Luna Lounge weekend line-up (2 - 5 April)

 

the Meditators Reggae Carnival

featuring international French Jazz performer  Magic Malik

Thursday 2 April – 7pm – R40

venue: Zulu Jazz Lounge,

231 Smith street, Durban, next to the Playhouse

Ladies and Gems, this event has become a carnival of bands, artists, poets, rappers and DJs!! It is definitely a must see!! Not to be missed!!

Lots of secure parking in Albany Parkade all night for R10
 
MAGIC MALIK biography

Malik was born in Guadeloupe in 1969. Before turning fifteen, he was a secretive kind of boy, not well motivated by school work and immersed in the theatre world (his father, Arthur Lerus, is a playwright and a director who founded the “Théâtre du cyclone”). Malik learned musical notation every Wednesday afternoons and rarely left his recorder alone: "I was playing sweet little tunes; I used to improvise wherever I was… It was my world, my time for privacy". Malik only clicked for the first time when he met Marc Rovelas who taught flute in Pointe-à-Pitre: "For me this was a revelation. He made me discover Bach, then Xenakis, Ravel and Stockhausen… I was dazzled, and I suddenly understood that my life was making sense!" The shock was such that he left school – even though he was in Grade 11 – and decided to go to France to study at the Music Academy of Marseille.

Malik was not yet eighteen and had a lot of work to do to reach the level required for the course, but he had found his way in life. He passed with distinction at the Academy (obtained first prize) and went to Paris in 1988 "to get away from the classic genre and try something new". Once in Paris, it was not long before he joined a whole group of artists then in full swing: Human Spirit. "This was a great time in my life! These guys taught me how to live on the road, on stage, how to live life, ho to have dreams and precious sharing moments with the public; that’s when I really discovered live, non elitist but requiring music. In short, how to build a life for oneself from very little: you leave and then decide as you go along, and you keep going forward while you continue to love what you do".

“Leaving, deciding and keeping going”, is also what brought Malik to join the Groove Gang of Julien Lourau a few years later. In 1999, this ensemble began a world tour that was very moving for Malik. On his return, he felt ready to start working on a second album under his own name. He found the right combination of artists and with them began recording 6996 (Label Bleu). One of the important moments in Malik’s career is also his encounter with Steve Coleman whom he invited to record with his orchestra, after Coleman had previously invited Malik on one of his own creations. The Jazz Samouraï example is a great inspiration for him. The project opposes a style of music that was a continuation of 6996 and a more systemic and experimental approach he calls “XP” (experience).

“I think that people like Julien Lourau, DJ Gilb’R, Laurent Garnier or, still, St Germain have really achieved a clearing job that has changed the way people listen to music. I have the feeling today that many people perceive music as being beyond styles, that they are sensitive to what is expressed behind the label. What we are seeing developing here is more like a situation where people are listening from the heart”.

Malik continued meeting other artists such as Cachaito Lopez of Buena Vista Social Club, to whom he was introduced by Anga Diaz. He went on tour with the Club in 2002. For Malik, this tour was what made him reconnect with Afro-Caribbean music. He also met with the Marseille-based group Trouble Makers, a way of reconnecting with the city that made a musician out of him. Together with DJ Oil and DJ Rebel, they formed a trio called Shogun. There were no limits to Malik’s multiplication of styles and collaborations: he also played with Nelson Veras and contributed on Veras’ album; same thing with the Pierrick Pedron quintet,  he recorded with Oumou Sangare through Nick Gold (remember the Buena Vista Social Club). Malik also tookpart in the concerts of group Akamoon after meeting Fabricio Cassol (saxophones). As Malik said, “For me all these collaborations are real workshops that enable me to widen my horizons and move into different directions”.

Indeed, whether it involves the house pulsations and urban sounds of St Germain, the stateless jazz of Julien Lourau’s Groove Gang or the classy pop of -M-, Malik has always been able to give meaning to his encounters and play his instrument with humanity and elegance.

 "My mother told me that I was often in front of the radio trying to reproduce the melodies with a small diatonic vibraphone… I’ve always loved music; it’s always been my thing. I didn’t need words. When I listened to certain pieces, I could hear sentences with meaning …"

The MEDITATORS biography

The Meditators  is a 9 piece band established in 1991 presently based in Chesterville,  Durban.

The Meditators  are proudly resident at uShaka Marine World for the fifth consecutive year, attaining maximum local and international exposure during this time as well the opportunity to finance the bands own complete sound rig and new instruments after the Seaboard fire which destroyed everything in 2007.

Other accomplished performances include:

A  performance by the band in the internationally acclaimed movie “Stander” 2002 .
A partnership was forged with the Rita Marley Foundation when the I –threes performed a Womans Day concert with The Meditators at The Bat Centre in 2004, and again at the 2007 Bob Marley Birthday Celebration Photographic exhibition/Zulu Jazz Lounge.

Venue/ Performance Highlights of 2008 include:

Debut at Splashy Fen

Cascoland finale at The Beach Café
Luna Lounge Earth Dance Festival Kwa Ximba Village
uShaka Marine World Tribute to Bob Marley Reggae Festival
Durban July at Greyville - Heineken Marquee
VIP Tribute to Lucky Dube at The Bat Centre
Invitation to Celebrate Durban -  Bay of Plenty
SAPS  function at The Wild Coast Casino and Resort.
La Scarpetta, Florida Road
Essenwood Craft Market  
Zimbali Lodge, Ballito
Durban City Hall
The band successfully launched their 3rd Album, “Jah Kingdom” produced by Izan Greyling (Sonic Studios) at The Zulu Jazz Lounge in Durban in October 2008 and will be back in the studio in February 2009 to begin work on their fourth album.
A tour of the E.Cape with performances in Kokstad and Matatiele in November 2008
Corporate,  Municipal,  and private functions make up the rest of the bands busy schedule.

Coming up... 2009

In conjunction with eThekwini Municipality and the  More Love Foundation, The Meditators have created a platform to show case the high quality of local reggae music in KZN and will host the 2nd Annual  Reggae meets Jazz  Afrika Day Concert on 23/24th May with a variety of local and visiting African musicians, bands and entertainers, and are currently in negotiations with The Wailers,  from Jamaica in this regard.

A confirmed tour to SA in April/May 2009 by legendary poet/reggae artist Linton Kwesi Johnson will be supported by The Meditators on 2nd May 2009 at the Bluff Showgrounds in Durban.

 
 
Fire-time Drumming with African Drumshack

Friday 3 April – 7pm – R20

venue: Crinkley Bottom Park, Waterfall

Inanda Road, 1km past Waterfall Shopping centre
 
Beginners lesson & warm up starts at 6:30pm

Brings your drums, didges, bells & whistles

Or you can hire a drum from squire Jon for R10

 



 

 

 
SETH, the BANX & Customize
 
Saturday 4 April – 3pm – R70

Venue: Robson’s Brewery, Shongweni

Kassier road, 5kms from the N3 and the M13
Introducing a brand new kiddie band – Customize!!


SETH biography

Seth is a four piece melodic rock band from Durban, South Africa. The band have been together from 2004 and matured into an exceptional live act since the release of their debut album. The current line up consists of Preston Ellapen (Vocals, guitar), Jesse Pillay (Lead guitar, backing vocals), Wayne Chetty (Bass guitar) and Brandon Marigadu (Drums). Seth’s remarkable sound is similar but not derivative to U2, Bryan Adams and Switchfoot.

Seth’s sound has been compared to great bands like Three Doors Down (Barney Simon – GoTv; Tuks Fm, Radio 2000), Counting Crows and Goo Goo Dolls (Wicked Mike – Wicked Records) but the band personally reflects their music to the likes of U2, Bryan Adams, Switchfoot and at times Creed/Alterbridge.

The band uses poignant lyrics embedded in well structured riffs and emotional choruses that challenge our choices and decisions into our own demise. In a nutshell Seth’s sound could be described has melodic, post-grunge, contemporary rock.
 
www.sethonline.co.za


The BANX biography

The Banx - A new definition of Hardcore Rock!

True Durbanites with a steel sound that gets you off the couch and on the dance floor, presenting The Banx, a trio that brings punk and rock & roll together to form a united mind blowing sound.
 
The band launched their first album with smash hits like “Candy Pop” and “If I dream”. Recordings off their second EP were completed in 2008 with the tracks “Silent Circus” and “Pattern Freak” promising to take rock to new heights.

The band has been rocking for five years now and is still rolling strong. One of their greatest achievements includes making it on the South African Top 20 chart where they climbed for 13 weeks, making third position.

A strong sound, a fresh beat and a crowd wowing performance will definitely keep The Banx in the lead.
 
The Banx are forever keeping with the times and providing the crowds with new tracks such as “You Said You Had To” a brand new song that you can’t but sing along to!
 
www.myspace.com/thebanxband

 

…and Customize biography

Our band started at the end of class 4, when we started with only one electric guitar. We have now improved, and are now a 5 member band. The current band members are Mathew (lead singer), Joshua (guitar & background vocals), Kai (guitar & background vocals), Connor (bass guitar), and Zac (drums). We may be young, but we really know how to rock! We have played a couple of small gigs.
 
THIS IS GOING TO FUN!! J


SHOMON band

Sunday 5 April – 2pm – R50

Nu venue: Giba Gorge mountain bike park, Marianhill
 
Shomon biography
 
Performing only her own original compositions is a brave move for anyone in the music industry. Her non-commercial, yet deeply moving lyrics and melodies have been described by the media and fellow musicians as meaningful, nourishing, igniting all the senses, unique, unpredictable, beautiful, necessary and magical.

Shomon and music are synonymous – she doesn’t play the piano, her fingers make love to the keyboard, as she transports her audience into another dimension, usually with goosebumps! Her voice is Shomon’s most powerful instrument, transforming her from a gentle healing angel into a powerful and raunchy “rock chick” in the space of a few bars. Shomon’s lyrics reflect and reveal the reality of her own personal journey through life, with her observations, feelings and emotions laid bare, allowing her audience to recognise and embrace many things within themselves. It is not so much a performance, but rather an awesome experience, for both the artist and her audience.
 
Building on and developing the gifts she was born with, Shomon studied Opera at Sahmyook University, Seoul, South Korea, and has recently spent a year at the Berklee School of Music in Boston, USA. “I have realised that my gift in life is my relationship with music and, after being coaxed into performing, it has been a rollercoaster ride of opportunities, performances, collaborations, blessings, abundance and self-discovery”
 
Listen to her music at: www.myspace.com/goosebumpgirl  or www.shomon.co.za

 

 
The MEDITATORS Fri 17th Apr  7pm Alliance Française  

With Heels over Head & Toi Toi Toi – R50

 

FOX FYRE with ZOé & SOMEBODY’S CHILD Sat 18th Apr @ Lavender Blue 3pm

It is Zimbabwe independence day so it will be a fundraiser.  Bring with your drums as we will have an after party

 

GARY THOMAS & GUY BUTTERY Sun 19th Apr 3pm @ Alliance Française R50

 

TONY COX Fri 24th APR  7pm back from the UK for an SA Tour @ Kloof –R90

& Sat 25th Apr – venue to be decided

    

 STRUMMING THE RAILS EPISODE #2

Anne is back from the States armed and ready to shoot – chapter 2 of Strumming the Rails. Last year saw history written and trustfully this year will continue the ripple. So for all involved in the 27 July 2008

WATCH THIS SPACE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

PAGAN FREEDOM DAY Mon 27 Apr @ the Hacienda IN MONTESEEL – calling all traders, crafters, speakers & workshop leaders to be part of this beautiful event starting 1pm and proudly hosting Toi Toi Toy and other bands from 4pm. Anyone else who wants to jam on stage, please step up and shine! Bring drums, fire toys, and STUFF

 

MAY

Sat 2nd May     L.K.J

@ BLUFFSHOW GROUNDS FEATURING THE MEDITATORS, TUFFY & THE TUFF MASTERS & MANY MORE

 

JOSIE FIELD TOUR- Thurs 7th to 10th May

 

THE RISE & 2 GREAT DJ’S Sat 16th May @ ZULU JAZZ LOUNGE 8PM

 

Danielle Pascal Tour 26 – 30th - Venues to be confirmed