Your unknown South African soundtrack
Step out of your comfort zone, and bring your ears to my radio where Springbok Nude Girls, Deity's Muse, The Awakening, Parlotones, Lark and more sing for you.
Got sick, getting better, and busy with something offline. No space for geopolitics and/or corruption today. This is something different.
This is a South African joy ride from clouds to the underground. My country is worth loving beyond the political bullshit killing us.
I bet you you don’t know these songs. Hell, most of my fellow citizens don’t beyond one or two tracks because they’re as oblivious to reality as most Americans. Our radio stations don’t play our best music, so our most talented bands die.
Below is musical defiance against being common. It’s free of cult gospel, taxi kwaito, and dumbing-us-down Western pop that’s drowning us. It’s as original as can be when you encounter Blk Jks and Lark.
This is a beauty mindfuck soundtrack towards our interesting lives. Let’s start with ballads before headbanging!
FRESHLYGROUND - ‘I’D LIKE’
aKING - ‘SAFE AS HOUSES’
ARD MATTHEWS - ‘SHALLOW WATERS’
THE AWAKENING - ‘THE SOUNDS OF SILENCE’
SPRINGBOK NUDE GIRLS - ‘BLUE EYES’
PARLOTONES - ‘COLOURFUL’
PRIME CIRCLE - ‘CONSIDER ME’
JEREMY LOOPS - ‘TIL I FOUND YOU’
BLK JKS - ‘MOTLALATLADI’
LARK - ‘HEROIN MARY’
DEITY’S MUSE - ‘THIS BROKEN SCAR’
Want more? Auriol Hayes, Cassette, Dance You're On Fire, Freshlyground, Prime Circle, Linday McGuire, Die Heuwels Fantasies, Ndlovu Youth Choir at Another unknown South African soundtrack for you.
Thanks for the links. I enjoyed reading the comments under each song. Each of these groups may not have attracted world wide acclaim, but they had local hard core fans. Each song sparked remembrances of a life experience. To my mind that’s one of the greatest powers of the musical experience.
Another interesting collection. The “Shallow Waters” vid was fun. I assume this was a reunion of sorts with all past members. The “ Sounds of Silence” was a bit disconcerting at first. I went through it twice. Jeremy Loops was just infectious energy. I imagine that was a blast to make. The yellow trains kept showing up in various videos. “Heroin Mary” stole the show for me. That was a helluva project. Deity Muse channeled old memories of Nirvana right down to the shirt the guitar player was wearing. As always I enjoy you pointing to bands I wouldn’t see otherwise. Thanks.