Ribatone's Birthday Party

Hey guys,

Let's celebrate the coming of age of this young, talented individual who is part of the successful Kwani Experience as well as the one half of Sai & Ribatone. His birthday party will take place this Friday, 25th May 2012 at DiSofeng in Dobsonville, Soweto.

Soulful Kollective Radio Show #67

Hi Soulful Peeps,

First and foremost, our condolances go out to the Mpamile family over the sudden passing of their beloved son, who was loved by the nation. It came as a huge shock when we learnt of the sudden passing of kwaito star Simphiwe Mpamile, known to everybody as Brown Dash. Yes, eventhough he did look kinda frail during the SAMA's, we still expected some kind of recovery from him. This has to be one of the biggest losses in the kwaito music scene. This guy was a true embassador of kwaito music. Our condolances go out to his entire family, friends and fans. A big shoutout to the entire media industry for paying tribute to this talented young man in a special way as well. On that sad note guys, show #67 is upon us. Brian Blaq is in the mix. Enjoy this next hour of some deep soulful sounds brought to you by this man.

Don't forget to remember as well that this coming Saturday sees another Soulful Kollective Night at Rockerfella. This time around we feature the super talented DJ Claude and the Soulbeatz. Another memorable night coming through guys. Make sure not to miss out on this one as well. With that said, this is where you can catch the Soulful Kollective over the next two weeks:

Tracklist:
1.    Alton Miller – Conversation
2.    Dom Navarra feat. Kat Kyrris – If You Knew (Reelsoul Vocal Mix)
3.    Chymamusique – I’ll Be There (Club Mix)
4.    Chymamusique – Lost In Words (Main Mix)
5.    DJ Ra-Soul & Don Crisp – Mulberry Street (Mandela Mix)
6.    Deep Xcape feat. ThandiDraai – Don’t Say No (Deep Xcape Club Mix)
7.    DJ Spen Presents  The Jersey Maestros – He’s So Real(Muthafunkaz  Instrumental Mix)
8.    Risk Sound System – The Sound Is Yours (Kerri Chandler Remix)
9.    Ocean Deep feat. MJ White – One Love (MzalaWaArika Remix)
10.    DJ Le Roi feat. Chappell – Get Ready (Halo Dub Instrumental Mix)
Download from here: http://www.mediafire.com/?rh9lys3jvh26gw6
Stream from here: http://soulfulkollective.podomatic.com/entry/2012-05-16T06_10_34-07_00

Brian Blaq:

18 May 2012 - Live on VUT FM 96.9FM between 18:00-21:00pm
19 May 2012 - Soulful Kollective Night @ Rockerfella in Molapo
26 May 2012 - Black Joint in Parys

DJ Jiyane:

19 May 2012 - Soulful Kollective Night @ Rockerfella in Molapo

Sai:

19 May 2012 - DJ Shimza's Birthday Party @ Shoosh in Midrand
19 May 2012 - Soulful Kollective Night @ Rockerfella in Molapo

With that said, please do enjoy the show guys.

Yours in music,
Soulful Kollective

SAFE MUSIC

I have been a dj for some time now. I’ve seen many dj’s come into the scene, work hard and become household names. I am friends with some of those dj’s. I’ve also seen dj’s come into the scene with a certain expectation. When that expectation was not met, I’ve had to witness these dj’s fizzle into thin air. I’m also friends with some of those dj’s. Often, those that fizzled into thin air sit with me and ask me where I think they went wrong. My answer is always the same with them. These dj’s chose to “conform”. They chose to be “safe”. They never allowed any room for experimentation in their sets. They always wanted to be like the next popular dj. Some have agreed, and unfortunately some of them have defended their actions.

The dj industry has gone through a hectic revolution over the past 10 years. The need for relevance has always been number one priority. DJ’s need to stay relevant if they are to survive this harsh industry. Part of this relevance implies creativity (a lot of it), and a willingness to be “different”. The consumer (being the party-goer or “fans”) wants something different all the time. We have gone past the stage of being raggedy individuals who just stand in the corner and play music. DJ’s have become the main focus and decision makers in the music and entertainment industry. All the dj’s that have become “superstars” have done so by allowing themselves to be different to the next dj. They chose not to be “popular” and did what they felt was not being done by any other dj out there. Let’s think about this for a moment. Think of any dj that’s making headlines right now. I recently heard a survey on the “top 5 most influential celebrities in South Africa”. 3 out of the 5 of those people were dj’s. That speaks volumes. The dj’s are Blackcoffee, DJ Fresh and DJ S’bu. Now, think of these dj’s for a second and tell me if they are the same. Go to their parties, listen to their sets and tell me if they are the same. Yes, you will spot some similarities here and there, but overall, they are completely different. I think you may be starting to get the picture here. Someone commented on the last Soulful Kollective Radio Show (where we had a guest mix). Because this individual was and still is used to a certain genre of house, he chose to criticize what he felt wasn’t his “cup of tea” from our guest dj. It puzzles me as to why people never embrace that which is different to what they know. Just because you don’t like it, does not make it wrong. If all of us chose to play the same kind of music, this industry would be dead by now. We need dj’s that are never afraid to be different. Our job is to teach people about music. DJ’s become worried and scared when people don’t dance at a party. A wise dj once told me that when you play and people are not dancing, always take that as a good sign. It means that people are really listening. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not here saying that dj’s shouldn’t be entertaining. Our job is to entertain however, entertaining also means that you need to have people interact with you. DJ’s need to shy away from being intimidated by the crowd. There is a reason why you got the booking. Someone out there saw something that they like. Now just because a few individuals out there say something negative, you then choose to be another DJ Fresh? DJ Fresh is a brand today because he chose to play that which was once considered to be “boring”. He was consistent. He believed in what he was playing and eventually people warmed up to him.

When you wake up and decide to be a dj, you need to understand the hardship and the dynamics that come with this industry. I remember back in the day when I used to work at Soulcandi, very often I’d have young guys coming to the shop to buy a song that they heard from a famous dj. My question to them would be the same, “do you think people will call you DJ Fistaz now that you’re playing the same song as the one he played?” DJ Fistaz bought that record because he felt he like it. How about you do the same? Why can’t you buy something that YOU like, play it and see how the crowd responds to it. If it sounds hot to you, chances are, the person listening to it will like it as well. Have some “balls”. Time and time again I get mixes from dj’s and they play the same songs because they want to “fit in”. Stop trying to “fit in”. Stop trying to be safe. We need variety out there guys. Most of you sound the same and we are not growing this industry. Yes, people take forever to rub into something different but eventually they do. If you were ever fortunate to have visited a famous spot in Soweto known as “The Rock”, you will remember the name DJ Motsumi. This dj was the resident dj of this famous spot. Initially Motsumi was considered by many as being “boring” because of the style of house music that he chose to play. The owner of the venue believed in Motsumi and his choice of music. He never compromised. He stuck to what he thought was good…which not many dj’s were doing. He was persistent. Eventually, people started appreciating him and The Rock became one of the most popular spots in Soweto…because that is where one would “hear the freshest beats”. Motsumi became a household name and even got an offer to release a compilation known as “The Rock”. I can name a few other dj’s that chose to be different, chose to stick to their guns and give people that which is different. These dj’s became household names in the long run. Names like DJ Mbuso, Blackcoffee, DJ Tira all chose to be different from the get-go. Look at where they are today.

Guys I can go on and on about this topic. Truth be told, you can’t always be the one dishing out the latest tracks at every gig. Know who you are and what you plan is. Stop trying to be like the next popular guy. Play what you love. Euphonik and 2lani The Warrior are two different dj’s. They both play house music but they have become such big names because they are that different. They chose not to “blend in”. DJ’s let us please refrain from playing “SAFE MUSIC”.

Soulful Kollective Radio Show #66

Hi Soulful Peeps,

It's really safe to say that holiday season is over now. It's back to work for a lot of people. The past 3 weeks have really made a lot of people lazy and a lot of projects were place on hold because of all these holidays. We're not complaining though. It was good to take a breather. Unfortunately, the next public holiday will fall on a Saturday so there won't be any long weekends until September... Yes, the next long weekend will be in Spring. We are going to go through the entire winter with no long weekends. Sad but true. The Soulful Kollective would like to congratulate all the SAMA winners, but more especially, a HUGE congratulations to Mi Casa, who walked away with 3 awards on Monday (30 April 2012) night. This just went to show that hard work does indeed pay off. These boys have had a long journey and finally, they got what they deserved. They walked away with "Best Dance Album", best "Duo Or Group Of The Year" and "MTN SAMA Record Of The Year". That's huge. Congratulations to the boys.

Show #66 is upon us ladies and gents. We have a 2 hours special this time. We haven't had a guest mix in a while. The first hour has been mixed by Sai. Sit back relax, and enjoy this next hour of some funky nu-jazz. As the man puts it, he's "taking it back to where it all started". You're gonna be blown away. The second hour is brought to you by the one half of the succesful Liquideep. Ryzor is in the mix ladies and gents. Liquideep is currently working on their third offering and also have upcoming gigs in Paris, Portugal, London, Malaysia, Brazil and a lot of the African countries. MentalWave, the indie label which Liquideep owns will be releasing Soletek's album in July. This man also has produced the latest Liquideep song called "Brand New Day". Liquideep would like to thank all of you guys for the support and love that you have continually showed to them over the years. This is where you can catch the Soulful Kollective over the next two weeks:

First Hour:
TrackList
1. Jazzanova vs Har You Percussion Group - Welcome to the party
2. Teddy Rok Seven - Askaa !
3. Butti 49 - Alan Accelerates
4. Modaji - Outboard Jeopardy ( club mix)
5. Beanfield - Corso
6. Nicole Conte - Arabesque
7. Grump Batuque - Keyzer ( Masters at Work mix )
8. The Mighty BOP feat Duncan Roy - Summer Session
9. Bob Sinclair - He Ghetto ( Atjazz Remix )
10.Deyampert & Clover - Held him first
Stream from here: http://soulfulkollective.podomatic.com/entry/2012-05-02T07_45_46-07_00
Download Link: http://www.mediafire.com/?xe2v0qvprmukxeo

Second Hour:
TrackListing
1.    J. Axel Feat. Astrid Suryanto – Roam
2.    Mario & Vidis - Manaan (Original Mix)
3.    Jullian Gomes feat. Bobby - Love Song 28 EP (Original Mix)
4.    Liquideep – Alone (Rocco Remix)
5.    Soletek – Lovesick*
6.    Liquideep – Feel It (Andre Lodemann Remix)
7.    Crazy White Boy – Luma (Original Mix)
8.    Terranova feat. Everybody - Hotel Amour
9.    Stimming - The Song (Original Mix)
10.   Marissa Guzmann – Magic Door (Liquideep Epic Mix)
11.   Soletek – Crazy Love**
*Original Track by _ The Arrows
** Original Track by _ Infinite Boys ft Thando
Download Link: http://www.mediafire.com/?n8a7cnh2hayzfb4

Sai:

04 May 2012 - Soulistic Music Nights @ Hatfield Square in Pretoria
05 May 2012 - Motheo FET College Fresher's Ball @ Old Grey's Archery Club in Bloemfontein
12 May 2012 - Sai & Ribatone "Here & Now" CD Launch @ De La Sol in Durban

Brian Blaq:

19 May 2012 - A Soulful Kollective Night @ Rockerfella in Molapo

DJ Jiyane:

12 May 2012 - Uncle's Groove @ Rockerfella in Molapo
19 May 2012 - A Soulful Kollective Night @ Rockerfella in Molapo

With that said, please enjoy the show guys.

Yours in music,

Soulful Kollective

Old School Kwaito Mix

What's good people,

Thank you for all the positive feedback I keep getting from you guys. I do all of this out of sheer love. I love music in general. I've been feeling mighty generous lately. Here's another mix I did not so long ago paying tribute to a genre of music that is purely South African. This is the one genre we all need to be proud of. Just like the Americans are proud of hip hop, so should we with this genre. If names like Mdu, Trompies and Brickz sound like music to your ears, then you're going to love this mix...
No more talk, here's the mix ladies and gents...

http://brianblaq.podomatic.com/entry/2012-04-20T04_19_21-07_00