Cape Town Beat

Cd01 SIBOT

Ranking among the most prolific underground artists of South Africa, that dabbler is musician, DJ, renowned turntablist, arranger, producer and cornerstone of many innovative projects as well: The Real Estate Agent, The Constructus Corporation, FuCK'n'RaD, Chromoscience,... Like a large number of artists of his age (he's 26-year-old), he represents the post-apartheid generation, that is now able to assimilate the many cultures that enrich his country. His musical carreer began by mixing tapes and other vinyls at school house parties, and he draws attention to himself through his strong interest in hip hop, black music that wasn't very popular yet at the end of 48 years of Apartheid. During a concert in Cape Town, he meets Waktin Tudor Jones, with whom he sets up Max Normal. That avant-garde group takes part in the developpement of the alternative electro hip hop scene of South Africa. After a debut eponymous opus released in 2004 through African Dope, Sibot presents his second "solo" album in 2007. The 21 tracks composing "in with the old" attest the teeming universe of this artist. His unique compositions are esaily recognizable, blending simple and heady melodies, with staccato hip hop rhythms ("Glitch Hop"), reminding of other productions of his fellows Prefuse 73 and Chris de Luca in particular, electronica deep (Itch cross over ...) and jazzy melancholy atmospheres (Strhaff Tak, Shoulder Crawl). This saga album results in an unique and homogeneous set that all the electro-addicted hip hop lovers will appreciate at once!

Cd02 FUCK'n'RAD

FUCK'n'RAD is the second album of the 3-cd-box and gathers two unique phenomenons: DJ FUCK aka SIBOT (producer) and MC TOTALLY RAD aka Waddy Jones. For those who keep up with the carrer of the Interlope duo, the latter may not be totally unknown, as that iconoclast artist also appears on the last album but one, of the Parisians, "Electrofied". Well-known in South Africa for the singular tone of his voice as well as for his sharp and offbeat flow, he's also likely to venture into more pop territories, like Gonzales or Mike Skinner. Waddy has his own company too, Fantastic Kill Entertainment, that he describes as a "pop terrorist organization", and with which he directs films, music and all kinds of gadgets! That's why the encounter of those two colourful personnalities gives FUCK'n'RAD a real identity, blending alternately whirling hip hop, offbeat and theatrical, acid pop with unanswerable refrains, and caustic humour. You should also know that that high-powered duo enlists the services of a distinguished guest: SPOEK MATHAMBO, member of SWEAT X, who's just began an European tour. Thus FUCK'n'RAD synthetizes a great part of the huge artisitc creativity of the South African electro scene, and will definitely unite intelligent rap fans and followers of quite nutty abstract electro. Now you know, and in the fall, expect a breaker straight from the Cape of Good Hope!


Cd03 SELECTA JARRING EFFECTS

- Godessa "Social Ills": rare rap group of South Africa, Godessa's lyrics draws up an often sharp overview of South African society, denouncing in particular the problems their community has to face. As far as music is concerned, that real hit could as well have germinated in the head of the Herbaliser!

- Tykoon Suit "Friday Jones": made up of 2 MC's and one producer, TS was influenced as much by the jazz than by the funk. Already behind a first album, they offer a rap where the urban and dark side of instrumentals contrasts with the warm and powerful of the MCs.

- Tone Deaf Junkies "Dr Shade is dead": that electro duo from Cape Town, is able to produce tracks fed with heavy and poisonous groove as well as deep and elegant sounds. "Dr Shade is dead" shows the open-mindedness that reign in South Africa within the electro scene.

- Ben Sharpa "Into The Black / Sharpa Dub": Watch out! Talent! Born in the ghettos of Johanesburg, pioneer of the hip hop underground scene of South Africa. Ben Sharpa is an ultra-respected rapper. Armed with dark and implacable instrumentals, his flow leaves total devastation in its wake. A kind of Kool Keith from southern
Africa.

- Kuti Kult "The 7th Horn": present on the excellent project "Planetary Assault" from the label Pioneer Unit from Cape Town, that gathers the pride of the local underground hip hop scene, Kuti Kult takes over the South African Hip Hop. That warlike and efficient track proves it.

- Crypticism "The man who never came back": led by the brilliant MC and poet Waddy Jones aka MC Totally Rad aka Watkin Tudor Jones, that track is a potential hit. The threatening instrumental perfectly constrasts with enigmatic flow of Waddy, whose lyrics are borrowed either from English or from South African dialects, what
endows that track with an additional touch of madness.

- DJ Dope "Jimmy Kills us": Fletcher aka DJ Dope is, with his mate Roach, one of the founding members of the South African label, African Dope. "Jimmy Kills us", with jazzy overtones, shows once again the open-mindedness of electro artists of this faraway country.

- Felix Laband "Donkey Rattle": One of the rare South African artists, to have signed with an European label, Compost, Felix Laband is already behind three albums. Quite used to delicate electronica atmospheres, mixed with jazzy folk, that dark and
insistent track shows an other side of his repertoire.

- The Constructus Corporation "Recharge": the project Constructus is born in Waddy Jones' boiling brain, associated with the explosive talents of Sibot and Markus Wormstorm. Some times ago, the trio already released "The Ziggurat", an album concept, blending electro and nutty slam and break hip hop, accompanied
by a book with futuristic tales writtens by Waddy.

- Neon Don "Disco Toothbrush": Neon Don is one of the member "Tykoon Suit". Besides we recognize the jazz funk influences of the trio, sprinkled with quite urban
flavor. Delicious!

- The Constructus Corporation "Brothery Love": one more bombe, concocted by Sibot, Markus Wormstorm and Waddy Jones. Nothing to add, except the formidable efficiency of that groovy and cartoony track.

- Trash Talkers: that project gathers Ben Sharpa and Rato. Extract from the recent sampler "Planetary Assault" (Label Pioneer Unit), that track is a digest of what the South African rap scene is able to produce. A sound on the borders of electro, hip hop and ragga. Unstoppable!

- Markus Wormstorm "Jihad on the dancefloor": Member of the Real Estate Agent duo, and of Constructus, Markus Wormstorm is one of the bigger explorer of the South African electro scene. He produces tracks essentialy fed with electronica. Recently, he rejoins the respectable, to say the least, label from New York "Sound Ink". Moreover Wormstorm is the designer and the producer of Sweat X with Spoek Mathambo, Waddy Jones' protégé.

- Sweat X: That duo led by Markus Wormstorm and Spoek Mathambo is probably the most dancefloor oriented project of the sampler. An ultra groovy breakbeat accompanies Spoek's impeccable flow.