Jack Parow is Cooler than You.

Read it and believe it. Jack Parow is cooler than you and he has the kiefness to prove it, 27 764  fans on Facebook and 24 250 fans for the song Cooler as Ekke; now that’s impressive stuff.

His kiefness has also translated into his self-titled album, which will be out at end of March. He is set to collaborate with Inge Beckman (Lark), Francois van Coke (Fokofpolisiekar & Van Coke Kartel), Die Heuwels Fantasties and others on this album. Are you ready for it?

You can also look for an online video game (yes, a online video game-can you get any cooler)? If that’s not enough he also has a high budget music video for Dans Dans Dans ft Francois van Coke in store.

Floating around on the interwebs is ‘A tribute to Jack Parow, Witbank Style  – Damduikers’. The saying seeing is believing is evident in this case. You have to check it out!

His kiefness is rubbing off internationally: WKDU 91.7 FM is playing Parow in Philadelphia and so is 3 FM in Holland. Record labels from America, Europe and Australia are interested in signing Jack Parow and coolest of all Mike Diamond from the Beastie Boys thinks his tunes are kief.

You might want to head to one of his upcoming gigs (just so you can say you’ve seen him and his crazy hats):

6 March –   Ramfest,  Jhb

10 March – Cool Runnings, Boxburg

11 March – Cool Runnings, Jhb

12 March – Back 2 Basics, Jhb

13 March – Prawn Fest, Cape Town

19 March – Your LMG Party, Mercury

26 March – Blizzards , Cape Town

30 April –    Robertson, Cape town

xx

yours in musical madness

2010 SAMA nominees announced.

Veli Mabena, General Manager for Brand & Communications at MTN SA says: “As MTN, we believe to recognise and reward local musicians for their achievements is the right thing to do as it can only encourage them to excel on a yearly basis.”

“SABC1 Mzansi Fo Sho is excited at the list of nominees announced. We are looking forward in anticipation to an even tighter race for the awards at this year’s award ceremony – beamed to our viewers live from Sun City.”

The MTN South African Music Awards is turning sweet sixteen this year, and befitting this momentous occasion was the electrifying Nominees Launch celebrations that took place at Taboo in Sandton on the 4th of March. The evening transcended the South African music experience to another level unlike anything experienced within this glitz and glamour occasion before, setting a high standard for the Main Awards Ceremony taking place in Sun City on the 16th and 17th of April.

Some of Mzansi’s best superstars took celebrations onto another platform with captivating live performances, with Lira, DJ Cleo, Foto Na Dans, Brickz, Rhythmic Elements, Da L.E.S., Oskido and DJ Kent amongst the artists who entranced guests with their rhythms and award winning music and kept the party going to the early hours. But as much as it was a good excuse to get down, the real reason everyone was there was to find out who had made it onto the nominees list for the 16th Annual MTN SA Music Awards.

TOP 5

Album of the Year

Big Nuz for Undisputed

BLK JKS for the album After Robots

Busi Mhlongo for Amakholwa Believers

Selaelo Selota for Lapeng Laka

Teargas for Dark Or Blue

Duo or Group of the Year

AKING for Against All Odds

Big Nuz for the album Undisputed

Jaziel Brothers for The Journey

Joyous Celebration for Volume 13 Live At The Mosaiek Theatre, Johannesburg

Teargas for Dark Or Blue

Female Artist of the Year

Busi Mhlongo for Amakholwa Believers

Camagwini for Emandulo

Lira for Live In Concert: A Celebration

Louise Carver for The Home Tour – Live

Thandiswa Mazwai for Ibokwe

Male Artist of the Year

Benjamin Dube for 16 June Commemoration Live

Black Coffee for Home Brewed

Chris Chameleon for Kyk Hoe Lyk Ons Nou

Ntando for Inqubela

Selaelo Selota for Lapeng Laka

Newcomer of the Year

Culoe de Song for A Giant Leap

Kyle Shepherd for Fine ART

Solly Mahlangu for the album Obrigado

The South African Youth Choir for the album Birth of the Sun

Tshepo Mngoma for People And Places

MTN Record of the Year

Change the World – Master Jam (w/ RJ Benjamin)

Consider Me – Prime Circle

Fairytale – Liquideep

Fort Knox – Goldfish

Free – Thembi Seete

Good Music – DJ Cleo

Heartbreak Street – Jesse Clegg

I Believe – Oskido

Ingoma – Thandiswa featuring Hugh Masekela

Juju – Black Coffee featuring Zakes Bantwini

Lesson Number 1 – Rhythmic Elements

Live my Life – Winnie Khumalo

Maybe – Loyiso

Mmatswale- Malaika

Mpitse – HHP

Nka Mo Dira – Nutty Nys (w/ Abe Molamu)

Nomalanga Mntakwethu – Zuluboy

Push me to the Floor – The Parlotones

Umlilo – Big Nuz featuring Tira

We Baba – Culoe De Song featuring Busi Mhlongo

Afrikaans

Best Rock Album: Afrikaans

Andries Botha – Welkom In Die Wêreld

Jan Blohm – 7 Jaar

Teerpad – Kry Rigting

Zinkplaat – Mooi Besoedeling

Best Alternative Music Album: Afrikaans

Die Heuwels Fantasties – Die Heuwels Fantasties

Gizelle – Begin

Sonsteek – Ons Ideale

Straatligkinders – Sweef Soos N Vuishou

Willim Welsyn – Maanplaas

GLOBAL CHARTS

Best Adult Contemporary Album: English

Blk Sonshine – Good Life

Dear Reader – Replace Why With Funny

Farryl Purkiss – Fruitbats & Crows

Laurie Levine – Living Room

Louise Carver – The Home Tour: Live

Best Rock Album: English

aKING – Against All Odds

Cassette – Who Do You Trust

New Holland – Exploded Views

The Parlotones – Stardust Galaxies

Voodoo Child – Attack. Don’t Panic

Best Alternative Music Album: English

BLK JKS – After Robots

Hog Hoggidy Hog – Method To The Madness

Martin Rocka And The Sickshop – Its A Filthy Song But Someones Got To Sing It

Mix N Blend – Look Mom No Hands

The Black Hotels – Films For The Next Century

Best Pop Album: English

Axene – 16

Jerusha – Jerushalem

La Vuvuzela – In Stereo

NKD – NKD

Sasha-Lee – Sasha-Lee

Best Global Chart DVD

Dozi & Nianell – It Takes Two – Live At The Silverstar Casino

Lira – Live In Concert: A Celebration

Prime Circle – All Or Nothing Live

The Plain Truth – Only One God

You can follow the 16th Annual MTN South African Music Awards (SAMA) on:

Facebook:

www.facebook.com/samusicawards

Twitter:

www.twitter.com/samusicawards

Science & Industry Release Track Online For Free.

Science & Industry is a collaboration between Greenskeepers founder and head honcho DJ/Producer James Curd, DJ/Producer/Ashtar Commander Chris Holmes, and DJ/Singer-Songwriter JDub.

The result of their hotbox alchemy is “pounding rhythms and electro powered basslines anchor shimmering keys, edgy guitars, and ephemeral voices to create a synthesis of darkness and light, fantasy and reality, post-modern paranoia and unrelenting optimism.”

They have released their first recording under that moniker online for free. You can grab “This Is How It’s Meant To Be” here.

xx

yours in musical madness

Locnville break South African chart records.

“I started making music because I’m fascinated at how powerful it can be…”- Andrew Chaplin.

Locnville is New York born and South African raised twins Andrew and Brian Chaplin. They have recently has broken all South African chart records as their album ‘Sun In My Pocket’ is the first South African debut album to enter the Musica Album Charts in the Top 5 after only 4 days.

‘Sun In My Pocket’ , the Deluxe Edition, has completely new artwork and all the tracks have been re-mastered by Ministry of Sound’s Wez Clarke. It also has some remixes that haven’t, as of yet, been released, as well as a DVD that will include Locville’s music videos and their other visuals.

In an interview I did with them they said “recording the album “was great…we did the recording the day after we finished school while the Plett Rage was going on, so of course no one was in town and it gave us a chance to focus purely on the album. All in all, the album only took about 2 weeks to get done…” Their album name “Retro Electro” came about to “describe the ideology of the album.” Brian continues ” Our reasoning being that we wanted to bring back the “Retro” or “70’s” ethos of music where more thought was put into the lyrics and the music was all round more socially aware than the majority of today’s popular music. The “Electro” part was really just making the music more commercially viable for today’s pop culture. However, the Deluxe Edition that will be available in stores February 2010 is named after our debut single, Sun In My Pocket, for obvious reasons of recognition.”

Not bad at all! It shows the promise that Locnville has and the impact that they are making on the local scene.

 xx

yours in musical madness

Tiga announces album and free Chromeo remix.

Tiga is the stage name of Montreal-born, pioneering electronic DJ/producer Tiga James Sontag. He rose to prominence in the 90s as a club DJ, remixer and label founder (Turbo Recordings).  His critically acclaimed debut album “Sexor”, released in 2003,  features original compositions and reworked tracks from Public Enemy, Nine Inch Nails and Talking Heads.

His latest release, Ciao!, features collaborations with James Murphy, Soulwax, Gonzales, Jesper Dahlback and Jori Holkonnen. “Mind Dimension” was the first released single from the album. Though “Shoes” was premiered on Tiga’s myspace page, being played more than 10,000 times in its first day.

Now the Deluxe Edition of Ciao! will be available on March 9th through iTunes (USA) and it will feature exclusive new bonus remixes of “What You Need” from Chromeo, A-Trak and Dim Mak’s Steve Aoki.

In anticipation of the release, Last Gang has made the Chromeo remix of “What You Need” available for free online. Chromeo has “completely reconstructed “What You Need” to their own synthed-up, funked-up specifications.” You can grab it here.

Are you excited yet? You should be.

xx

yours in musical madness

Win 1 of 10 New Young Pony Club T-Shirts.

Moral Fibre (the blog I am the Music Editor for) are having one of the coolest competitions. Ever.

I’m a huge fan of New Young Pony Club and Moral Fibre is giving away 1 of 10 New Young Pony Club T-Shirts.All you have to do to win is tweet @moralfibresa and tell us why you deserve the t-shirt more than the rest!

You’ve only got until Friday to enter and the winners will announced on Monday. So get to it!

We’ll announce the winner on twitter, so please follow @moralfibresa so that we can direct message you to grab your details should you win the prize.

It’s that simple.

xx

yours in musical madness

Livvi Franc ‘Automatik’ Digital release 8th March 2010.

Livvi Franc was born in Harrogate and spent the first five years of her life there. She then moved to her father’s homeland of Barbados after her parents decided she should fully experience their Barbadian heritage.  She grew up in the Barbados sunshine listening to soca music and everything from Bob Marley, The Beatles , Etta James and Lauryn Hill.

Following on from her debut hit single “Now I’m That Bitch” which was produced by Saalam Remi (Amy Winehouse, Leona Lewis) and remixed by Sam Sparro, Livvi Franc is now set to release her next single “Automatik” which is produced by the famous “RedOne” (Sean Kingston, Sugababes, Alexandra Burke and Lady Gaga. 

Livvi will also be releasing her debut self titled album early 2010. Look out for it!

iTunes hit the 10 billion download mark.

iTunes Store hit the 10 billion download mark on Wednesday Feb. 24- coincidentally, the same day as Steve Jobs’ 55th birthday. Yes, 10 Billion. The company started selling music in 2003 and ever since then about 1.4 billion songs are downloaded each year.

The 10 billionth song, “Guess Things Happen That Way” by Johnny Cash, was downloaded by Louie Sulcer of Woodstock, Georgia. As the grand prize winner of Apple’s 10 Billion Songs Countdown contest, Louie received a $10,000 iTunes Gift Card. Louie Sulcer is in fact 71 years old. Now that is the impressive part.

As Ben Parr of Mashable says “The 10 billion mark is an important reminder of just how powerful Apple has become in the music industry, though. That’s billions in revenue that Apple has generated for the music industry, but also billions that Apple has pocketed for itself. And while digital competitors have popped up, none have come close to Apple’s music dominance.”

Have a look at their 20 Most Downloaded iTunes Songs of All Time and see if you own any of those, I know I do…

xx

yours in musical madness