Shane Cooper is hands down one of the most progressive jazz artists in South Africa. His willingness to explore multiple musical landscapes within his recordings as Card On Spokes has become his very identity, drawing from his experiences as a double bassist and pulling them into music made for the dancefloor. The album Oscillations was awarded the 2014 SAMA for Best Jazz Album. In 2018 his new project, MABUTA, was launched with the album Welcome To This World.

Taking influence from hip hop, house and of course, his jazz roots, Shane has crafted a unique style that is constantly evolving. Card on Spokes has seen rapid success in the last few years, reaching #1 on YFM, getting airplay on BBC Radio 3 and Radio 6, as well as support from Gilles Peterson and Boiler Room debuts.

As a live electronic act, Cards on Spokes incorporates keys, electric bass, and controllers, often flexing out into psychedelic bass solo frontiers, atop a bed of heaving dancefloor-centric beats.

We asked Shane a few questions in the lead up to his performance at the First Thursdays Sessions.

Image by Alexis Dominguez

You’re involved in a range of great musical projects. What’s keeping you busy at the moment? And any other upcoming performances we can look out for? I’ve started writing for the next MABUTA album as well as a new Card On Spokes EP. I’m very excited for MABUTA to play at Endless Daze in November, and a bunch of other cool shows over the next few months. All my upcoming gigs are listed on www.shanecoopermusic.com

Image by Jono Jebus

Where did the love for playing music begin and what lead you to pursue the bass guitar of all instruments? I think my love for playing really started when I first picked up an acoustic guitar at age 12. I got into bass guitar through an opening in my high school jazz band when I was 14, which lead me to discover a passion for the 4 string bass and for jazz music.

What is your experience of being a jazz musician in South Africa in 2019? It’s a very creatively driven period for jazz music in South Africa, but at the same time it’s a very difficult country to tour within because of infrastructure challenges. It means we spend a lot of energy trying to get projects to tour abroad, and this is a mountain of a task due to flight costs, visas etc.

Image by Barry Christianson

What advice would you give to young jazz-influenced musicians looking to break into the local and international jazz scene? It’s a cliché, but always be true to yourself. Study the work of your idols. Find mentors. Listen to as much music as you can. Build lasting friendships in music.

Who’s doing interesting stuff on the local scene that you’d recommend checking out? Bokani Dyer, Thandi Ntuli, Benjamin Jephta, Vuma Levin, Reza Khota, Siya Makuzeni, Nduduzo Makhathini, Marcus Wyatt, and many more.

Image by Jono Jebus

We hear you have some new music coming out soon. Can you tell us a bit more about that? I’m in the final stages of a new 5 track Card On Spokes EP, which is my follow up to As We Surface from 2016. It’s got several vocal feature tracks and some instrumentals as well. I’m very excited to finish it, and I’m hoping to release it this summer.

Top 5 desert island albums (of any genre)?
Radiohead – OK Computer
Oumou Sangaré – Mogoya
Thundercat – Apocalypse
D’Angelo – Voodoo
Any album by Fela Kuti

Image by Aidan Tobias

Where can people follow your projects online?
On instagram @cardonspokes
on my website www.shanecoopermusic.com

Card on Spokes performs at the First Thursdays Sessions on Thursday 1 August 2019. The event series is presented by Auchentoshan Single Malt Whisky, produced by Thursdays Projects, and hosted at The Gin Bar. The performance starts at 9pm sharp, with a DJ set by BÜJIN from 10pm. Upstairs at the Gin Bar, 64a Wale Street.

The Unity Band has been making a name for themselves in the local music industry since the release of their debut album Fabric. The album beautifully captures the amalgamation of the band’s diversity as they explore elements of jazz, hip hop, poetry, salsa, funk and at its core, a contemporary African sound. We caught up with the band and shot them a few questions in the lead up to their show at the upcoming edition of the First Thursdays Sessions at the Gin Bar, 4 July 2019.

Tell us a bit about how The Unity Band initially came together The Unity Band met at the South African College of Music at the University of Cape Town, where we were all in different years studying Jazz. In 2017 Lumanyano (who’s nickname is Unity) approached each of us individually and asked us to play for his performance class (which is a performance slot that students are allowed to fill and have performances every Wednesday, open to the public, showcasing some the work that they’ve been working on) which was the first one of the year. We hadn’t all played as a collective before so this was our first showcase. After the performance we had people asking us if we were going to perform anytime soon and eventually decided to book our first gig at the Great Wizoo. After those two performances we kinda thought “Hey, we’ve got something going here let’s see if we can make it work”, so we booked a few more gigs around the city and then decided to make it official and became a band.

Where did the love for playing music begin and what lead you to pursue the drums of all instruments? [Lumanyano Mzi] The love for playing began in my father’s house. My father being a bandleader and having all the instruments in the house made it possible for me to choose any instrument. I could have played any other instrument, however my heart fell in love with the drums. What led me to play drums is that whenever I’d go watch performances with my father’s band, I’d always be sitting next to the drummer of any of the bands playing in all the concerts and observing how they played. One of the things that I loved was the fact that they always seemed to be enjoying every minute of playing, and you could see that from how they smiled that they were having a lot of fun. Another thing is that they can always play even if there’s no electricity. I’m reminded of a power cut at a festival when I was 7 where the drummer just kept on playing in the dark and how it made the audience so happy.

What is your experience of being a jazz musician in South Africa in 2019? Being a jazz musician in SA is an exciting experience, there is always room to explore and grow and challenge yourself through the different styles that are found in this vast genre. One also learns to have a great work ethic and to learn how to hustle, because you need to constantly be looking for new opportunities to perform and earn enough for you to live well. We are all still quite young, but we are all doing various things in the industry to ensure that we have a long shelf life, and also still enjoy the process of making music along the way. It’s not always an easy journey because of how the arts are supported in our country, but we make it work and are grateful for all the opportunities we do get and the people who support us throughout our journey.

What advice would you give to young jazz-influenced musicians looking to break into the local and international jazz scene? Explore as much music as you can. You never know where you will find inspiration. Work on your business skills too, as the music industry has evolved from only being handled by big businesses and labels. Independent artists are now at the forefront. The only way one can get to the point as an artist who travels the world playing festivals and so forth is to make sure you have all the necessities such as recorded music, biography, videos and live videos, a good social media following, and a fan base. Collaborate and find booking agents, not necessarily managers, but agents all around the world, that you can sell your product to. Most importantly support other musicians, network and build relationships that can also help your career. Have fun, and be true to the music. If you honour the music it will honour you.

Who’s doing interesting stuff on the local scene that you’d recommend checking out? From our peers, we would say Sean Sandby, MSMF, Thembelihle Dunjana, Muneeb Herman, Zoe Molelekwa and from our big brothers and sisters who have been in the game, Mandisi Dyantis, Mabuta, Saba Kaapstad, Youthphemism, Ronan Skillen, Reza Khota, Blake Hellaby.

Top 5 desert island albums (of any genre)?
The Unity Band’s Fabric (always), but if we’d have to exclude ourselves possibly:
Ancient Agents – Ancient Agents
Mrigya – World Harmony
Mandisi Dyantyis – Somandla
Bob Marley – Exodus
Jimmy Dludlu – Afro Centric

Where can people follow your musical movements and find more of your music? People can follow our musical movements and everything in between on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter all @theunitybandza.

The Unity Band will be taking the stage at the second edition of the First Thursdays Sessions on Thursday 4 July 2019. The performance starts at 9pm followed with a DJ set by Marmite Fox from 10pm. Upstairs at the Gin Bar, 64a Wale Street. The First Thursdays Sessions are presented by Auchentoshan Single Malt Whisky and produced by Thursdays Projects.

We sat down with the multi-talented, ever-astounding, artist Olivié Keck to chat about her practice, recent movements, animated movements and of course, some of her favourite records. Catch a mini-exhibition of Olivié’s works along with a DJ set by Olivié at the May 2019 edition of the First Thursdays Cape Town Official Warm-Up at the Gin Bar, 64a Wale Street.

Let’s begin at the beginning. How did you get to where you are today?
I did a BFA at Michaelis. From there on out, I basically took it as it came. Most of what I’ve cultivated in my career has been quite organic and I’ve generally just pursued gut feelings about directions in my practise. I guess my recipe is part hard work, part experimentation.

You have an exhibition showing at CIRCA in Johannesburg at the moment. What has it been like putting a show together in the City of Gold? And what’s your general experience of the place in comparison to Cape Town?
Jozi is a pulsing city. My most recent exhibition Drop Dead Gorgeous was perfect for the deluxe energy of The City of Gold. Cape Town is slow and sleepy in comparison and Joburg audiences really know how to come to the party in a big way. I was so grateful for the positive response.

You’ve done some work with VR before. How did that come about? And do you see yourself experimenting with more alternative media in the future, or was it more of a one time thing? Working in VR just kind of happened organically. I loved the medium and wanted to translate my drawing style into an immersive 3D environment. I was fortunate to know the right tech-savy people that could help me bring my aesthetic vision to life. These projects are very much collaborations between myself, Evan Greenwood (programmer) and Jason Sutherland (Sound Artist). I hope to work more in the medium of VR in future. It’s such a unique space for visual exploration to conjure new worlds.

Long Distance Caller Preview from Olivié Keck on Vimeo.

You’ve shown work in the Gin Bar space before, back when it was still Commune.1. What was the last work that you showed there, and what will you be showing on 2 May? Yeah it’s a weird one because this was the first space I had ever had a major solo exhibition (‘False Priest’,2014). At this event I’ll be showing a reminiscent with a mixed bag of O.K. drawings & prints.

What advice would you give to a young artist that you wish someone had given you when you were starting out?
I think sharing ideas and generating discussion is very important for artists. Being an artist is not about being an island. Be generous with your ideas. This will only make your practice more enriched.

Top 5 ‘desert island’ albums?
Beach House Devotion
Youth Lagoon The Year Of Hibernation
The New Pornographers Mass Romantic
Frank Ocean Blonde
Mica Levi Under Her Skin Soundtrack

Where can people find your work and follow you?
Instagram: @oliviekeck
Website: www.oliviekeck.com

Catch a mini-show of Olivié’s work, as well as a DJ set by the artist at The First Thursdays Official Warm Up between 6 – 9 PM, upstairs at the Gin Bar, 64a Wale Street. The party goes on until late. The First Thursdays Official Warm Up is produced by Thursdays Projects in partnership with Roku Gin.

RSVP HERE

Jean De Wet is one of our all-time-top-5-desert island favourite Cape Town-based artists. With a wide-ranging practice and an even wider-ranging set of projects, side-projects and project-projects, we were lucky enough to sit down with the restless traveller to find out a little more about his journey, the relationship between his seemingly divergent practices and his favourite records. Remember, Jean will be playing a set at the March 2019 edition of the First Thursdays Official Warm-Up at the Gin Bar on Wale Street.

Can you tell us a little more about your path as an artist. Where did you grow up? What did you study? What types of jobs have you had and where do you find yourself at the moment?

I moved around quite a bit as a child. I lived in both Queenstown and Durban before moving to Pretoria at the age of 13. I then studied Information design at the University of Pretoria, until I finally moved to Cape Town after getting a job at Illustration studio Am I Collective. After four years of fast-paced working in the advertising and design world, I decided to go freelance in order to focus on more personal projects and develop skills I would otherwise not have any time for. I’ve been doing that now since 2012… and haven’t really looked back.

Your work spans a number of disciplines and media – from zine-making to painting to print-based-media to animation and music-making. How do you make sense of your practice(s)? Do you find that different parts of personality or psyche, play out in different media or projects?

I think that obsession has a large part to play. I find myself going deep into different disciplines because of how addictive the excitement of discovery and experimentation is. I find that the more I juggle disparate thought processes, the more ideas cross-pollinate and become their own unique things. I tend to meander through interests as they emerge and dissipate, which is also a way for me to keep excited about making things.

Music plays an integral role in your work. Can you please tell us about the relationship(s) between the visual and the aural in your practice. How do the landscapes and the worlds that you create relate to the music and soundscapes that you produce?

I think they both share qualities in the meditative part of the process. With both music and visual art, there is a phase where technical and creative limitations are established, which then becomes a ‘space’ where I can just channel thoughts and experiences, unfettered by whether it will ‘work’ or not. As long as I’m having fun during this phase, I can expect to create something that I’m pleased with. In that way soundscapes and landscapes become ‘emotional maps’, etched over time.

Your advice for people trying to start out in the world of art-or-stuff-making?

I’d say that it’s important to know that it takes lots of time and effort… Probably more than you imagined at first. There are times in your career where you think you can’t push or give any more… but I’ve found that it is those extreme times that you learn the most. Be kind to yourself and remember that life exists outside your projects, but don’t expect to get anywhere without working twice as hard as anyone else. You really need to live and breathe your art.

What are your all-time-top 5 ‘desert island’ albums?

This is obviously a super difficult question… but if I was forced to make a decision right now, I’d say…

Arthur Russell – Love is Overtaking Me
Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti – Worn Copy
Animal Collective – Sung tongs
Boards of Canada – Music has the right to children
Cocteau Twins – Heaven or Las Vegas

Catch what will be an extra special set from Jean, alongside a mini-exhibition of his work at The First Thursdays Official Warm Up between 6 – 9 PM, upstairs at the Gin Bar, 64a Wale Street. The party goes on until late. The First Thursdays Official Warm Up is produced by Thursdays Projects in partnership with Roku Gin.