South Africa – House Music

Interview with South African artist Okayshades featuring an exclusive mix

admin — Tue, 08 Sep 2020 08:30:08 +0000

Okayshades is Robin Brink, a South African DJ, producer and drummer thriving in the intersection of popular and esoteric sounds. Between the international success of his band Beatenberg and his professional studio work, Okayshades sees Robin setting out to bend and break rules.

Recently, Okayshades won the Poker Flat remix competition with a rework of Tim Engelhardt’s ‘First Contact’ and has contributed ‘A Little Less Traffic’, a wonderful deep house cut, to the Ambious Records compilation AXIOM Vol. 3

We are pleased to present an exclusive mix and interview with the multi-talented creative for you all to enjoy below:

Looking back, what were some of your earliest entries into music appreciation? And music production?

I have a crazy memory of being a child and putting records on my dad’s turntable. I would literally put my hands on the records and sort of scratch them. The physicality of that musical experience definitely had an impact on me. So did the mere presence of drums, guitars, percussion, upright bass, saxophones, speakers and hi-fi equipment that my dad had collected over the years.

Your abilities behind the drums are well known. What other instruments do you play? Anything you are looking to pick up in the near future?

I started playing electric bass last year. It’s always been a dream to do so. I’m fascinated by the role that bass plays in music both harmonically and rhythmically. It sits right at the intersection of all the moving parts. I would love to lock myself up and study piano properly at some point in the future. If I did that I might just quit everything else haha!

Tell us a bit about the origins of ‘A Little Less Traffic’.

The initial idea I think I had a few years ago: writing a track over a droning bass which slowly oscillated between two pitches. Then came the beat, and the chord stabs. Then the main melody. I can’t remember how I wrote it but the actual lead sound also has some samples of my Kalimba. I like the way the tines can be saturated. The busy snare drum part I think I played in on one take on a drum machine or something – the way a jazz drummer would comp.

What are some of the key pieces of gear/software you are using to create your unique sound?

Imagination and a tendency to bend or break rules is my strongest guide. At home, I have a Kalimba, electric bass, Korg Minilogue and a vintage Telefunken MD405 dynamic microphone for capturing inspiration when it grabs me: for example banging drum fills on with my hands on my desk. For production, I use Ableton Live, Pro Tools and loads of field recordings. I like complex sounds which are not necessarily ubiquitous.

With the downtime from touring and gigs, what have you been focusing on in the studio lately?

Making electronic music is mostly a diversion: something I do for fun. Professionally I occupy myself working with singers, songwriters and other producers – mostly in a sort of pop and alt-pop environment. I love bringing ideas from electronic music (as well as world music and jazz) to the table when working on projects that strive towards a mainstream audience.

What are you looking forward to most when you can take your music back “on the road”?

Meeting new people in new places! And the feeling of doing good honest work. Life on tour can be a real grind but I find it satisfying.

As an artist, it becomes apparent that there is a huge difference between the art and the business. Is there anything about the music scene/industry that you would personally change?

It concerns me how many people are invested in music for the image. I’d like to see venues adopting different stage models where the crowd is not staring in one direction with their phones out worshipping the DJ. I far prefer the idea of eyes closed, in the dark, in a crowd – with a DJ somewhere in the corner. I think that’s probably a little idealistic in 2020.

Break down the news for us, what can we expect from you in the near future?

I’ve got a few more tracks and remixes coming out that I’m really excited about. The lockdown definitely gave me some time to finish a whole load of musical ideas I had floating around for ages. And I’m really keen to keep up the momentum.

Follow Okayshades

Facebook – SoundCloud – Spotify – Website – Instagram – Twitter – MixCloud

Sophistication and Spirit in ‘Ghetto Gong’ by music producer Chynaman feat. Kususa

admin — Tue, 12 Mar 2019 09:59:00 +0000

Dynamic South African house producer, Chynaman has premiered his new smasher ‘Ghetto Gong’ with Madorasindahouse Youtube channel. Set for official release via Chynaman house productions on 15 March.

This is the perfect example of a slow buildup. It’s the kind of track where the additional elements come in so effortlessly that you don’t even consciously register it until your whole body is moving and you have no idea how you even got up onto your feet.

Follow Chynaman

Facebook – Twitter – Instagram

South African House prodigy, Kyle Watson, releases ‘You Boy’ & ‘Chomp’ ahead of Shambhala festival

admin — Wed, 01 Aug 2018 08:07:00 +0000

Kyle Watson is a house music producer from South Africa that has steadily been taking the global community by storm. Having seen a lot of success in his home country, the worldwide EDM scene has begun to take notice, especially after his brand new release. The South African has seen support from Ultra, Atlantic and Dirtybird all while doing remixes for artists like Rudimental, Zhu, Oliver Heldens, Justin Martin and Malaa. His upcoming album will be released via This Ain’t Bristol on 24 August 2018, but if you can’t wait that long, you’re in luck because Kyle Watson recently shared ‘You Boy’ and ‘Chomp’ from the upcoming record.

The first track to be released, ‘You Boy’ is a dark and bass-heavy house track that grabs your attention immediately. Featuring hypnotizing vocals from fellow South African and frequent collaborator Kylah Jasmine, this brooding song pulls you in and keeps you locked in with low-frequency freshness throughout. Of the two new singles, it is clear that ‘You Boy’ will be the radio-friendly single, but it’s clear as day that ‘Chomp’ was made with the club in mind. ‘Chomp’ was made in collaboration with diverse LA-producer, Franklyn Watts and is a stellar track full of dark undertones and glitched vocal samples. It’s a track that almost blurs the line between house and bass house but it doesn’t matter, as we already have this on repeat.

Kyle Watson’s next show will be at the massive Shambhala in British Colombia on the 10th of August alongside notable acts such as Black Tiger Sex Machine, Rezz, Claude VonStroke, Machinedrum, Liquid Stranger, Dizzee Rascal and Opiuo.

Take a listen to each of the tracks here via This Ain’t Bristol.

Follow Kyle Watson

Website – Facebook – Twitter – Instagram – Soundcloud – Spotify