LOOKING FORWARD TO 2011: An interview with Spoek Mathambo, student of the world.

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Spoek Mathambo is comfortably perched on the future of music. Heck. Fader Magazine agrees with me, and they’ve got a pretty solid track record with these things. He’s a student of sounds, maestro of style, internet savvy, and perfectly aware of how to leverage all of these mediums to create a buzz. Blowing up out of South Africa at the exact same time as the World Cup, it’s as if he was adept enough at marketing to know when to peak, how to peak and why to peak, doing all in a perfect synergy of time, space and place.

http://player.vimeo.com/video/16984354

SPOEK MATHAMBO & MSHINI WAM – EPK 2010 from spoek mathambo on Vimeo.

His sound is best referred to as “township tech,” though he refuses to claim it as the entirety of his style. Unlike many artists who favor heavy percussion and world influences, Mathambo isn’t just a dance artist. His latest single “Don’t Mean to Be Rude” may feature remixes from the likes of Mad Decent party starters Toadally Krossed Out, but the artist himself claims Stevie Wonder, and most recently Bill Withers as driving forces behind his creativity. He’s the prototypical 21st century underground artist in that he has a plethora of influences that he combines in a cross ethnic, international polyglot of melody that sounds wonderful, is entirely  unique, but unlike others, is progressive in a manner that is palatable to a more accepting musical mainstream. Featuring voices native to his own South Africa, from vocalist Zaki Ibrahim and a plethora of female emcees as well, his desire to stay rooted in his ethnicity while also pursuing international acclaim is noteworthy and unsurprising given his level of intellect.

http://player.vimeo.com/video/13905269

SPOEK MATHAMBO – WAR ON WORDS from spoek mathambo on Vimeo.

Mathambo plans to work on a documentary discussing the nature of native South African music, then release a 2011 EP on indie giant Sub Pop Records out of Seattle, the same label that launched Nirvana. Do they sense the time is right for another mainstream jolting revolution? Likely so. Spoek Mathambo has arrived, and is the star music has been waiting for.

THE DROP: Salacious electro soul skank from the next big thing, South Africa’s Spoek Mathambo!

http://www.youtube.com/v/o0AB5TkXyRM?fs=1&hl=en_US

We’re big proponents here at TGRI of the sound of South Africa’s Spoek Mathambo, and believe him to be at or near the front of the class of top ranking international underground artists of note for 2011. New York City, and namely Fader Magazine agrees with us, as he recently headlined their major Issue 69 release party event in Tribeca.  We have noted earlier this year that his “township tech” sound, a tribal trending mash of electro and traditional African rhythms awash in kente fashions bears great comparison to the early era M.I.A. combination of madras, kente, Bollywood bhangra and electro filtered through a prism of Baltimore club music. More culturally aware than politically angst ridden, Mathambo’s latest single from his debut album Mshini Wam, “Don’t Mean to Be Rude” comes out in January 2011, and if a signal of things to come, plans to open the second decade of the 21st century with a start.

Director of the video clip for “Don’t Mean to Be Rude” and man from whom I “borrowed” these pics Jamal Nxedlana states the following on his blog:

Spoek Mathambo and I have been meaning to work together for a while now- we finally got the opportunity to do so on the video for Mshini Wami’s upcoming single “Don’t Mean To Be Rude”. Spoek assembled the team bringing me on as a stylist and Justin McGee as D.O.P. Throw in strawberries, chicken feet, “bubbly” and two strippers from the Summit Club and you can start to imagine how the shoot unraveled! These are the situations I look forward to and I must say I thoroughly enjoyed working with both these guys on every single second of the video. Lookout for the video it should be out in a few weeks!

The skanking bassline rich single features Canadian soul singer Zaki Ibrahim on the hook, and in a sign of potential things to come for the performer, the track has been remixed by Scratcha DVA (UK, Hyperdub – Rinse FM), personal favorites the Mad Decent party frogs Toadally Krossed Out and French club banger Don Rimini.

Do pay attention and keep an eye open for Spoek Mathambo, as this is just the sign of tremendous accomplishments to come.

THE DROP: Introducing Spoek Mathambo, South African electro party rap powerhouse

Let’s think back to the moment we all heard M.I.A.’s Arular for the first time. Her sound was extremely refreshing in its intentionally awkward electro stumble approaching equal parts world music, house and Baltimore club. Vaguely political and intensely party centered, it welcomed eyes to a side of life we’d never seen before, and in a dizzying array of kente cloth and madras made listeners feel informed and imbued with a sense of nerdy cool.

Five years later, we’ve seen everything that M.I.A. has spawned, and the backlash has begun. Even on this site, MIA’s third album Maya was near lampooned for being so heavy on the revolution and so light on the dance, thrash and deep chill that Blaqstarr, Switch, Diplo, Rusko and the Sleigh Bells’ Derek Smith inspired. In attempting to be so intentionally non-mainstream, she went to grab at the roots of the hipster revolution, sadly to note that what she rooted has grown and is being served on the tables of middle America.

http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=10028672&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=00ADEF&fullscreen=1

SPOEK MATHAMBO & MSHINI WAM – GWABABA (DON’T BE SCARED) from spoek mathambo on Vimeo.

South African rapper Spoek Mathambo isn’t really trying to have a revolution. Much like M.I.A., he is a designer and illustrator as well, a triple threat of marketing and media prowess on the cusp of major success. Certainly, he’s South African, so much like M.I.A. again, his heritage is reflected in his sound. Having coined his South African club music sound as “Township Tech,” it blends a sense of pride in native roots with popular mainstream electro to create a soundclash that is familiar, yet in it’s deep rooted African nature unique and worthwhile. In hearkening back to the ethos that started the revolution that we’re presently watching run roughshod til it’s whimpering end over mainstream culture, Mathambo has a sound that is worth noting as powerful and noteworthy.

Do pay attention.