Spoek Mathambo

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Spoek Mathambo (born May 14, 1985 in Rockville, Soweto ; actually Nthato Mokgata ) is a South African musician, producer and director. He became known in the late 2000s for his style of electronic dance music, known as "Township Tech" .

Life

Mathambo comes from the Rockville township in Soweto, but later grew up in the rich Johannesburg suburb of Sandton . He moved to Cape Town to study and began to work as a musician. Among other things, he worked there with Watkin Tudor Jones (later with Die Antwoord ).

The stage name Spoek Mathambo comes from the South African sitcom Emzini Wezinsizwa . The name is composed of terms from two languages: 'Spoek' means in Afrikaans spirit, 'Mathambo' in isiZulu bone. Spoek Mathambo is therefore translated as bone spirit.

Mathambo has lived in Malmö since the late 2000s and commutes between Sweden and South Africa. He is married to the rapper Ana Rab, also known by her stage name Gnucci Banana.

Musical career

2006–2010: Beginnings with Sweat.X and Playdoe

Mathambo had first successes from 2006 together with Markus Wormstorm as electro-rap duo Sweat.X and with Simon Ringrose aka. SiBot as Playdoe. Mathambo toured with both bands in other European countries and released their first records. In 2009 Mathambo posted a series of mixtapes titled HIVIP on his blog , which cemented his reputation as the creative head of the emerging South African electronic music scene . At this time he also collaborated on some pieces with the German band Schlachthofbronx .

2010–2013: breakthrough as a solo artist

Mathambo released his solo debut album Mshini Wam in 2010 on the Swedish label BBE Records. The title is derived from 'Umshini Wami' - isiZulu and isiXhosa for 'Bring me my machine' and 'my machine gun' respectively - a popular battle song of the Umkhonto we Sizwe , the former armed arm of the African National Congress . In the 2000s, Jacob Zuma intoned the old battle song repeatedly during his election campaign events, polarizing the South African electorate. Mathambo declared on the title of his album: "My machine in this case ... is my platform to express a new wave of electronic African music blowing through the continent!" (My machine [or my machine gun] in this case ... is my stage for expression a new wave of electronic African music blowing through the continent.) The album features the highly acclaimed track Control , a cover of Joy Division's track She's Lost Control . The accompanying music video was shot by South African photographer Pieter Hugo and Michael Cleary, who received the Young Director Award at the 2011 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity . The music video also won the South African Lories Gold Award that same year. Mathambo himself received a nomination for the Best African Act of the MOBO Awards 2011.

Mathambo released his second album Father Creeper in 2012 on the US label Sub Pop . The daily described the album as "deafening genre fireworks" that get better with every listen. Father Creeper brought Mathambo again a nomination for Best African Act for the MOBO Awards 2012. In the same year Mathambo also released a compilation of his older pieces at Sony Music SA. It is entitled Future Sound of Mzansi .

In July 2013 Mathambo released his fourth solo album Escape from '85 , a musical homage to the year he was born. As in previous years, he was nominated for the MOBO Awards 2013 in the Best African Act category.

2014–2015: Fantasma

After four records as a solo artist, Mathambo founded the five-piece band Fantasma. In addition to Mathambo, it consisted of Marvin Ramalepe aka. DJ Spoko, multi-instrumentalist Bhekisenzo Cele, guitarist André Geldenhuys and drummer Michael Buchanan. Together they combined different local and international music styles, from traditional Maskandi of the Zulu, to Shangaan Electro, to punk , hip-hop and house . Her first release was Eye of the Sun in 2014 , followed by her album Free Love a year later.

2014 – today: further successes as a solo artist

Mathambo shot the documentary Future Sound of Mzansi together with the director Lebogang Rasethaba . In isiXhosa and isiZulu, 'Mzansi' means 'south' and is the nickname of South Africa. The three-part film from 2014 is based on Mathambo's trip to different parts of the country and portrays current developments and styles of electronic dance music in South Africa - such as Gqom. One aim of the two directors was to refute tourist clichés and instead show the diversity and creativity of young South Africans.

Mathambo released his fifth solo album Mzansi Beat Code in 2017 on Teka Records. Unlike his earlier albums, it hardly contains any vocal parts by Mathambo himself. Instead, this task is taken on by artist friends with whom Mathambo had already worked on previous projects.

2015 – today: Batuk

Mathambo founded a new ensemble in 2015 together with DJ Aero Manyelo and the singers Carla Fonseca (aka. Manteiga) and Nandi Ndlovu. The name 'Batuk' is derived from the name of a drum. Her debut album Musica da Terra , released in 2016, was recorded in South Africa, Mozambique and Uganda and combines collaborations with artists from all three countries. The collective thus combined the declared aim of uniting various musical traditions of the continent in a pan-African community in its house music .

After their worldwide tour, Mathambo and Fonseca continued as a duo. Batuk's second album, Kasi Royalty , pays homage to the cultural creativity of the South African townships - 'Kasi' is a local slang term for township settlements. Unlike its predecessor, the album focuses on the musical roots of the two artists.

Discography

solo

  • 2010: Mshini Wam
  • 2012: Father Creeper
  • 2012: Future Sound of Mzansi
  • 2013: Escape from '85
  • 2017: Mzansi Beat Code

Fantasma

  • 2014: Eye of the Sun (EP)
  • 2015: Free Love

Batuk

  • 2016: Daniel (EP)
  • 2016: Musica da Terra
  • 2018: Move!
  • 2018: Kasi Royalty

Filmography

  • 2014: Future Sound of Mzansi

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ A b Clyde Macfarlane: Spoek Mathambo and the future sounds of township tech. In: The Guardian . July 23, 2014, accessed January 24, 2019 .
  2. ↑ a b c Percy Zvomuya: There's a Spoek on my stoep. In: Mail & Guardian . November 4, 2011, accessed January 24, 2019 .
  3. ^ A b c Peter Macia: The Scare Tactics of Spoek Mathambo. In: The Fader. August 31, 2010, accessed January 24, 2019 .
  4. ↑ Spoek Mathambo and the crush of bones. In: Inside Dance Music. Retrieved January 24, 2019 .
  5. ^ Daniel Friedman: I have seen the future and it's primitive. In: Mail & Guardian . March 30, 2007, accessed January 24, 2019 .
  6. ^ Paul Lester: New band of the week No 371: Playdoe. In: The Guardian . August 18, 2008, accessed January 24, 2019 .
  7. ↑ Spoek Mathambo: HIVIP: United States of Ayobaness mix. In: sdotx.blogspot.com. August 13, 2009, accessed January 24, 2019 .
  8. ↑ Peter Macia: Spoek Mathambo, HIVIP: United States of Ayobaness Mix. In: The Fader. August 13, 2009, accessed January 24, 2019 .
  9. ^ A b Natalie Brunner: Machine Gun - South African electro futurism by Spoek Mathambo. In: FM4. ORF, July 23, 2010, accessed on February 2, 2019 .
  10. ↑ Elias Kreuzmair: House from the townships. In: The daily newspaper . June 16, 2010, accessed February 2, 2019 .
  11. ↑ a b Daluxolo Moloantoa: Don't be afraid of Spoek Mathambo. In: The South African. March 31, 2011, accessed January 24, 2019 .
  12. ^ Isaac Mangena: Umshini Wami echoes through SA. In: Mail & Guardian . December 23, 2007, accessed January 24, 2019 .
  13. ^ Lisa Van Wyk: Pieter Hugo wins Young Director Award at Cannes. In: Mail & Guardian . June 24, 2011, accessed January 31, 2019 .
  14. ↑ Nadia Neophytou: Spoek Mathambo - Painting NYC Red. In: Miss Ntertainment. November 7, 2011, accessed January 31, 2019 .
  15. ↑ SA musos up for UK award. In: DestinyConnect.com. September 12, 2011, accessed January 31, 2019 .
  16. ↑ Charlie Frame: Totally Wired: An Interview With Spoek Mathambo. In: The Quietus. May 3, 2012, accessed January 31, 2019 .
  17. ↑ Roger Berhalter: Every song sounds different. In: St. Galler Tagblatt . April 26, 2013, accessed February 2, 2019 .
  18. ^ Andrin Schumann: A muse in exile. In: The daily newspaper . March 30, 2012, accessed February 2, 2019 .
  19. ↑ Spoek Mathambo gets MOBO nomination. In: Inside Dance Music Magazine. October 10, 2012, accessed January 31, 2019 .
  20. ↑ Ashley Brown: SA Music Scene, up close and personal with Spoek Mathambo. In: SA Music Scene. November 27, 2012, accessed January 31, 2019 .
  21. ↑ Kyle McGovern: 10 Albums You Can Hear Now: Fuck Buttons, David Lynch, Pet Shop Boys, and More. In: Spin. July 11, 2013, accessed January 31, 2019 .
  22. ↑ Liquideep, Mafikizolo, Spoek Mathambo up for MOBO nominations. In: The Sowetan . September 4, 2013, accessed January 31, 2019 .
  23. ↑ Maya Oppenheim: Spoek Mathambo and DJ Spoko's band is totally amazing. In: Dazed. November 4, 2014, accessed February 1, 2019 .
  24. ↑ Tom Horan: Spoek Mathambo presents Fantasma - a ray of South African sunshine. In: The Guardian . March 6, 2015, accessed February 1, 2019 .
  25. ^ Future Sound of Mzansi. In: Nowness. January 14, 2015, accessed February 1, 2019 .
  26. ↑ 'Future Sound of Mzansi' by Spoek Mathambo (part 1). In: VICE. May 22, 2015, accessed February 2, 2019 .
  27. ↑ Yolisa Mkele: Movies: motives bass. In: The Sunday Times . August 3, 2014, accessed February 1, 2019 .
  28. ^ Piotr Orlov: Review: Spoek Mathambo, 'Mzansi Beat Code'. In: NPR . April 6, 2017, accessed February 1, 2019 .
  29. ↑ Jessica Hunkin: A rhythm that connects cultures: An interview with Batuk. In: Goethe Institute South Africa. 2015, accessed February 2, 2019 .
  30. ↑ Eva Hediger: On a great sound safari. In: Tages-Anzeiger. April 7, 2017, accessed February 2, 2019 .
  31. ↑ Alison Hird: Batuk's pan-African house music. In: Radio France Internationale. October 20, 2016, accessed February 2, 2019 .
  32. ↑ Batuk: Using house music to promote pan-Africanism. In: BBC News . October 14, 2016, accessed February 2, 2019 .
  33. ↑ Uli Eulenbruch: Batuk: Kasi Royalty. In: auftouren.de. May 11, 2018, accessed February 2, 2019 .
  34. ↑ Katrin Melchior: Batuk - "Move!" In: Cosmo . WDR, March 5, 2018, accessed February 2, 2019 .
personal data
SURNAME Mathambo, Spoek
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Mokgata, Nthato (real name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION South African musician, producer and director
DATE OF BIRTH May 14, 1985
PLACE OF BIRTH Rockville, Soweto