Adidas Three Stories

For those of you who haven’t yet hit up Adidas’ World Cup pop-up initiative - Three Stories, in Woodstock Industrial Centre – get it while it’s hot!

At sixteen we all dreamed of a place like this. A home where artists, sculptors, photographers and general trendsters hang out, with local art exhibited on the walls, skate ramp downstairs, big screen upstairs, free-flowing freshly-popped popcorn, killer margaritas, homemade food, and live acts rocking out just for the kick of it. 

And best of all there’s no hustling and hitching to get there. Arrive alive with the free shuttle service running through town to Three Stories.

This week’s Three Stories schedule:

Daily: A-Store and Adidas pop up store is open 15h00 – 23h00.

Skate area’s open  17h00 – 20h00 weekdays and 15h00 – 20h00 weekends.

8th / 9th July: Open Mic entertainment. Roster’s open for bands/acts still keen to sign up.

8th July: Three Skates’ -#2 skate battle. Sins of Style if offering a free tattoo to the highest ollie…

9th July: We-are-awesome’s “Flat-warming“. Plastic motorcycle races, foosball, pool and live locals like Haasbroek, Tommy Gun and Radio Elite. 

10th July: Word-of-Art hosts The Bin’s exhibition in the downstairs art space, with wicked wicki-wickis from DJ Kennedy and DJ Poltergeist.

20h30 screening of the 3rd and 4th place Fifa FINAL!!!

11th July:  Mix n Blend doing what they do at 18h30, and the match screening at 20.30 followed by DJ PHFAT upstairs.

And that, my friends, is how one’s “milkshake brings all the boys to the yard”. Nice one Adidas.

Deep Purple in Cape Town

For those of you who tingle, when someone hums Smoke On The Water, Christmas comes early this year. The Guinness’ Book of World Records‘ loudest band, English hard-rockers, Deep Purple, are coming to Cape Town. 

For those lesser-informed in the ways of these heavy metal pioneers, Deep Purple are listed 22nd on VH1’s list of Greatest Hard Rock artists, and it’s time to get an education. On June 1st, Deep Purple will be headlining the Masters of Rock concert at the GrandWest Arena. Other acts include Uriah Heep and Wishbone Ash, and
tickets can be bought through Computicket, in the reasonable range of R297 – R476p/p.

Time to get old school rock ‘n roll!

And for those venturing out like the good groupies, rock ‘n roll-over at 17 on Loader - Cape Town’s bed and breakfast, set in the bustling beauty of De Waterkant.

DJ Rene the Frenchman

While us over at 17onLoader (De Waterkant’s premium bed and breakfast) often review back alleys and bustling venues, we don’t usually take a look at the lingerers in the limelight. But recently we found ourselves beers-ing with the Frenchman that keeps HQ frantic on Fridays…

DJ Rene (the Frenchman – as he is referred to) is the towering, infectiously jovial energy of a man pleased with the way his life’s turned out. His bombastically beautiful grey hair bounces as he animatedly gesticulates with a wide, trusty smile. Despite having lived in South Africa for seventeen years, Rene still has the two unmistakable traits of a Frenchman – the accent, and the kind of effortless charm that could hypnotize a girl right into a dark corner without even trying.

DJ-Rene-at-HQ

DJ Rene is the regular at HQ on Fridays, but has an unofficial appreciation society that has him booked all over the country, at least six months in advance, to play, what he calls, “world music“. The genre is as alternating as the atmosphere’s dynamic – DJ Rene shakes up cuban salsa, trance, electro, some hip hop and Brazilian jazz and serves it dirty dirty to the. already-coupling-up, cocktail bar crowd.

From about 9PM on in, in the low-lit golden glow of HQ, the live DJ act comes to include a variety of live performers – sometimes saxophonists, big band brass, or percussion – who never rehearse together, but rock up, read the room, and follow the French pied piper.

Describing the evening ahead of us, DJ Rene got this glint in his eye (not completely unlike that recognized in dictators of small countries) “and we build, we build, we build… and it’s like a wave you know… and zen we are holding zem in our ‘andz like zat!“.

And with a harmlessly power-dizzied gaze he concludes, “at ze peak we are like, Ba!BA!” And overcome by the scene he’s imagining, begins to beat out percussion on the table, mimicking the musical climax of an HQ Friday – when, he claims, he could play anything from Irish ditties to the can-can, and can-can still have the crowd throw down like the circle’s getting bigger.

Die Antwoord

With no pretenses about the conviction of their message, self-named group, Die Antwoord, is an Afrikaans translation of “the answer”. As of February, this fresh South African act has been “taking over the interweb”. Their Enter The Ninja music video went web and kicked up more bandwith fuss than anything our sweet sovereign SA has seen before – making Die Antwoord a viral phenomenon so seductive that it temporarily disabled South African host Hetzner, before being taken on by the big boys at Google. 

Yolandi Vi$$er and Ninja

With fan followings based on twitter, myspace or facebook, and Youtube as their broadcast medium, Die Antwoord has harnessed all the heat of online campaigning to become one of South Africa’s most distinct popular culture icons. If Yolandi’s haunting voice chanting “I, I, I, I’m your butterfly” sounds familiar at all, then you’re probably aware of this mass musical movement being called “Zef-rap”. They’ve become so big that another South African superpower, director of District9, Neill Blomkamp, has agreed to direct their next music video.

Die Antwoord’s three stage personas include Ninja, classically trained Yolandi Vi$$er and DJ Hi-Tek. While Ninja and Yolandi are a husband and wife team, Yolandi is fairly new to the scene, while Ninja (AKA Watkin Tudor Jones) is infamous around these parts. 

A snapshot from the Enter The Ninja music video

Watkin first tasted fame as part of Max Normal and later Max Normal.tv and The Constructus Corporation. He’s known for constructing entire stage personas around his current musical projects, and this time around he’s gone with what’s being described as “prison-hardened, foul-mouthed white trash”.  

Die Antwoord’s become epic and, while they may they may rub the conservative up the wrong way (ie. like a tractor in the bedroom), it’s ostrich-living not to know them. Having just toured Los Angeles to gain some world-wise-eyes and business savvy, their welcome home gig happens at Stellenbosch’s humble Klein Libertas Teater, this 30th of April. Be there to witness the controversy that slammed South African bandwith, and seduced online-lovers worldwide.

Jack Parow

Referred to as “Bob Dylan of the northern suburbs”, “pirate of the caravan park” and “an Afrikaans Eminem“, Zander Tyler is more popularly known for his on-stage persona as Jack Parow – one of South Africa’s most prominent popular culture icons.

As “Cooler as Ekke” has monopolized African airwaves, Afrikaans, Mothercity-made Jack Parow, has become one of South Africa’s local loves.

At the early end of the decade, musical movements that tore Afrikaans music apart from religious zeal, resulted in the Belville Rock city phenomena – and so spawned bands the likes of Fokofpolisiekar, aKing, and Van Coke Kartel. So while Afrikaans music was once ripe with religious evangelism, the noughties saw it slowly became synonymous with grunge garage-sale outfits and angsty rock ‘n roll. 

Lucky for us though, the the latest revolution is Afrikaans music seems to be an all-fun Afrikaans rap movement. Die Antwoord and Jack Parow are core examples of Afrikaans music moving away from rock tracks, toward electro back beats and theatrical rap personas.

Die Vraagstuk: Die Heuwels Fantasties feat. Jack Parow

Zander Tyler first fell under spotlight for the song, Die Vraagstuk, which he produced for another Afrikaans-admiration, Die Heuwels Fantasties. Since then Jack Parow’s sharp tongue has earned him critical acclaim: Think Afrikaans social criticism – gratefully disguised in shock-worthy colloquialisms and boundary-pushing humour. Feeding the Afrikaans youth’s need for upbeat and bass, Jack Parow’s jerk-quirky lyrics and crazy costuming set him apart from South African acts.

Cooler as Ekke by Jack Parow

Their latest success – the Cooler as Ekke music video – conveys Jack Parow’s crazy contagious stage presence.  Be sure to catch them in Cape Town live!

P.H.Fat and Playdoe LIVE!!!

The discotheque series, presented at Assembly, has done nothing to disappoint. Tonight they bring us two of South Africa’s most deliciously high-rising, local acts - Playdoe and P.H.Fat.

Both dreamteams have exploded onto the South African music scene by pioneering their amalgam genres. Playdoe’s name says it – a malleable genre, a fluid sound and a playful live act that is almost evangelical about, “it’s that beat”. Playdoe consists of Sibot – the genius that brought you Max Normal, Constructus, Closet Snare, Knights of the Round and Real Estate Agents – while Spoek supplies the god-step and the man purse. They’ve toured Europe and played with the calibre of Anti Pop Consortium, DJ Krush, DJ Food, Afrikan Boy, Dan La Sac vs Scroobius Pip, M.Sayyid (solo), Buzzcocks, Cadence Weapon, Dizzee Rascal… in nutshell, they can hold their nuggets amongst the good-beat-gods.

P.H.Fat , and their motto, “dance so hard you blood turns to mayonnaise”, bring social satire and a darkness to their mish-mash of experimental rap/electro. Masters of localized lyrical masterstrokes, “Eskom’s coming! Turn out the lights”, is one of their most celebrated song lines. In addition their superstar-less, diva-free nature and sardonic self-deprecating humour, make them a crazy enjoyable live act.

To see is to believe. These guys are going places, and they reaffirm the faith in South Africa, that seasons of Idols have repeatedly robbed us of.

Other acts include the consortium of Richard III, Liver, Lapse and Mastercash.

DOORS OPEN AT 9PM and entrane is R30 Before 9:30 and R50 After.

Do yourself a favour. Hope to see you there.

Origin

In the heart of the Riebeek Valley, this weekend, comes Origin trance fest. The setting: river, rolling lawns, dance and trippy decor. Strictly an over 18 festival, reviews I’ve heard of previous Origins have involved words, “unadulterated (or maybe not) mayhem” and “way way sick”. While not particularly articulate, I think these drive home the message: ineffable awesomenessity. (I know it’s not a word, but let’s go with it). Festival activities will include swimming, swaying, camping, drinking, dancing, perusing craft and pausing for nourishment at the food market.

While trance isn’t my particular field of expertise, I know enough to know that this one gets rave (literally) reviews. Be sure to check it out this weekend. At only R190 (pre-sale) for the entire weekend, tickets make for a more-than-affordable end of month treat.

Oude Libertas Outdoor Concerts

In full swing of the summer season everyone is embracing the AL fresco (and lustfully absorbing the memory for the months of winter that will come before we know it). Every year, Oude Libertas brings an array of artists to soothe those lazing in the sun.

Situated on the slopes, Oude Libertas‘ amphitheatre captures a postcard view of the Stellenbosch mountain range. This year, Oude Libertas again presents a “picnics welcome” line-up of diverse South African acts, including Ladysmith Black Mambazo and The Black Tie ensemble. If you want to sink into the warmth of the Cape mountains, this is the way: wicker baskets, wine and “whine”

Got Ink?

This weekend brings a repeat performance of the infamous SIX – Southern Ink Exposure - returning to the Motherland.

Big name body artists Paul Booth, Bob Tyrrell and Hailin Fu will be making guest appearances. Not to mention living ink legends Manuela Grey, Simon White, and more. Click Tyler Murphyhere for the full line-up.

SIX promises a season of collaborative artgasms, with exhibitions. live performances and a series of the sickest parties:

• Friday Jan. 22 – Lady Luck Party @ MercuryLive
• Featuring: The Ragdolls + Jack Parow + Throatball + DJs
• Saturday Jan. 23 – Man’s Ruin Party @ the Assembly
• Featuring: Damn Right + The Mochines + Them Tornados + Rudimentals + DJs

Party tickets are purchased at R60 and entrance is free to those possession of SIX VIP’s.  Tickets come in at R120/R150 per person for a day pass and R250 VIP. All can be purchased at Wildfire Tattoos (Canal Walk), Wildfire Tattoos (Long Street), Metal Machine (Shortmarket Street) and Sins of Style (Bree Street).

So those of you with a lust for designer skin, get down to SIX this weekend.

Assembly’s Birthday Bash

This Friday Night, Cape Town’s premiere liv gig venue turns TWO!  Piggy-backing the birthday bustle is the controversy-cultivating, underground culture publication, Vice Magazine who will be swinging it up in the Annex. 

Doors open at 9pM and in celebration of this prime, live-act location, The Assembly has once again made a point of hustling an amazing line-up. Acts include Grave Danger, Richard the Third, Popskarr, Them Tornados, Lapse and the audible chocolate that is Kidofdoom, at midnight. 

The first 100 people to email names to info@theassembly.co.za get in free:) But the cover charge is just R30 in any case.

Be sure to swing by, it ought to be epic!