My Own Creation

Inspired by the music I decided to write my own song , translated to english .

Voices in my head speak truth about the state , its fate

The state of consciousness or unconsciousness .

Man I dont know , spirits crowding my flow . This vibes slow 

On my face , tracked paths like a map .

See where I've been  , what I've seen .

You don't need eyes to see , you need vision but this position is rigid and stagnant .

On this planet livin' nine lives in one like a cat .

Who are you ? who am i ? But you can fly around between yourself , yourselves rather ,

Nine lives in one like a cat .

Just take a seat ,you're week but on your feet your mind cant sleep , energy flowing , energy surging,

Purging the voice of your soul , You're still stuck in a hole . 

Self doubt , what's it about ? 

Wanna be swimming up the cold river like a trout , eating insects getting hooked now you're out .

Cool your flow , let it grow . Spread wide across the minds of others , your sisters and your brothers still,

Wanna see your growth . You and me both stuck together in this game we call life. 

Livin' nine lives in one like a cat , gettin' fat off the energy of the earth. 

Sucking it up like a tree , roots deep . Feeding the nine .  

a bitter-sweet farewell

After telling me the story of how Kwaicore came about they had to leave . they had another gig back in Durban that night so they had get a move on if they wanted to make it in time .

I walked back to their camp with them and helped them pack all of their things into the back of a bakkie. The bakkie was carrying all of their equipment but they were being driven around in a Mini Bus . This made me think that these guys really were the real deal . Having their own , free means of transport. Like you see in so many homemade style music videos on TV.

I wished that I could go with them and remain in their lives for as long as I could .

It was only a daydream though . I knew that I needed to get home and see my family . I needed to fill them in on all that I had done since we had last seen each other .

I was scared to go home . To return to that lifestyle. Society , Conformity and all that goes along with it .

They bid me farewell , we shook hands and I told them how much fun I had with them. Cecil told me that I should never loose the love for music and I understood that he meant to say that we should never loose what makes us most happy. They jumped into the bus and I waved as the drove off .

I didn’t know when I would see them again but I knew that when and if I did , it would be as if no time had passed .

I then returned to my camp for a nap .

Pride

It was confirmed . I was spectating the beginnings of the next big thing in South African music . A genre that would resonate the rebellion of the sex pistols while at the same time possess the deep cultural roots of South African Kwaito.

It didn’t matter to me if it would never catch on and spread around the globe. I felt a sense of pride . I was proud of my country . It was here in South Africa that this had happened and I was lucky enough to be a part of  it .

Cecil and Jo were starting something big . They were the first . Since our meeting at that festival many other musicians had began to replicate Kwaicore . it was not the same though. Every time a different artists produced a song it changed slightly. Bits of that artists style were added. Some say that this ruined it . I feel that this is what makes music beautiful. It can grow and evolve .

I felt like this experience had been stained with a rainbow of new memories and experiences . this is what I was in search of . Musical peace , nostalgia and feel good memories that I would carry with me for the rest of my life.

Writing The Music

Jo coughed and took another pull on his joint . He let the smoke out and started to speak again. “I was driving listening to my mix on the radio when I heard Cecil playing along in the back. At first I thought what the hell is this guy doing?. He must be a nut case . Then as I was about to pull over and kick him out I realize that the sounds he was making fitted perfectly with my own . It was revolutionary man . I pulled over and we began talking . I found out all about his Liverpool days and the drugs and rehab. I told him about my own political past , freedom fighting and all that. We both realized that we had both been through a lot in our lives and that the music had saved us both”

Cecil carried on from where Jo left off . “ We forgot all about what we had to do that night and went straight back to Jo’s house. We stayed up all night talking and telling each other our stories . When the sun came up we both went to sleep . It was amazing to find someone who valued music as much as I did.”

“The next night when we both woke up we immediately started writing songs and trying to put an album together . We were going to be the first to introduce this genre to the south African music scene . It was like an eruption of creativity man . It had never been so easy to create music. It seemed as though the lyrics were writing themselves. We decided to call it Kwaicore , a combination of hardcore punk and Kwaito”.

I just sat there and listened , captured by the passion shown in their eyes . It was inspiring to see such a deep connection between to people . A connection fueled by musical peace . It made me feel like I was apart of something even though I had nothing to do with it. I was just there yet it felt like I was also at the forefront of something huge.

The Car Ride

I went to buy some smokes while Jo and Cecil packed up their equipment. I still couldn’t wrap my head around how successful the collaboration had been. I kept replaying the show in my head over and over.

I bought my cigarettes and headed over to the meeting place .

I walked over to the tent where I found the two of then sitting with their instruments . They had perched themselves on a cluster of rocks ,winding down from the gig.

I was excited to know all about this new genre of music and how they had discovered it . It was obvious that my new friends were as excited to tell me about it . Maybe it was the expression  on my face or that they were extremely proud of themselves either way , I was going to find out.

I sat down next to them and asked “So tell me about this, what just happened?”

Jo laughed and began to explain . “Well I was driving through Cape town , on my way to see my parents when my car broke down. It was in the middle of nowhere and I was all alone with no one to help me. Then I saw this guy coming up the road . he looked like he was in worse shape than me . Filthy clothes . His shoes were falling apart and it looked like he hadn’t eaten in a few days .”

Cecil laughed and interrupted “ Most of that is true , I was in bad shape although at least I knew my way around cars. I helped this guy fix his car and In return he said he would give me a lift to the nearest town. Once the car was sorted we hopped in and off we went . I had to sit in the back because the front seat had already been taken . Jo’s cat , Stanger goes everywhere with him. While I was sitting in the back I noticed this incredible sound coming from the radio. It was Kwaito music . I listened for awhile and then pulled out my guitar and tried to play a few cords. “

My Kwaicore Experience

Jo and Cecil went backstage and I picked a spot on the floor in front of the stage and try to nurse my hangover with a bottle of water and vodka mix .

They say that the best way to cure a hangover is to just keep drinking . I guessed that at least I could just get drunk and forget about the headache.

I sat and waited for the show to start . Slowly the tent started to fill up and I was forced to move closer to the stage and then stand and watch . the amount of people in the tent was surprising and I felt a bit foolish that I hadn’t heard of Jo and Cecil before. Cleary they really were quite a big deal judging by the turn out .

The tent was humming with anticipation . I could feel the excitement around me building . The music started and the crowd went ballistic .

I looked up and saw Jo walk on stage and stand in front of what looked like a  turn table . “ Good morning all you beautiful people . Are you ready to rock!?” he screamed through the microphone . Once again the crown went crazy and then Cecil stepped out holding a guitar with , that’s right you guessed it . An anarchy sign painted in white across the front . He had his hand in a fist raised above his head and his tongue sticking out and folding down across his bottom lip .

I knew that Cecil had been into punk rock but if I was right in thinking that what I was about to see was a collaboration then I had no idea what was coming . Jo had performed with Mandoza the night before and that was Kwaito music . I was racking my brain trying to figure out what was going on. Then it started.

Jo hit a switch on the turn table and a rough , edgy beat began to play . It went on for about a minute and then he began to rap in Zulu . it sounded like a regular Kwaito tune and then Cecil began to play this fast paced riff , grunge punk style.

I was blown away at the sound these two had made . The most unlikely of musical partners each playing such different styles simultaneously and it worked . It didn’t just work , it blew my mind . I was in awe .

When the show finished I stayed in the place as the tent slowly drained of people. I saw Cecil looking at me from the stage and I knew that he knew what I was thinking .

“We’ve got abit to talk about mate” he shouted to me .