth is. The listeners of this generation will be the parents of the future and will have their own stories to tell. I digress. The point is there has to be a reason that even the 18-year-olds of 2015 are still travelling 20-odd years back in time feeling the same “feels” the teenagers of the 1990s felt. I think it’s the inherent message. Despite the vulgarity of some of the music of the time, I think the messages were fairly clear because the story was real and the musical arrangement was completely inspired. I think the young person who connects to the R&B and hip hop of 2 decades ago feels a mixture of the messages of love, pain, heartbreak, vengeance, soul, anger and an ambition to succeed against all odds (even if the world is against you) combined with the FOMO of not actually being there at the time. I feel like they’re defining their own life through the voice of another generation which weirdly enough is evergreen. And that’s okay because those struggles are still real, just in a different time. And for me personally, it’s the subconscious voyeur of not being able to have experienced it first hand at Palladium or Spank! Whatever the case may be, it seems like the genre is ever present, ever changing and ever connecting and has cemented its roots on the east coast of South Africa, no matter what age we are, no matter what year we’re in.

MUSIC WITHOUT ITS HEAD UP ITS ASS FLIGHT OF THE CONCHORDS My first taste of it was Flight of the Conchords. If you haven’t heard of them, sies. I thought this was the shizz.

LONELY ISLAND After the dorky New Zealanders showed us what’s up, the Americans had to chime in. Let’s show Lonely Island some appreciation for their subversion of shitty club music. Another reason they make me happy is that they get real musicians to take the piss with them. It definitely endears the pop Nicki Manaj, Adam Lavine, Lady Gaga, and Diddy to me. >> INFANT SORROW Russell Brand’s Aldous Snow of fictional band Infant Sorrow has made the only music I have ever liked enough to listen to with earphones while shopping. I fucking hate earphones. You’re in for a treat if you listen to what sounds like a derivative acoustic love song, but turns that upside down at 1:27. (Let me know when you’ve figured out what F.O.H stands for.) Ylvis >> And Norway’s offering in the form of Ylvis makes me happy in my ears. The video I decided to show you is highly edumacational about the female genitals, in the style of whiny, misogynistic, auto-tuned overplayed bull-honkey.

REVIEW

Do you ever feel like artists take themselves too damn seriously? Musicians especially tick me off with that shit, and they’re harder to avoid than poets. That’s why my favourite genre of music is parody. It tickles me no end that people who consider themselves comedians before musicians make music that sounds better than most of the kaka on the radio. << AWKWAFINA These are legit musicians, rather than comedians, but their music is satirical, so Imma put them up. We did need more vag. Here’s the witty and gangst Awkwafina with her parody of My Dick (but actually clever).

BREEZY VEE This list is appallingly melanin disadvantaged. Busting holes in the White-Saviour Complex of aid songs for Africa, is SA rapper Breezy Vee, spokesperson for Radi-Aid. This kickass parody was made in Durban, by Durban based production co, iKind Media. <<GARFUNCKEL & OATES Now, if you’re offended by things which get a little bit bible-bashy, navigate away, toodlepip! For the people with a sense of humour, here’s Garfunckel & Oates, US comedy song duo with ovaries.

Hope I’ve converted some of the “music is my life” wankers to see that music doesn’t need to be lifeand-death to be good.

Words by Heloise Alexandra Marshall

LINKS LIST

@TarynKettle @prunelle_aman @aneletee https://www.facebook.com/visuallanguageimages @PLERB_ https://milktart21.wordpress.com/ @itsmemayuri www.karockimedia.co.za www.uflex.co.za @sharon_ninow https://groundsweeprecords.bandcamp.com/ @jayrod333 @eddy_ohthreeone @chadkoek @Zuton https://www.facebook.com/TheWinstonPub @NORMVLmedia