Africa’s Boyfriend Ckay Releases Latest Track ‘nwayi’

Jun 23, 2023 | New Release, Music

Emo-Afrobeats singer-songwriter and Africa’s Boyfriend, CKay stays true to his sound as he romances listeners with his new song, ‘ Nwayi.’ The single revisits themes of desire and infatuation, a fundamental element in his music that fans have long adored. This love song is CKay’s second release of the year, announcing his upcoming Sad Romance Deluxe album slated for release in June and now available for Pre-save.

Last year September saw the release of CKay’s debut album, Sad Romance, making 2022 a significant year for him as the album garnered over 380 million streams since release and continues to grow. Earlier this year, CKay released an upbeat Sad Romance Remix Pack followed by his first new offering of the year, HALLELUJAH, featuring fellow Nigerian superstar Blaqbonez. ‘Nwayi’ is CKay’s second offering from the Sad Romance Deluxe album that takes his fans on a journey of love. Produced by CKay and BMH, ‘Nwayi’ is within the superstar’s emo-Afrobeats realm as he professes his undying love and how he cannot live without his partner.

The official music video for ‘Nwayi’ was shot in Lagos, Nigeria, and directed by Ahmed Mosh. The visuals for ‘Nwayi’ tell an alluring Shakespearean story featuring CKay and his love interest. As with CKay’s poetic lyrics, CKay tells a story of love with romantic scenes in a carriage on the beach but ends with a twist.

As CKay prepares to release his Sad Romance Deluxe album, fans across the globe will have an opportunity to watch him perform at Weekend Festival in Finland, the HIPHOP OPEN festival in Stuttgart, Lollapalooza in Paris, HIPHOP OPEN festival in Stuttgart and a performance in his home country, Nigeria.

ABOUT CKAY

Chukwuka Ekweani, known publicly as CKay, is the rising star in the ever-burgeoning Afrobeats scene. A multi-talented artist, whether behind the boards as a producer or in front of the mic performing his self-penned songs, it is CKay’s single-minded vision that shines through. The self-defined Emo-Afrobeat star has and continues to soar up charts across the globe thanks to his first globally recognized single ‘love nwantiti’.

The Nigerian singer, songwriter, and producer originally released ‘love Nwantiti (ah ah ah)’ back in 2019 as part of his debut EP, CKay The First. In 2021, CKay became the most streamed artist of the year and became the first African artist with two tracks on the Global Spotify Top 30 simultaneously. ‘love nwantiti’ has been certified platinum/multi-platinum in five countries, including the United States, India and Italy. The viral hit has also been certified gold in the UK, Australia, South Africa and New Zealand. CKay became the first African artist in 50 years to hold a top 5 position on the UK Singles Chart for 4 straight weeks with ‘love nwantiti’.

CKay has continued to create a global presence with accomplishments such as the “most Shazam-ed song in the world”. ‘Emiliana’, followed suit and racked in global chart positions and currently has just over 400 million streams worldwide. ‘Emiliana’ peaked at #1 on the UK Afrobeats Chart, #2 on Shazam Top 200 (Afrobeats), and #1 in six countries on Apple Music.

CKay’s debut album Sad Romance was released last year and has since had over 380 million streams worldwide. With over 3.5 billion streams to his name and new music slated for 2023, CKay is in a prime position to continue his upward trajectory as a globally recognized singer-songwriter and producer.

 

Stream ‘Nwayi’ HERE
Watch the music video HERE 

Follow CKay:
Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | TikTok | YouTube | Spotify | Apple Music | Shazam

Press release courtesy of Warner Music Africa

Turbojazz & Sean McCabe are back with their remix of ‘Techtube’ by Technoir

Jun 23, 2023 | New Release, Music

Foliage favourites Turbojazz & Sean McCabe are back for another slice of deep & jazzy house with the remix of Techtube by Technoir.

Technoir

Sean McCabe

Turbojazz

Tommy ‘Turbojazz’ Garofalo & Sean McCabe have been collaborating together since 2020 and the project just continues to grow from strength to strength. 

Technoir, comprised of Alexandros Finizio and Jennifer Villa, is an Alternative R&B/Electronic band based in Milan with Italian, Nigerian and Greek origins. 

Technoir mixes Soul, Electronica, Jazz and touches of Psychedelic-Rock in a very personal blend and have drawn the interest of national and international magazines like Afropunk and Billboard. Rolling Stone named them as one of the most innovative Italian Progressive R&B bands.

Stream ‘Techtube’ (Turbojazz & Sean McCabe Remixes) HERE

Singer-Songwriter Kyra releases EP ‘as things grow’ as an ode to womanhood

Jun 23, 2023 | New Release, Music

West-London based singer-songwriter Kyra releases EP ‘as things grow’ via Other Projects. The latest offering includes singles ‘after the love’, ‘blossom spring’, ‘excellent’ and now follows with new focus track ‘grown’. 

Quickly establishing herself as a key player in the UK music scene, Kyra’s unorthodox and gripping releases have caught the attention of BBC Radio 1’s Nick Grimshaw, featuring in his ‘track of the week’ series, Jamz Supernova’s BBC1Xtra Top 5 EPs, Jess Izsatt (BBC Introducing), garnering her features in the likes of Notion, Hunger Magazine, Noctis, tmrw, Clash and more recently a playlisting on JazzFM. 

Her debut project ‘Xanadu’ received high praise, propelling Kyra a headline UK tour with rave reviews, leading her to be handpicked to headline BBC Music Introducing ‘futuretense series’ at Southbank Centre. It was followed by a sold-out immersive experience, complete with a live band and visual rooms. 2022 saw Kyra’s live presence evolve even further with a number of intimate performances, a festival appearance with Blue Lab Beats at Wilderness and the launch of her own ‘Kyra & Friends’ live showcase in collaboration with Soho Friends. 

Described by Kyra as “somewhat of a diary entry,” ‘as things grow’ is a cohesive body of work exploring Kyra’s growth as a young woman, mother and partner. The project delivers an exploration of self, whilst also delving into the relationships between the differing dynamics of identity as a whole. An exquisite offering exuding a nostalgic feel with delicate blends of soul and jazz.  

Once again working with long-term collaborator Gibbi Bettini aka The Garden, Kyra chose to change the sound frequency of the EP to 432hz. “The numerology is spiritually significant,” details Kyra. “It’s said to be the heartbeat of the earth as it is a frequency of healing. One that encourages positive energy and even has the power to make plants grow.” An array of songwriters lent their skills to the making of this beautiful body of work including Mary Sho, The Halfway Kid and Ashaine White, whilst the likes of Kenji Fenton (Paul McCartney, Stormzy) and Ciara Ismail of Bolt Strings (Debbie, Potter Payper) delivered their touch of brass and string instrumentation. 

With support from the PRS Women Make Music Foundation, Kyra’s process in creating this project was to collaborate with as many women identifying producers and musicians. “I really wanted an organic and community feel when writing,” shares Kyra. “We recorded in the room with a handheld microphone so it felt supernatural. There’s laughing and talking in the background, which I’m super happy we captured and included within the project. There are string arrangements composed by an all female orchestra and most of the co-writers were women also. I’m really proud of what I have created and the sessions were a really special time.”

Speaking on the project as a whole, Kyra shares her intentions: 

“I wanted this project to feel like a snippet of my journal. I’ve been honest about the challenges of motherhood, relationships and I know many others will also relate. Most of all I want people to feel that it’s ok to change and grow beyond past versions of themselves. Even the music itself grows throughout this body of work and I hope those that listen find their path to their own growth by listening.” 

One of the most exciting exports of the UK’s burgeoning jazz/soul scene, ‘as things grow’ demonstrates Kyra’s natural ability to combine a commercial sound with the craft and care of an authentic musician. Following the birth of her baby daughter earlier this year, Kyra is already back performing and in the studio with the likes of Jake Isaac, Aaron Taylor and Grammy Award winners Blue Lab Beats.  

Kyra is backed by the PRS Women Make Music Foundation, an initiative which supports the development of outstanding women, trans and non-binary songwriters and composers.

Stream ‘as things grow’ HERE

Zanele Muholi’s Self-Titled Exhibition at Southern Guild Is Deeply Confronting & Remarkably Comforting

Jun 22, 2023 | News, Art

“The uterus is the rite of passage that is common to all of us regardless of race, class, gender. It is a common space, it is like water – water is water, blood is blood, the womb is the womb, birth is birth. You are born from someone, you come from that passage.” – Zanele Muholi 

Zanele Muholi’s artistic description is simply, ‘Visual Activist’. Most often, an artist will follow an activist-oriented thread through their development as life confronts them with existential themes of being alive; the more that they create, the more the world reveals itself to them. Muholi, otherwise, is intrinsically an activist. They co-founded the Forum for the Empowerment of Women in 2002, a space that focused on providing safety and resources for Black lesbian women in South Africa. As an active campaigner against the violence and hate crimes targeted at queer people, an urgency for archival and documentational threads of these realities abruptly made itself known to Muholi. Thus, their first project ‘Faces and Phases’ set in motion a life dedicated to visual activism, one in which Muholi has stood centrally as a truth revealer on the Black, LGBTQIA+ experience; the experiences of female bodies, the queer experience, and the subsequent violence – oppression – struggles and claiming of autonomy – voyeuristic gazes – and ultimately, the hopes and dreams. 

Muholi stands in the aching truth of many Black artists; that projected responsibility to carry in their art, the politicisation of existing. White, cis-gendered and heterosexual artists find as part of their ‘privilege packet’ the choice to thematically and philosophically gauge whichever subject they like – and from Black, queer artists, the world instead demands some sort of reckoning on the realities of being marginalised. Despite this, Muholi’s nearly two decade visual expression has continually been an invitation for understanding – and as they says to me on the press evening of their self-titled exhibition at Southern Guild, “we will get to a place where you will not project your whiteness onto me, nor I will project my queerness onto you, nor will the other do so to anyone else, from whichever place of difference they come from.” After gazing at the monsters in the face for their whole life, Muholi’s vision for a better future has already come. We just have to push on.

Zanele Muholi, Ziphi IV, Cape Town 2020, Zimpaphe l, Parktown 2019, Somandla, Parktown.I 2014.

Zanele Muholi, Ziphi II, Emhlabeni_2019, Hawu III, Adams Mission, KwaZulu-Natal 2020, Siyikhokonke, Sheraton Hotel, Brooklyn 2019, Vika II, small, The Decks, Cape Town 2019.

Zanele Muholi’s self-titled exhibition deepens their long-standing affair with photographic portraiture with the introduction of large-scale sculptures. As I stood in front of the large uterus hanging central in Southern Guild’s space, I wanted to weep. There is that biological fact which states, “all the eggs a woman will ever carry form in her ovaries while she is a four-month-old foetus in the womb of her mother. This means our cellular life as an egg begins in the womb of our grandmother. Each of us spent five months in our grandmother’s womb and she in turn formed within the womb of her grandmother.” And thus, we have always lived within each other. This organ, uniquely suited to create life, is the site from which every single person has and will ever come from. As Lindsey Raymond wrote in her astounding, textual introduction for the show, “(the uterus) which the artist describes as a “self-portrait of being”. Muholi invites the viewer to reconsider the womb as a symbol of honour, protection, growth and non-prescriptive femininity: “The uterus is my signature, it is my DNA, where I come from,” referring to a tattoo of the uterus on their upper arm, imprinted in 2008. To raise the uterus as a deified form is to give honour where shame, violence, and misinformation has plagued the organ for centuries.” A term that Lyndsey uses to describe Muholi’s work is ‘non-prescriptive femininity’, and thus the complexity of gender lives in holistic dynamism with the biological realities of our bodies. It is this delicate dance, of which Muholi has mastered, in conveying how we might celebrate what it means to be so nuanced in the human experience – how being in these bodies engenders such breathtaking multiplicity in how they might be understood or experienced as ‘Self’. 

Zanele Muholi, ZANELE MUHOLI 2023, Southern Guild. By Hayden Phipps.

Muholi pointed out to us that the sculpture we were circled around was the clitoris. I had, at first, taken it for a surrealist interpretation of a penis – and I don’t think I was alone in that assessment. Suddenly, confronted with my own anatomical ignorance, the message was clear: the body, glans, crura, bulbs and root of the clitoris has been so defunct from view, no matter how liberally rooted in our own pleasure we might be, and yet it must be remembered that it plays no role in reproduction; it is an organ solely, singularly present for sexual climax. Thus, the feminine expression of sensuality is so important that it has a starring role independent of any other biological function.

Signature to Muholi’s photographic work is the use of certain objects as artefacts for portraits. One such, is Muholi draped in a felted blanket; they explain that the blanket was offered by a parent of one of the children who died in the Enyobeni Tavern tragedy, in which 21 teenagers (as young as 13) lost their lives at the hands of presumed alcohol poisoning (this is still to be determined, and the case is ongoing). Muholi explains that their team spoke to many of the community members involved, and that when the application of their visual activism surfaced as a means for highlighting this harrowing occurrence, it felt incongruent to utilise anything tavern-related as an artefact. Instead, a memorial blanket was offered, and Muholi captured an image of themself in communion with the last materiality that many of these children experienced; cocooned in the blankets of memorialisation, laid to rest by heartbroken parents. Their memories live on, and Muholi’s determination to see this so, edifies their artistic intention – we must see, know and remember the circumstances of violence and pain, lest our world ever find its way out of it. This image, along with others, are additions to Muholi’s ongoing series Somnyama Ngonyama (meaning ‘Hail, the Dark Lioness’). In facing Muholi’s work, there is confrontation; but the comfort herewith is just as present.

Zanele Muholi, ZANELE MUHOLI 2023, Southern Guild. By Hayden Phipps.

The show is one I will need to return to before its final day on the 17th August. There are too many precious and pressing aspects of it to digest in a few hours. Zanele Muholi’s mark is titanic and this show in conjunction with Southern Guild, impresses upon South Africa’s artistic lore with a searing and defining importance. 

Visti Zanele Muholi’s self-titled, autobiographical exhibition from 15 June to 17 August 2023 at Southern Guild Gallery.

Written by: Holly Beaton

For more news, visit the Connect Everything Collective homepage www.ceconline.co.za

Blxckie Set To Host The First Somnyama Show In Cape Town

Jun 20, 2023 | News, Music

Award-winning rapper Blxckie is thrilled to announce his first ‘The SOMNYAMA Show’. Taking place on 23 June and consisting of a strictly Hip-hop line-up, ‘The SOMNYAMA Show’ will be headlined by SA rap royalty Blxckie and A-Reece.

Blxckie – who holds an impressive array of accolades including a South African Music Award for Best Hip-Hop; a nomination at the Metro FM Music Awards; five nods at the South African Hip Hop Awards; and two All Africa Music Awards nominations; will host an explosive line up in celebration of youth month.

Fondly known to his following as SOMNYAMA, Blxckie will set the stage alight with an electric performance at Hearty Collective in Cape Town. Having recently travelled to the United States, where he showcased his talent at international music conference SXSW alongside other global artists and performed to new fans in Los Angeles, Blxckie will once again display his remarkable work ethic – which is heard on countless collaborations locally, continentally, and abroad.  

‘The SOMNYAMA Show’ will be the first of many curated events by the multi-talented musician that will take place at the Hearty Collective in Cape Town. Blxckie will debut this experience to hip hop fans who can expect some of their favourite singalongs from Blxckie, A-Reece and featured artists and DJ.

Limited tickets are available here at webtickets.

Be sure to look out for a full show line-up which will be announced on Blxckie’s social media pages:

Facebook: Blxckie
Instagram: @blxckie_
Tiktok: @blxckie__
Twitter: @blxckie___

For more news, visit the Connect Everything Collective homepage www.ceconline.co.za

DJ Lag Continues His Global Bulldoze onto The World Stage

Jun 20, 2023 | Interviews, Music

From the burgeoning moments of his career to a creative dominance that has expanded into countless hours of success and a slew of international collaborations, (most notably Beyonce’s “Power, which bubbled him under the Grammy Radar) there is little standing in the way of Clermont, KwaZulu-Natal born Lwazi Asanda Gwala; affectionately known as DJ Lag, as he continues to ascend as a force in the tapestry of Global Dance music. 

One such case is a dynamic collision of musical forces that transcends boundaries and defies conventions. In an intimate studio session that crackled with creative electricity, South Africa’s Gqom trailblazer DJ Lag joined forces with UK’s Mercury Award nominated MC Novelist to unleash their blazing new single, ‘Bulldozer.’ A bold blend of Gqom’s monstrous beats and Novelist’s high-speed lyrical flow, ‘Bulldozer’ is a testament to the malleability of the genre and its undeniable ability to break into mainstream music. Recorded in London, this sonic masterpiece exudes familiarity and freshness, captivating listeners with its pulsating rhythms and hypnotic percussions.

As the first collaboration to emerge from DJ Lag’s Alpha Zulu World Tour Series, ‘Bulldozer’ sets the bar high for boundary-pushing musical experimentations. DJ Lag, whose ambition knows no bounds, declared his desire to blend genres and forge new sounds during this monumental tour. With ‘Bulldozer,’ he has unleashed a track that pulsates with uncontainable energy, and is poised to bulldoze its way onto dancefloors and summer playlists worldwide.

Bulldozer bridges the gap between South Africa’s Gqom and the UK’s grime and unveils the striking parallels between these two genres. Both born from the creative genius of young black artists, Gqom and Grime share the raw power of lo-fi minimalism and the DIY spirit that has resonated with music enthusiasts globally.

If third time’s the charm in my Connect Everything Collective journey, catching up with DJ Lag about this groundbreaking collaboration, the creative process behind it, the Alpha Zulu tour and the slew of show-stopping songs yet to be released from the Alpha Zulu global music camps absolutely takes the cake. I hope you will enjoy this read as much as I enjoyed the process of creating it.

DJ LAG X NOVELIST artwork Credit Ryk Otto (IG @rykotto).

Image Credit by Ryk Otto (@rykotto).

Congratulations on the Alpha Zulu Tour, where you experiment with stages and studios worldwide. What has been your most memorable studio session so far, and why? 

Definitely the 4 days I spent creating in the London sessions. On a typical day, I woke up at 6AM, got to the studio by 10, and finished by 7PM. Amid a slew of incredible producers, we had two to three artists a day who joined our creative camp sessions. I also have fond memories of recording with the likes of Ape Drums from Major Lazer; I damn near have a whole album’s worth of songs. 

Awe! So are you planning to use most of the songs for an album, or as previously mentioned in another interview, are you planning to release them as singles?

Definitely singles! Following “Bulldozer”, I have a little something with Blxckie coming out by the end of this month, and then I have a song with a London creative by the name of Gigi; we will be releasing that in July and at the end of the year we will curate an Alpha Zulu Tour project, time will tell whether it will be an album or EP.

We can’t get enough of “Bulldozer”! Have you heard his music before Joe Cotch helped facilitate the studio session with Novelist? If not, what impression did you get from being able to create the song with him in under an hour? 

“Bulldozer,” funny enough, was recorded last year during a London stop. Before I arrived at the studio, Joe was already singing high Novelist praises and sending me links to his works. I told him he was the perfect fit for the style of song I wanted to curate because I’ve been dying to infuse a Grime artist on a GQOM beat for a while. He arrived at the perfect timing while I was lobbying on the beat, he immediately started penning his verse, and by the time the composition was done, he knew everything he wanted to lace on the record, and we got to it; Joe recorded him, I came back South Africa to fix up the beat a bit and the rest, as they say, is history. 

How do you feel about the new culture of promoting songs? Does it do a disservice to the classic status of songs if you have to consider blowing up a song by going viral?

The way I see it, social media is the way to go these days, and it presents a challenge for me because I’m not a social media guru, if you catch my drift. It is by the encouragement of my team at Black Major that I can hone in social media promotion and get into the groove of campaigning around song releases, doing the Tik Tok challenges and the like and slowly but sure, I will master the craft because social media is a craft and full-time job in and of itself. I try not to let it affect my creative process so as to keep the classic stature of my songs. It is a worthy note to consider how a song will appease the algorithm Gods, but it shouldn’t explicitly be the determining factor of the production process.

You have balanced the rough kasi feel of traditional GQOM music with a syncopated rhythm, percussive heavy foundation & minimalist electronic production. Have the studio sessions you’ve shared with other global producers contributed to the smooth evolution of your sound?  

Too Much Dawg! Too Much! While we kept the camps to a minimum during last year and as the camps built momentum more this year, I found myself immersed in the learning process, both from co-producers and songwriters and singers. The sessions have influenced how I perceive my sound, the elements I want to add to my sonic evolution and how to develop my arrangements and other technicalities in the song creation process, so the project from the Alpha Zulu Sessions will definitely unearth a new style from the one I’ve become known and loved for, a scary yet exciting pivot that I’m looking forward to. 

How have you and Black Major expanded your global business relations during this tour? 

I have found a life-changing international booking agent, and he’s been getting me some hectic shows. I’ve been touring for a good year in places like India, America, Europe, UK, going back to the States in July, and I’m also planning my one-man show in London. The global business relations are handy, mainly because I want to put other Gqom artists like Magoqa (who are touring for the first time this year) on my one-man show.  

DJ Lag, can you give us a glimpse into your upcoming tour dates in July in Amsterdam, Austria, Brussels, Geneva, and America? What can audiences expect from your performances in these locations?

Since I came back home, there’s a Gqom artist by the name of the “Da Man” who just dropped his “No Bass No Fun” EP, that I’ve been working with during my Amsterdam – America run, which will kick off around 25 June the song I made with him is the one I’m looking forward to testing out the most!

Looking ahead, beyond “Bulldozer,” what future projects or collaborations are you particularly excited about? 

Myself and Que (from destruction boys) will release a remix EP for our smash hit “Where’s Your Father”, and I will be releasing my Ice Drop record label compilation where I will be pushing the likes of Da Man, KC Driller (who I did “Shululu” with on my “Meeting With The King” album). I am doing another installment of my event, “Something For Clermont”, with its complimentary music workshop to upskill the local talent around my hometown.

As his talent, crafted in the nips and tucks of electronic flare, redefines the essence of the sounds in the iconic realm of Gqom – and when you think of the musical maverick his career trajectory post his critically acclaimed debut Meeting With The King and the ongoing Alpha Zulu tour, this moment in Lag’s career has him confident about how he influences the future of dance music on a global scale. As DJ Lag states: “Everything I have been doing thus far in terms of evolving my sound, international collaborations during tours and the like have all been working towards this one objective of influencing the future tapestry of global dance music.” This is an ascent to success that knows no bounds.

All images by Travys Owen (IG @travysowen).

Written by:  KING Cedric

For more news, visit the Connect Everything Collective homepage www.ceconline.co.za

Cotton Fest Lineup Announced For First Durban Festival

Jun 19, 2023 | News, Music

Following the announcement of Cotton Fest Durban recently, the highly anticipated music and lifestyle festival today announced the line-up for their inaugural show in the 031.

Taking place on Sunday, the 2nd July at the Kings Park Stadium Outer Fields, the festival will merge both established and young emerging talents performing live across two energy packed stages. The urban music and fashion explosion aims to  showcase the diversities in various popular music genres with the aim of fusing the gaps within the different local movements.

Celebrating the culture through music, fashion and sport, the already almost sold out show will feature over 60 of South Africa’s finest young musical talent including:

DISCLAIMER: Cotton Fest line-up is subject to change

As always, the entertainment-filled festival will include various other lifestyle elements to keep the crowd entertained, including The Tuckshop (Retail Fashion Store featuring local brands), the Sports Arena (Skateboard) and the Cafeteria (Food Court). Other dope elements including Bespoke Photo Experiences, Branded Activation spaces and curated Chill areas. Durban are you ready!!! We never die. We multiply!

A large contingent of security including both uniformed and undercover security will be present at the festival as an active deterrent for possible criminal activity, and further offer a vigilant and fast alert response in the event of any incidents.

The 2023 Durban edition of Cotton Fest is powered by Hunters, Klipdrift, Count Pushkin, 4th Street Wines, Budweiser, Coca Cola, Jagermeister, Vuse, Coca Cola and Red Bull. 

Exclusive broadcasting partners include Trace Urban and KZN’s own Gagasi FM.

THE 411 ON COTTON FEST

DATE :      Sunday, 2nd July
VENUE:    Kings Park Stadium – Outer Field
TIME :       12PM-12AM
TICKETS:  Phase 1 – R200 /  Phase 2 – R250 / Phase 3 – R300

Tickets available from Webtickets HERE  and Pick ‘n Pay outlets nationwide.

Stay locked to our social media platforms for the latest info: For more information please follow our social media handles:
INSTAGRAM @CottonFestJHB 
TWITTER @CottonFestJHB 
FACEBOOK @CottonFest

For more news, visit the Connect Everything Collective homepage www.ceconline.co.za

Colour, Composition and Collaboration with Photographer Aart Verrips

Jun 19, 2023 | Interviews, Creatives

Aart Verrips is a master of harmony. As a preeminent fashion and fine-art photographer, his images stoke the gentle flame of composition in astounding ways, and always with a reverence for honest portrayals of beauty. Aart’s deliberate placement of subjects, lines, shapes, colours are visual storytelling at its finest; the balance of his images are tempered by an astounding intuition for the relationship between light and colour; so it’s no wonder his images have landed in Vogue Italia, Elle, GQ, TIME, Hunger, InStyle, WWD, i-D, Gay Times and counting –  or that he and Thebe Magugu’s longstanding creative relationship have articulated some of the most compelling sartorial expression to ever arise out of South Africa.

Thebe Magugu Campaign.

Kite Boys.

A path in photography was unlikely for Aart, and in fact his original career was as a pastry chef; there was clearly always a concern for the detail and delicacy of the senses. As Aart explains, “I never wanted to go into photography when I was in school. To be honest, I didn’t really even know being a photographer in this way was a real thing. I wanted to become a chef, that was what I thought my calling was. I studied in Cape Town and then I did an intensive two-month course in a small village in France. There were 27 people from 7 countries in the course, and so I was exposed to this amazing variety of people.” A mixture of inspiration and indecision prompted Aart to start working with a camera, “One of my best friends that I had met on that side was an avid photographer – now she is a DJ. I credit her with encouraging me to start shooting. When I came back to South Africa, I worked for two years as a chef before packing everything up and moving to Joburg. I wanted to change careers and there’s no better city to try and to do that, and all the while I had been learning to use a camera as a pastime.” Aart forms part of a cast of creatives who set the scene for South Africa’s awakening in the last decade. His first initiation into photography as more than just a personal-diary came with Rich Mnisi – who contacted Aart while he was finishing his fashion degree at LISOF – on this very critical piece of fashion lore, Aart says “he contacted me and said he liked my style and perspective, and we started working together. I think from that first experience with Rich, I knew photography with a special interest in fashion was kind of my calling. Here we are, nine years later.”

This initial work with Rich would set the tone for Aart’s professional tone, as someone who continues to centre collaboration in their work. As Aart explains, “my approach is very collaborative and hands-on. I get involved with the stylist, hairstylist and make-up artist – and I think when everyone is working together toward a single vision, it makes our jobs easier and it makes my ability to capture the vision a lot more authentic. I’m big on collaboration and without being immersed in a team, I wouldn’t be able to do what I do. Also, because we are generally making miracles out of tiny budgets!” In his creative process, it’s the balance between working with established colleagues and emerging talent that keeps Aart’s focus embedded in a kind of creative foresight, “My creative process is different for each project. With designers, I will sit down with them and see how I can translate their vision. When I work with young designers, I really like to help them refine the way they want to communicate their ideas. I love working with young designers because they are so unpolished and unrefined, and I think there’s such a beauty in that rawness.” Central to the composition of Aart’s images is his focus on colour. As a medium for eliciting the correct mood and emotional quality of his work; colour in all manner of interchanging vibrancy and softness is a stroke of mastery for Aart, as he says “Colour has become more and more central to my work, and is generally the aspect that I get most excited about. Where I use it in my grading, in the set design or in the way light has to draw out the colours I’m working with is a very fun part of the work that I do.”

Frankfurter Allgemeine Quarterly.

Office Day.

GQ x Castle, Max & GQ DG Dylan.

In a recent project with make-up artist Alexandra Julliet Botha titled ‘COLOUR THEORY’ is an exploration of the immaterial nature of artificial intelligence, using colour to subvert the way AI is beginning to mimic reality in its ability to create visuals. Aart and Alexandra wanted to invite reality to mimic AI, “Photo Vogue selected me to be part of a program with Voice to create NFTs. It’s a very interesting realm that I have never really understood – I think because I work so tangibly, to imagine an intangible asset and that having value is a very interesting tension. It got my brain flowing around AI, and I think there are so many possibilities for it but it’s also such a brand new frontier for us. I decided I wanted to create AI but in reality, and make something that looks like AI made it but in this real world.” For the project, Aart’s submission to the team at Vogue was met with confusion as to whether these were actually his photographs, and he explains the strength of concept, “The concept started with using strong colours, and I had some colour-powered paint for a decade since the first Holi Festival happened in Cape Town. Set against the white body painting, the powder paint is so intense. I had this idea of having a moving element, so that’s where the smoke comes in, to create this AI, otherworldly image. When you first look at the images, it appears to be AI – and then you realise it’s real. Usually, you think an image is real but it’s actually AI.” For Aart and Alex, the project is set to be a continuing dialogue, with ‘COLOUR THEORY’ exemplifying Aart’s intimate way of working with his creative collaborators.

Color Theory.

Aart professes to experiencing a measure of imposter syndrome at times and for someone who thought they’d spend their life in the kitchen of a restaurant creating quiet delicacies, to be one of the leading photographers on the continent is still surreal. I ask Aart about a moment when he could safely pull away from imposter syndrome, and feel the magnitude of his trajectory, “I think that has to be the TIME Magazine cover, and being part of that whole journey. For that assignment, the story had gone live online and that evening, I got a message from my agent saying ‘two words. TIME cover’, they had selected one of my images for the print cover. That is one of the highest honours as a photographer.” The image is Daniel Motaung on the March 2022 cover, a former Facebook moderator who blew the whistle on ‘digital sweatshops in Africa’; where outsourced companies employ men and women to review and moderate murders, violence, abuse and other illegal content for online platforms. This kind of photo-journalism is vital, and for Aart to be able to work in this realm as much as in fashion, is wholly impressive.

AVAVAV.

Racphelia.

Uniform.

Aart’s outlook is one of growth and refinement. A new chapter and more travels are ahead with multiple projects that will be revealed. For the ultimate dream, Aart says, “the ultimate dream is a Vogue cover. Specifically a British Vogue cover!” and we totally see it happening. Along with the cast of trailblazers that he grew up with creatively in Joburg, Aart continues to break barriers and build beauty into the fabric of South Africa’s visual DNA.

Feature image by @kristinleemoolman.

Written by: Holly Beaton

For more news, visit the Connect Everything Collective homepage www.ceconline.co.za

Mothers Favorite Child & Saeeda Wright release ‘Purple Funk (Opolopo Remixes)’ as a tribute to Prince

Jun 16, 2023 | New Release, Music

Mothers Favorite Child & Saeeda Wright present a brand new Opolopo remix of – ‘Purple Funk’ to honour Prince for what would have been his 65th birthday. 

Music producer and songwriter Paris Toon, founder of Mothers Favorite Child (MFC), has teamed up with the ever so soulful vocalist Saeeda Wright for this updated version of ‘Purple Funk’. The track is MFC’s tribute to Prince and also pays homage to the band’s musical director and drummer, John Blackwell, who sadly passed away in recent times. Saeeda Wright, who previously performed and recorded with Prince, adds delightful new layers of depth and nuance with her stylish vocals, whilst the one and only Swedish fire starter, Opolopo, steps forward in real style to deliver his classic bounce to a remix that is set to shake global dance floors for many a year to come.

Stream ‘Purple Funk’ HERE 

Press release courtesy of Only Good Stuff

‘Only Spare Parts’ captures the raw energy of young artists with the New Balance 650

Jun 16, 2023 | News, Fashion

Only Spare Parts is a photo & video campaign capturing the raw energy of artists on the fringes of Cape Town’s creative pockets. The story features young people with diverse passions, interests and career paths, playing on the idea of being plucked from obscurity and in doing so, nodding to the story of the re-emergence of the New Balance 650, a silhouette revived from the pages of a 80s Japan focused New Balance catalogue by the enigmatic Teddy Santis. Shot against the backdrop of a car junkyard, the story was brought together in collaboration with a Cape Town streetwear destination, Lemkus, a purveyor of streetwear culture and history.

The intention was to connect the New Balance 650 back to its Japanese story by celebrating the unique, influential fashion sense of late 80s and early 90s Tokyo, while paying homage to Cape Town’s gritty grassroots legacy through casting and location. Cars – or elements thereof – represent a blend of desire, aspiration and nostalgia as well as connection to freedom and independence.

Credits
Photographed, directed and edited by Kalina Pulit @kalinapulit
Styled by Luke Bell Doman @lukebelldoman
Creative Directors: Kalina Pulit & Luke Bell Doman
Producer: Ayanda Iman Sadek @ayandasadek
Director of Photography: Jesse Barnes @jessejewelzzz
Starring Ameera @ac.idtab , uKhanyo @ukhanyo703 , Litha @best_dressed_dedbeat, Danielle @daniiellenevaeh
Hair & Make-Up: Teri Roman @teri_roman
Assistant Director: Lelie Hannam @leliehannam
Stylist Assistant: Lubabalo Nkobo @funkyblackdude
Photography Assistant: Johnny Iyoka @sadocyyy
Digital Operator: Ara Bhabha @arabhabha
Camera Assistant: Ndzolo Nxazonke
Gaffer: Malusi Maseti @malusi_maseti
Music: uKhanyo @ukhanyo703 , Aqeeb Majiet @aqeebmajiet
Sound Mix: Aqeeb Majiet
Special thanks: Ridah Parker @re.dah_ , Disco Creatives @discocreatives , Igshaa & Lorenzo at All Car Parts

For more news, visit the Connect Everything Collective homepage www.ceconline.co.za