The NBTMusicRadio’s Top Singles/Tracks of 2014

and now the singles:

 

So here we go:

 

in 2014 we found that The PopSong is alive and well and in good hands from True Innovators rising up from all genres and musical tribes

 

Oh and the intricate AlbumTrack is in fine health too!

180 Plus-Minus – Young Once
179 Ramona Lisa – Dominic
178 Warpaint – Disco/Very
177 Just Shelley – Sweet Boy
176 Bohicas – XXX
175 Amine – Tawaraq
174 Afrikan Sciences – Need Want Have
173 Shilpa Ray – Lessons From Lorena
172 Sam Harrison Music– Ketamine Kim
171 Sky Ferreira & Ariel Pink – My Molly
170 Goldstar– Yesterday
169 Scott Krokoff– The Vow
168 Rival Boys – I’ll Believe In Anything
167 Anjali Ray– So Long
166 Cloud Nothings – Psychic Trauma
165 Reverted – Die My Saint
164 ROMAC– Robots
163 Lili Haydn– Tyrant
162 Kick Inside– Odessa Rose
161 Lacrosse – 50 percent Of Your Love

160 Aviators– Where I Belong (APO Remix)
159 Aubergine MACHINE– Call it Fate, Call it Karma
158 Mercy House – The Door
157 Banks – Brain
156 Andrew Cloninger – Discipline
155 Paul Bailey – You
154 TASITA D’MOUR– Change My Heart
153 Lucius – Nothing Ordinary
152 Vladimir Vorobyov – Gliding Over The Waves
151 John Zipperer & Friends– The Ballad Of Micah McDowde
150 The Crookes – Marcy
149 J’Rose– Cell Phone Heart
148 Sia – Chandelier
147 Abby Feferman Music– Mark My Words
146 Sir. O– Glimmer Of Hope
145 The New Pornographers – Brill Bruisers
144 Marga Lane– Aftershocks
143 KAT and the CANARIES – Close The Blinds
142 Neneh Cherry – Out Of The Black (ft Robyn)
141 Isrra – Indubstrial

 

140 208 Talks Of Angels– Blooming At Night
139 EMA – Satellites
138 Nikki Lerner– Curious
137 Guarded Jungle – So Unusual
136 Aaron English – X-Wing Drummer
135 Ify Jaegc– Who God Don Bless
134 Kendrick Lamar, “i”
133 Soulwinna – Work It
132 T. Gam – Do Only
131 Priests – Doctor
130 Alex Banks ft. Elizabeth Bernholz – A Matter Of Time
129 Swampcandy– 1000 Miles
128 Stefan Mørk – Why Angels Fly
127 Skriket– Black Magic & Vodoo Women
126 The Plastic Pals– Travelling
125 Magic Mountain– Drive
124 Marielle Ishkhanian – Cutting Board
123 Karen O – Rapt
122 Sylvan Esso – Play It Right
121 Ararur– Ela

120 Delta Moon– Nightclubbing
119 Just Walden– Romie Knows
118 Deers – Trippy Gum
117 Liesa Norman– Breathe
116 The Feel Bad Hit – Lend A Hand
115 Young fathers – Low
114 Sarantos solo music artist– Back and Forth
113 Royal Blood – Figure It Out
112 Seren Skies– Obscurity
111 Panophonic– I’m Disarmed ft Suzy Blu
110 EMA – 100 YEARS
109 Lyla Foy – Feather Tongue
108 Honeyblood – Super Rat
107 Nathalie– Play Reverse
106 Atonomic– 1000 Days Of Mystery
105 Neurotic Wreck– Without You
104 Alpha over India– One Last Chance
103 Sky Ferreira – Boys
102 Tideland– Edinburgh
101 Foreknown– The Truth About Flight, Love, and BB Guns feat. Catalina Bellizz

 

 

100 Origin-X– A Dream
99 JazzElle Music– Hourglass
98 Tennis – Timothy
97 Owls of the Swamp– Garden
96 Tea that burns – One stop away
95 Jana Pochop – Deepest Fear
94 Sabina – Toujours
93 Hudson Arc– Leave It Buried
92 Liz Johnson – Stay
91 Autumn Blaze – I Killed A Man
90 Amatus– Punk
89 Afterthem – Hidden Cameras
88 Jeffrey Dallet Music– Bye Bye Middle Class Blues
87 Late Cambrian– Golden Time
86 Easy Bear– Run Virginia Run
85 Pete Gioconda – The Time of Great Waste
84 Summer Day Rescue– Memory
83 Angel Olsen – Hi Five
82 Visual Poetics Music– Happy Mother’s Day
81 Micropixie– Testosteronica

80 Abel Moreno – Dark Experience
79 Dalibor Luptak – Beech Tree
78 Anda Volley– Laura Inside the Ghost Machine
77 Gumshen – Bait & Switch
76 Blee– Feeling Like A King
75 Tallulah Rendall– Shine On
74 Chuck Eaton – Private Sky
73 Carlos Wilde – Rok Ma Wurld
72 T.O – Smart Phoney
71 Happy Otherwise– Love Like Lightning
70 Justine Electra – This Could Be The Most Beautiful Noise
69 Nix ExploderaMeravs Acoustic Mirror – Breaking Waves
68 Marvelous Southstar– The Wait Is Over
67 Kate Tempest – The Beigeness
66 Yellerwood –Embraced by Remote Calls
65 Mint Royale – Ring (feat. Willem Dafoe)
64 Radio Drive– Footsteps
63 Damon Albarn – Heavy Seas Of Love
62 The Barcode Bandits– Bury Me
61 Evi Vine– My Hands Are Tied

60 The Stray Natives– CNN
59 Prozaktly– SA’s Lekka
58 Sid Griffin– Elvis Presley Calls His Mother After The Ed Sullivan Show
57 The Cheek of Her– Another Guy I Buried in the Woods
56 JULIE DIANO– Why
55 AstroAttack– Searchlights
54 Gary Herselman and Die Lemme – Maak Haarself Mooi (with Valiant Swart and Paul Riekert
53 Birdeatsbaby– My Arms Will Open Wide
52 Trinity Ward– Evaporator
51 Dandan– Travelling Soul
50 Anna Calvi – Lady Grinning Soul
49 Kat Boelskov– Movies
48 CHARL– THE PLAYER
47 Mika Kobayashi– Boku no Osoushiki
46 TripleX2000– Just A Lil Bit
45 TV On The Radio – Happy Idiot
44 bell’s roar– StepUp StepBack
43 Zeerox– Devil’s Elbow
42 Piqued Jacks– Upturned Perspectives
41 Jeff Hedeen – Let’s Face It

40 Juleah– The Sixth And Seventh Moon
39 Andrew Kay – Lay Down Your Arms
38 I AM NOIZE x DESTRUKTO – OBEY
37 Static People– Stars Fall
36 Strange Fiction– Josephine
35 Sisyphus – Alcohol
34 Midget Submarine– Soylent Green
33 Bianca Alana– Distance
32 Kill Kasper– Gossip, Lies and Promises
31 Amberland– Swan Song
30 Anne-Simone – Fire Rainbow
29 Ceo – Wonderland
28 Suzy Blu– Blu
27 The Galleons– One Enormous Thread
26 Agenda Plex– Innerself
25 Kras and Bijvoet – Olivia Newton John
24 Gary Herselman and Die Lemme – Namakwaland (with Francois van Coke and the Kalahari Surfers
23 Alvvays – Archie, Marry Me
22 Evi Vine– Porcelain
21 Norman Salant– The Civil War

20 Gemstones In The Wreckage – Absent
19 Rubber Clown Car – She’s So High
18 REVEL 9– The Good Fight
17 Odd Cardinal– Isolate
16 Jeffrey Dallet Music– Dear Dayton OH
15 Die Heiterkeit – Kapitän
14 Kate Tempest – A Hammer
13 Genna Marabese– Masquerade
12 Radioactive X Girlfriend ( RxGF ) – Belladonna Dream
11 Snowday– Prickerbush
10 Polar Dust– Drown in you
9 Ages and Ages – Divisionary (Do The Right Thing)
8 Young Fathers –Get Up
7 Alt J – Hunger of the Pine
6 Betting on one– Sunrise Keeps Me Awake
5 Charlee Remitz– Flash Flash
4 FKA Twigs – Two Weeks
3 JULIE DIANO– Hit By The Bang
2 Warpaint – Love Is To Die
1 Dilated Academy– Black Soul

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The NBTMusicRadio’s Best Albums of 2014

Once again the internet and music mags were a buzz the whole year long about the supposed ‘death of the Album’ they tried to tell us that its only songs that we should care about and not the long-form art . and once again they couldn’t be more short sighted and just plain WRONG! so that said here we go : 150 totally amazing albums from artists all over the world and from every musical tribe conceivable  and of course, all played on the NBTMusicRadio

150 Lucius – Wildwoman
149 Derek Zhao – Legends Of A Goddess (Original Ballet Soundtrack)
148 Highasakite – Silent Treatment
147 St Vincent -St Vincent
146 The Crookes – Soapbox
145 Ferni – After Burn
144 QUI – Life, Water, Living
143 The Capsules – The Long Goodbye
142 robotmonkeyarm (part two … cinema vomitif & the white mask of Doom!)
141 Liesa Norman – Vanity Project
140 Milagro Saints – Mighty Road Songs
139 Melanie Dekker – Distant Star
138 Glacial – We Are Serious and We Mean It
137 The Drip Effect – Dinosaw
136 Neneh Cherry – Blank Project
135 The Clouds are Ghosts – Fractures
134 Air for Effect – methylation Breeze
133 Spotlight Kid – Ten Thousand Hours
132 Seasurfer – Dive In
131 Nicki Kris – Dream Big

130 SwampCandy – Midnight Creep / Noonday Stomp
129 Strange Anthem – EP Volume One
128 Blood Letters and Badmen – Blood Letters and Badmen 
127 Ralf Dee – Your Time Is Now
126 Perfume Genius too bright
125 Lightfoils – Hierarchy
124 Noelle Johnson – Beautiful Soul
123 Our Silk and Wheel Assembly Evil ~ Love ~ The
122 Elephant – Elephant
121 Charli xCx, ‘SUCKER
120 The Feel Bad Hit Of The Winter – The Feel Bad Hit Of The Winter
119 Adam Balbo – Demons
118 Jeff Larson – Close Circle
117 Lyla Foy – Mirrors The Sky
116 Interpol – El Pintor
115 The BHD – Nothing Is Colder Than You
114The Pretty Fragile – I Can Bite Harder Than You
113 Flying Lotus – You’re Dead
112 True North – True North
111 The Bug – Angels And Devils
110 Aaron Holm + Matthew Felton – Transitions Seattle

109 Terry Davidson & the Gears – Sonic Soul Sessions
108 Steve Mednick – Nevermind the Rain
107 David Gergen – The Dreaming
106 Kelley Hunt – The Beautiful Bones
105 Static People – Weird Creatures
104 Jack White ‘Lazaretto’
103 Hanna Fearns – Sentimental Bones
102 Shannie – Blame It On The Moon
101 spike flynn – Rough Landing
100 Ekpyrotic – Symbols of Transformation
99 Jebediah Good Thrust – Monarch Butterfly: That’s High
98 Ani Difranco – Allergic To Water
97 Deborah Henriksson – Traces
96 Opera Chaotique – Bukowski
95 Jenai Huff – Grace and Elbow Grease
94 Trent Miller – Burnt Offerings
93 Caribou – Our Love
92 John Zippert – Full Circle
91 Angel Olsen – Burn Your Fire For No Witness
90 Mark Cashin & the Lil Hussy Cashology
89 Tune-Yards – Nikki Nack
88 Parquet Courts – Sunbathing Animal
87 Genus Inkasso – Under Seals Broken By The Lean Solicitor
86 Worldview – Pop Philosophy
85 Annie Keating – Make Believing
84 Phil Gammage – Adventures In Blue Country
83 The Legendary Ten Seconds – Tant Le Desiree
82 Laura Rain And The Caesars – Closer

81 Jim Wurster – Raw
80 Joan As Police Woman – The Classic
79 Achilles Wheel – Stones Two Sand
78 Ross Baker – Two Suns Were Visible In The Sky
77 Citizen Of The World – City of Million Lives
76 Scott Morrison – The Corner Shop
75 Aire Espiritu – Put Back Charlie
74 Anda Volley – Inside The Ghost Machine
73 Christian D And The Hangovers – Cut Loose and Live
72 Panophonic – Sounds Of Desolation
71 Jumine – Blue Dunes
70 Wild Axe – Pines
69 Karen O – Crush Songs
68 crash fasts – Superchroma
67 SPC ECO – The Art Of Pop
66 Martin Lorentzson – Together
65 Lia Ices – Ices
64 Kick Inside – The Field
63 Sarah Duet – The Mercy Tapes
62 Manilow – Cease and Desist
61 Wild Birds & Peacedrums – Rhythm

60 Sky Ferreira – Nighttime My Time
59 The History Of Colour TV – When Shapes Of Split Blood Spelt Love
58 Rowan Stuart – Hidden Doors
57 Buford Pope – Sticks In The Throat
56 Azwel – From Now On
55 Stellarscope – The End Is Near, I’m Not Prepared
54 Nomadic Attic – Nomadic Attic
53 Gumshen – Progtronica
52 Mirel Wagner – When The Cellar Children See The Light Of Day
51 Banks – Goddess
50 A Small Glass Ghost – ∞
49 Anna Calvi – Strange Weather
48 Ernest Troost – O Love
47 Stoney Spring – Right On Heliotrope
46 The Ukiah Drag – In The Reaper’s Quarters
45 Beck – Morning Phase
44 Sylvan Esso – Sylvan Esso
43 Tweedy – Sukierae
42 africa south rhizomatiks vs Isadora dustmite junk – Warmachine – nomadology
41 My Brightest Diamond – This Is My Hand

40 Juleah – entangled and entwined
39 Zola Jesus – Taiga
38 Wisdom / Waskid Beatz – The Gifted Ones
37 Betting on One – The Story So Far
36 Mr Kito – Where Are The Lizards?
35 Fire To The Stars – Keep You Safe
34 Kevin Nolan – Frederick and the Golden Dawn
33 Leah Capelle – Leah Capelle
32 Ade Hodges – The Horns Of sacred Animals Vol 1 ft Sean Derrick Cooper Marquardt and others
31 Kyle Carey – Northstar
30 Norman Salant – Nebraska
29 birdeatsbaby – The Bullet Within
28 Sisyphus Sisyphus-
27 Kat Boelskov – Divided
26 Suzy Blu – Blu
25 Kate Carr – Dark Days
24 Hudson Arc – The Motive Of Hope
23 Tv On The Radio – Seeds
22 Conor Oberst – Upside Down Mountain
21 Die Heiterkeit – Monterey
20 Zeerox – Penshaw Woolies Eat Deer
19 Micropixie – The Good, the Beige & the Ugly
18 Trinity Ward – Reactor
17 Polar Dust – Into The Burning Water
16 EMA – The Future’s Void
15 Galleons – Cloud Physics
14 Radioactive X Girlfriend – Any Other Way
13 Kras and Bijvoet – Berlin Recordings
12 Alt J – This Is All Yours
11 Damon Albarn – Everyday Robots
10 Andrew Kay – One For The Road
9 Young Fathers – Dead
8 Jonathan Segel – Shine Out
7 Charlee Remitz – These Veins
6 FKA Twigs – LP1
5 The Known – Ornithology
4 Warpaint – Warpaint
3 Sid Griffin – The Trick Is To Breathe
2 Kate Tempest – Everybody Down
1 Gary Herselman and Die Lemme – Rigtinbefok

 

 

 

 

 

Interview Across the Ocean : Meredith O‘ Connor

Meredith O’Connor is a singer songwriter and anti bullying activist. She has four songs that are distributed worldwide and she speaks publicly about her experiences with bullying to high schools, letting kids know there are many ways to cope with it. Find her music on iTunes, YouTube and Amazon, https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/meredith-oconnor-ep/id596073152

We asked, Nicolette Smit, a school girl from North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany to conduct a virtual interview with Meredith, finding out about her music, bullying and her aspirations for the future

Nicolette/NBTMusicRadio: Hi Meredith,
I’m a sixteen year old teenage girl growing up in Germany, and I must say that I find it very impressive how you’ve managed to make people notice the consequences of bullying through your music.

1. How did you first get into music at such a young age?

Meredith: Before songwriting I was in a theater company that did original shows and classics, I started at the age of 8 so I was a part of that world for a while and loved it! After singing songs from shows, I figured I should try to write some of my own. Luckily, I made great contacts modeling and doing print work that gave me the opportunity to give it a try.

2. What made you want to write about bullying?

Meredith: After Celebrity came out, I got some attention both on and off the internet. I realized that with a viral song came a voice- and I also remembered how badly I wanted to change the world for the better. Ever since I realized I had a voice, I promised to use my experiences being bullied to help others

3. If you had the chance to change the bullying policies at your high school, what would you change, and why?

Meredith: I would make sure schools taught acceptance, and valued it a lot more then it is now. I would help the staff become more aware of it, and change teachers’ reactions to students who are different, because passing judgments isn’t fair, and (that Attitude) will be passed on if the teachers themselves do it.

4. What do you think about YouTube shutting down your song Celebrity

Meredith: It was hard for me because right as the media was looking into it, publication disputes were made and got in the way of the songs exposure. However, I’m still looking forward to the next anti bullying video, and m excited to see how people take to that.

5. What type of message do you want your music to bring across? Your new song is a typical break up tune channeling the likes of Taylor Swift. Does this mean it is more about writing what is on your mind than having an actual agenda of what you want to convey to your audience when you write the lyrics?

Meredith: Absolutely, ‘’Celebrity’’ does mean more than just revenge and success to me, it represents the heart breaks and pain we have to get over (like some songs channeling Taylor Swifts music) But I want the people who listen to my music to know that heartbreak, being bullied, being ostracized and put down cannot only break a person but also make you stronger.

6. How do you plan to carry on with your music in the future?

Meredith: I hope to tie music in with acting, and teach my message globally

You can hear tracks from Ms O Connor all over the NBTMusicRadio but especially during the following times:

During our ”Essence Of The Song” hours which go out at 3 PM Berlin Time (that’s 2 PM UK and 9 AM New York) and then again for our USA/Canadian Listeners at 10 PM your time (New York Time)
and ALSO in a more alternative/indie hour at 7 PM New York Time

http://nbtmusicradio.playtheradio.com/
TuneIn (for Windows Phone, Blackberry and Android):NBTMusicRadio

iTunes: Click on ‘Advanced’ then ‘Open Stream’

and paste: http://listen.radionomy.com/nbtmusicradio.m3u

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stream thru your Media Player: http://listen.radionomy.com/nbtmusicradio.m3u

RISE ROCKETED

by Helge Janssen

You can hear tracks from the Band on the NBTMusicRadio’s MirrorBall Sessions every night at 10 PM Berlin Time (9 PM UK 4 PM New York) http://nbtmusicradio.playtheradio.com

Headlining the Easter Festivities @ the Bluff Yacht Club on Saturday 30 March was Durban’s dance Rock Electronica band Rise. It was a surprise to discover the Bluff Yacht Club as an idyllic oasis nestled amongst the core of Durban’s heavy pantechnicons and crate carrying trucks to and from the cargo holds of freight ships. The predicted rain backed off and the evening turned out to be a no-wind perfect out-door late summer event!

Opening the set was acoustic guitarist Tony Liddel. Tony has an ease of presence and good command of his cover material. A Crowded House and U2 fan, he soon had the audience relaxed and singing along! It would be wondrous to catch him singing his own material.

The last time I saw Rise perform was at Origin about two years ago at the launch of “Water on Canvas” when the line-up consisted of Martin McHale (DJ, programming), Kerry Wood (lead singer) and Colin Peddie (guitars, backing vocals). They have since notched up huge successes playing massive outdoor events and festivals. However, Martin (ex 330) has left the band and has turned his energies into managing the direction of Origin Nightclub. Filling this huge and difficult gap with aplomb is Donna Peddie (keyboards, backing vocals, percussion (including drum pad) and Dan Wilson (bass). Dan was absent from this Bluff gig as he was at Splashy supporting featured guest artist, Ant Cawthorn-Blazeby.

Rise has progressed to become the premier dance Electronica band of Durban…if not SA….and have rocketed their way into the ever present with their growing innovation, their layered musical constructions that overlap and extend the depth of the aural experience taking the discerning listener into an exciting multi-dimensional territory. Delving into this most important yet largely neglected base (within the average S.A. band) has had a profound effect on Rise’s confidence. With perfect vocal pitch and texture Kerry has thus been freed to spread her wings more broadly, allowing her voice to play with the instruments and richness presented, all of which decisively matches her gift at every level. Added to this, Kerry has a performance energy of unpretentious earthiness and drive and she is exuberance personified. At this gig she had the audience begging for more…and more…and more….

Colin’s guitar work startles! Taking the jangly bits of the Cure influences and mixing it with the driving rhythms of the best of New Order he has found a sound unique to Rise. This live version of ‘All We Have Is Now’ was electrifying! In the highly competitive world music scenario this transformation is no mean feat and it would be interesting to see if this groundbreaking work becomes the well earned stepping stone towards an international stage.

Of deep import too have been the subtle yet compulsive melodies of Donna’s discoveries, and her percussive range wings a relationship within the rhythms that are inventive and fresh. She is quiet and unassuming yet displays great strength and focus.

The expansive, inclusive lyrics (“Be The Change” still seems largely under-rated in my humble opinion!) gives body to their work enabling the band to find an important niche in the current politico/social context. “Pop Tart” has been cleverly contextualised to deliver a decisive blow to the shallow meanderings of the corporate music scene by surrendering completely with the pay-off line: ”I believe all the lies…” and deserves to be their next big hit!

Rise is rock solid! They have transcended their respective influences and are creating a unique contribution to the South African music scene.

I could not agree more with a fan statement on Reverbnation: “There are no borders in music when looking for beauty. Feel the beauty of music forever.” Respect and support from I&SON.

Buy their album: “Water on Canvass!” Support their live performances! You will be uplifted and energised!

A live album surely would be the next best thing!

https://www.facebook.com/letitrise?fref=ts

www.riseband.co.za

Lou Gottini (0824589653) booking agent and general manager.

A Synergy Of Expansive Opposites

Sarah Jane Mary Hills – EP Child of Ancestors

A short Review and an Interview with Sarah Jane Mary Hills by Helge Janssen

All Artwork featured by SJMH ©

Another Review of this album can be found here

 

There is a quote on Sarah Jane Mary Hills’ FB page by Georgia O’Keeffe:

“I’m frightened all the time. But I never let it stop me. Never!”

 

Born in England but spending most of her life in South Africa, Sarah Jane Mary Hills has been an active songwriter for fourteen years having begun her musical career as a bass player and backing vocalist in South African band Sunways. After performing, writing and winning Best Rock album at the South African Music Awards with the band and touring extensively between 2003/6 in Ireland and England, Sarah returned to Durban where she is currently based. Aryan Kaganof (artist, author, film and documentary maker) made an exquisite video (The Portrait of a Lady) of her first solo song “Dirty Slut” (2007).

 

Child of Ancestors is Sarah’s debut solo EP and bristles with inventiveness and originality. Its like something I have never heard before…it slides and slips between rhythms, levels, depths; illusively, trying to escape detection – like an extremely rare creature (an alien combination of animal, fish, plant and human) that has a finely attuned radar that only allows it to have brief moments in moon shadow to forage for food and water at specific depths of the night. And, should it linger a moment too long, its fragility would be the cause of its demise like Cinderella at midnight.

Conversely, it is this same appreciation of lingering, hovering, floating that forms the backbone and strength of Child of Ancestors. This solid mix of extraordinary opposites has resulted in an artistic gravitas which makes the album such a wonderous achievement. Its as if Sarah has taken her detailed close up images of flowers (a photographic passion she has pursued for many years) capturing an ethereal translucent beauty, a world of intricate detail, and transformed them into sound!

 

This discernment of artistic consciousness permeates the poetic and lyrical phrasing of the rhythms. The sense of time lapse and free form in the musical structure has an expansive impressive and expressive effect. Sarah’s guitar work swirls, strums and provokes through the aural landscape. The lyrics stretch the poetic import underpinning the metre in a dreamlike, meditative and layered (Sarah also on backing vocals and harmonies) exploration of ‘eternal time’. The guitars are crisp and warm. Additional instrumentation, mixing and mastering is by Warrick Sony at Milestone Studios, Cape Town.

“Only Love” is undoubtedly my favourite:

I can hear the sound

music’s all around

the wind is singing

that there is only love

there is only love

it is in the breezes bringing

and if you don’t know

then you will

if you just let it flow

then it will

so find a way to look within

the grace of love is everything

the clouds are just like angels wings

and if you listen you can hear the wind

singing

that there is only love

there is only love

 

I was privileged to be granted an exclusive Sarah Jane Mary Hills interview:

 

H.J.: When were these songs penned?

 

I began writing my own material in 2005. My mother had just passed away and it was a way of dealing with the pain of that event. At the same time I decided I didn’t have the energy required to continue with being an active live member of Sunways. We were making headway in the UK but were also having to do full time day jobs. After the struggle of being a professional musician in South Africa, especially with the constant touring, and then emigrating and attempting the same frenetic pace overseas I was just plain exhausted.

Robbie Boake and I maintained the songwriting side of things and worked on demos for a future Sunways album for a number of years as well as working on our side-project called Ambient Anarchy which was more instrumentally based (guitar and bass) and free-form.

I started thinking seriously about making an album of my own in about 2007 after I released the song Dirty Slut and got a lovely response from it. Previously I had never considered myself as a singer even though I had done backing vocals in the band but I guess it gave me the confidence to believe that perhaps I could be a songwriter in my own right.

About a year after that Robbie and I split up permanently and this had a profound effect on me. I started working on journals, writing in order to make some sense of everything that had happened over the previous few years. The therapeutic writing became something I did so regularly that it wasn’t long before lyric writing became something I did automatically.

Some of the songs on Child Of Ancestors were written a number of years back and some are more recently penned. And all were recorded over the last couple of years in my makeshift studio at home.

 

H.J.: How and when did you connect up with Warrick? (Warrick Sony of Kalahari Surfers fame)

 

I have known Warrick Sony for many years and worked with him for a time at Shifty Records in Johannesburg. I have always been a great admirer of his musical work and he’s a wonderful person. When Warrick heard some of the songs I had on my Myspace page he got in contact with me and asked me whether I would be prepared to do a vocal track for one of his songs on his album, One Party State. It worked out really well and I ended up doing some more singing on his recently released album, Agitprop.

Earlier this year Warrick suggested that I start sending him some of my own songs and suggested that he mix them for me. I had been worrying about how to approach the album because I didn’t feel that what I’d been recording was good enough. In the end I decided to try and relax with it and started sending him some of my tracking and he began the mixing process.

I love what he’s done to the tracks. He’s left them sparse and pared down but at the same time has added some very subtle instrumentation into some of them that adds to the dreamy quality of the music and that’s exactly what I wanted.

 

HJ: What was the easiest part and the most difficult part about this project?

 

I suppose the most difficult part of the project has been my set-up at home. I have a dodgy interface that only allows me to mic up instruments and I have no soundproofing, so there was a lot of background noise and hiss that Warrick had to deal with. I think the best part was putting the discs with my tracking on into envelopes and posting them to Cape Town and knowing that the process was underway.

 

H.J.: Are there any performance plans?

 

I’m considering doing some performing. I’m also doing a lot of writing at the moment, finishing some songs that I hadn’t had a chance to complete before, and working on new material. Child Of Ancestors is really just the beginning for me and I would dearly love to put out another album next year. I am also keen to continue collaborating with other artists and have plans to do an album of South African cover versions at some point.

 

Sunways – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1ipx0ndkVA

Dirty Slut – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Bc2XdDMrO8

http://www.sarahjanemaryhills.bandcamp.com

http://www.myspace.com/sarahjanemaryhills

“Child of Ancestors” is being distributed by Sjambok Music, Cape Town.

 

Tracks from the Album can be heard all over the 24 Hour stream that is the NBTMusicRadio

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The Return Of The Skyt Muties

SKYT MUTIES STORM THE BARRICADES

 

Skyt Muties have their roots in the alternative music scene of Joburg in the late 80s, and consist of Andrew Kay on bass and vocals, Dave Pickover on drums and Charles Grass on guitar.

 

The band formed in the wake left by the demise of Andrew’s glam-rock trash band the Party Dolls following a near-fatal motorbike accident that put him in hospital and  left him out of action for a few months.  Once he was back on his feet he worked in the props department on the Bles Bridges movie, and soon after, was approached by Dave Pickover and Stephen de Swardt to form a band. They used as their base of operations Stephen’s house on a farm outside Potchefstroom, where they would jam on weekends, and turn the volume up to 11.

“The Muties always had a BIG sound, as Stephen was partially deaf, so in order for him to hear anything we had to play really loud.  Add to this Dave is a big lad, who knew only one way to play drums, and that was to pound the skins with all his might.  Stephen was also in the business of making PA speakers, so we had an inside track to getting the gear we needed to play at top volume. I wanted our music to have a hard, industrial edge, which I felt should reflect the state of the nation at the time. Fashionable music had become soft, and I had this vision of a musical explosion in my head.”

 

Thus the Muties were born, the name taken from a character in 2000 AD, the pooular sci-fi comic that was best known for creating the character of Judge Dredd.  The comic had at its core a humorously apocalyptic vision, and in one of the stories a mutant called Feral (half dog half human), a particularly rebellious mutant youth, had emblazoned on his T-shirt “Skate Muties” as he was a skater.  Andrew adapted the name to take on the meaning of Skyt, as in a low-class South African male of questionable character.  Andrew’s vision of SA was tempered by the vision in the comic, and this influenced the writing and early sound of the Muties.  Andrew was also heavily influenced by the writing and songs of Jonathan Handley of the Radio Rats. In songs like 9mil, which have survived to this day and remain a firm crowd favourite, a gritty sci-fi edge posits the anti-hero in an uber violent, sexist and racist context, a comic-book portrayal of characters that were all too real in South Africa at the time, and naturally who remain so in the new, Democratic dispensation.

 

The Muties literally exploded onto the Joburg scene with a triumphant show at one of the Merv the Swerv events at Jamesons in 1989, that had on its bill the Genuines, the Dyslexics and the Unhinged, as well as many other great bands on the scene at the time.

“For some reason the Genuines decided to play a jazzy set that was laid back, and when we hit the stage, all hell literally broke loose,” remembers Kay.  “It was incredible, chairs flying and a mosh pit that included the whole club, this mass of heaving humanity, sort of all screaming together as the Muties provided the soundtrack to a catharsis that was evidently in great need by the audience at the time.  I’ve never experienced anything quite like it before or since.”

 

Sadly, The Muties disbanded on Andrew’s artistic exile to Britian in the early 90s. “I had to leave as everything was freaking me out, I couldn’t take the hatred and violence anymore, and although our songs were violent, the Muties were definitely a peaceable band.  We incorporated aspects of flower power into our apocalyptic vision, if you can picture such a thing.”

 

One could argue an early and tenuous link to sci-fi films such as District 9 and naturally the phenomenon that is Die Antwoord, who have expanded on the theme to a far greater depth. The Muties never limited themselves to the sci-fi angle, though and on Andrew’s return to the Beloved Country in the mid 90s The Muties reformed briefly.  Andrew had taken up musical studies full time at the Wits School of Music, and had signed to peermusic SA, who fronted the money for a recording that became “unto Thine Own Self Be Cool”, five tracks recorded at Willem Moller’s Sharp Street studios. The writing is upbeat, melodic, catchy and carefree, a world away from the apocalyptic vision that was 9 mil, and also is a testament to the times in as much as the New SA was itself going through a honeymoon period of transformation during which so many positives seemed possible.

 

Gallo records showed interest in signing the band on the strength of the EP, and began negotiating on a deal with the Muties, which for various reasons never materialised, not the least being the band disbanded once more. Just before that happened though,  the Muties recorded a number of tracks at Sharp Street with Willem Moller once again at the helm.  Andrew is in contact with Willem at the present time, and who has so far unearthed a total of seven Muties tracks from the vaults, which will become the backbone of that first Muties album.

 

In the meantime Stephen de Swardt has tragically passed away, but after Dave contacted Andrew in 2012 and posted Unto Thine Own Self Be Cool on Youtube, it was decided to reform the Muties once more, and rope in the services of Charles Grass, with whom Andrew had worked in 2012 under the name AK and the 47s.

 

The Muties’ first gig is happening in Joburg on the 31^st of October, literally 13 days before Andrew’s 50^th birthday.  The band is rehearsing the material off the EP, including 9 mil, and will showcase some more recent material that is more acoustically oriented, but which contains the characteristic bite and melody of the Muties of old.  Thus far the Muties are also booked to be performing a New Year’s Eve bash in Estcourt, organised by Andi Grannersberger, a long-time friend of the Muties, and who recently pulled off a great musical weekend at Zingela Lodge.

 

For more info contact Andrew Kay on 082 456 2726, or email him at andrewkay97@yahoo.com  Google Skyt Muties Unto Thine Own Self Be Cool to listen to those earlier Muties tracks.

 

You can hear tracks from Skyt Muties and a rare Party Dolls track on the NBTMusicRadio all over the 24 hour stream but specially during the 7 PM and 11 PM Berlin time slots

 

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