Okmalumkoolkat, image: Chris Saunders

‘Siyasebenza, afta five we come alive’ (Dirty Paraffin – ‘Download Part 2′)

It’s now 17:17 on my clock. Will you be getting alive tonight?
I do not work a nine to five anymore. I work around the clock but I am focused on my passions so I’m always alive. You pass time until you knock off if you are doing something you’re not really interested in as your day job.

Where does your moniker come from?
The moniker, Okmalumkoolkat, was inspired by DJ Cool Cat on UKhozi FM. From as far back as I can remember, this guy had a kid’s request show on Saturday mornings. Kids would call in and sing their favourite songs and give shout-outs. I thought this was a really cool concept for a radio show. I have never come across any other DJ with a show similar to this. The man was also heavily involved in Ukhozi FM radio drama, which is also a big inspiration in my storytelling.

 
Dirty Paraffin – ‘Papap! Papap!’

For someone who’s never listened to, or had the chance to get familiar with Dirty Paraffin or Okmalumkoolkat, how would you describe your craft?
It’s music that should be made in the now but be inspired by the future and the past.

We aim to trigger a new world mindset in those who dare to listen and understand.

What would you say is the biggest difference when it comes to Okmalumkoolkat performing as part of Dirty Paraffin vs. personal projects?
When I play Dirty Paraffin shows I play Dirty Paraffin tracks only. When I play Okmalumkoolkat shows I can perform tracks from Dirty Paraffin, tracks from Sebenza and tracks from my unreleased projects. I am a mixtape.

 
LV and Okmalumkoolkat – ‘Sebenza’ ( Hyperdub July 2012)

 

In an interview with Dazed & Confused, LV describe you as ‘a unique and amazing artist who makes us laugh and bowls us over.’ Any words for them?
Yebo. LV is one of the freshest production teams to come knocking at my door and I guess we met [so that we could] dent a little of ourselves into music history.

For the album, Sebenza, you didn’t get to meet Will & Simon of LV, but only Gerv. What was the process like, any major hiccups?
I had met Gerv way back in 2010 when we did ‘Boomslang‘ and I had started communicating with Will and Simon around about that time. So by the time we started on this project I was comfortable with the guys.

There were no hiccups at all. We were sending tracks back and forth like we had planned. They respect my song writing skills and my music direction and I trust them with the projects we put out so there were no major misunderstandings.

behind the scenes of 'Sebenza', image: Frances van Jaarsveldt

What did you and Gerv get up to in your spare time (if there was any)?
Whenever Gerv is in South Africa (he usually comes down because he has family out here). We meet up, rehearse, play shows and record tracks. It’s been like that since day one.

I met Will and Simon in Amsterdam a couple of months back and we did exactly the same thing. We met for the first time at round 14h00 at a festival and played their show around 17h00. We went for a young rehearsal afterwards and played my show at 22h00 that same night. We recorded a couple of tracks at their hotel room the very next day.

Some of your lyrics for ‘Sebenza’ are: ‘Since a way back they’ve been trying to silence us…/ Rubber bullets.’ Do you think people are still being silenced?

I guess there are other ‘rubber bullets’ used today. It’s always a struggle with ‘the powers that be’ to adhere to the ‘freedom of speech’ stipulation that comes with democracy.

You mentioned that the first time you saw street racing go down was in Umlazi early ’90s. Have you been back there and what are people doing now to pass time? Is it still car racing?
I was in Umlazi [just over] a week ago. People are really in party mode in Durban, they are very involved in the Durban kwaito movement. It’s a lifestyle. There are a thousand beat producers and there’s a new dance move every two months or so. People also look good in Durban, it must be the tropical climate.

So I saw you busting the ‘Taxi Driver’ in a video – Have you ever done any train surfing?
I was an only child till I was 11, so train missions with my friends were a no-go. Hell, I wasn’t allowed to go to the beach without my mother’s supervision up until I was a teen. Some of my friends did train surf but we all ended up in dance groups in the ’90s. It was a good exercise and the girls loved it.

Your track – ‘Download This Part II’ (listen above!) – has the lyrics ‘VIRGIN EARDRUMS GET DEFLOWERED’ – What deflowered your eardrums?
I’d say listening to a guy named Johnny Dimba when I was young. He would take instrumentals from Motown and recite Zulu poetry/ stories over them. Mind blowing stuff. Also the first time I heard Kraftwerk I was taken aback, especially because I had just read about them in that book ‘Last Night a DJ Saved My Life: History of the DJ’.

What do you think of kwaito today, and the fact that it has more house influences now than back in the days of artists such as Arthur Mafokate, Zola and TKZee, where it had influences of hip-hop?
Kwaito was really house music slowed down to like a 100 BPM when it hit in the early ‘90s. Kwaito is influenced by what the world has been feeding us, so all these artists making kwaito will make it the best way they see fit. There is no one formula.

On LinkedIn you describe yourself as ‘A student in packaging and selling ideas’. What is the biggest idea you’ve ever been sold?
Biggest idea they sold to me at college was ‘ think outside the box’. I bought it so much that when they organized an internship for me I turned it down because it was contradictory.

Okmalumkoolkat Koolhunting Klub , image: Thanda Kunene

You’ve said that “Okmalumkoolkat’s Koolhunting Klub” is not a fashion label or a brand. So what differentiates a project from a label?
Well, it’s an on-going project because it’s developing still. I started the club as a side project where I could source and sell lifestyle products to my friends more than four years ago. Then I got really interested in remixing clothing so we started on denim jackets last year. This year, I went crazy and collaborated with people to make products for the club. What I have also realized is that I get to improve my design language with every collection we work on – it’s more exciting than a gallery exhibition in my opinion.

My label will come in the future. I am just gathering tools for now.

Also you mentioned that it’s a project you’ve been working on for as long as you can remember. Is there perhaps a certain memory/time that you do remember that could have led to this project?
The remixing was triggered by Dr. Romanelli and Taz Arnold in America. Then I remembered how I used to customize my gear. The fascination with denim really stems from the fact that I couldn’t afford it for a long time back in the ‘90s. Check out my blog for a more in-depth story on that (go HERE).

The OKMKK Kool Hvnting Klvb MMXII Kollezioni 2012 Part II

The parrot is a take on how people have different personalities online compared to their real life ones.–> Does this apply to you as well? What’s the main difference between your persona online vs. real-life?
There’s a big difference. Online, I can reTweet something you tweeted because I know I wouldn’t necessarily put it out there but I am still backing you up. There are many ways of saying something online. You can put up an image to show your mood and feelings. You can do the same with your daily outfits but only a couple of people catch those messages. I am also pretty shy in real life but I can come off as a loud-mouth on my blog and my music.

As an avid observer of everyday life – anything you’ve come across in the last few days that the general observer might have missed?
The climate and weather patterns have really changed, it’s not a joke. Stores need to stock jackets in summer and vice versa.

Is there anyone you would like to interview and what would you like to ask?
I’d like to interview Shaka Zulu and ask him if he knew his influence was going to last this long and also what inspired the empire concept.

What are you listening to right now? What’s your “go-to” track/artist?
‘Manage Expectations‘ by Cid Rim.

Dirty Paraffin X Paul Shiakallis, image: Paul Shiakallis

Apparently Pioneer Unit’s Damien Stevens considers you one of SA hip hop’s best rappers. Do you consider yourself a rapper?
I don’t know if I am a rapper. My style is more poetry, I play electronic gadgets and I tend to sing a lot so I consider myself a musician.

You worked with Spoek on his new album, Future Sound of Mzansi, with the track – ‘Skorokoro’. Have you owned one?
I am actually looking for a cheap cheap skorokoro next year. A Honda Civic would be ideal but I would settle for a station wagon Toyota Cressida any day.

What made you decide (along with Spoek Mathambo, Bra Solomon & Ayobah) to do a rendition of Brenda Fassie’s classic ’80s hit ‘Weekend Special‘?
‘Weekend Special’ had to be done. It’s a classic. It was Spoek’s project though so maybe he would satisfy that question.

What’s your favourite slang word/phrase?
Shambeez ( crazy ).

Ultimately, when it comes to Okmalumkoolkat (Smiso Zwane) there are no words better to describe him than his own:

‘I am the one. The 8bit champ! The member, the compadre, The Bigbootyholic, Booty Inspector, Duke of Casio. FutureMfana MfanaFuture. Zulu Compura. Smart Mompara. Super Tsatsatsa. International Pansula. Bhuti Yang’chaza. Bhuti Yang’ Washa. Boomslang. The Sjambok Ambu. okmalumkoolkat. Okmalumkillacombo. Holy Oxygen. Smiso’

LINKS:

Blog

Tumblr

YouTube

Twitter

SoundCloud

interview by: Sarah Claire Picton, November 2012
images by: Chris Saunders, Frances van Jaarsveldt, Jamal Nxedlana, Paul Shiakallis, Thanda Kunene

Image: CTEMF

Benga – Image: CTEMF

Other acts revealed include American house producer Justin Martin, UK bass hero Benga, a collaborative performance from local stars Jullian Gomes and Culoe De Song, Protoculture, Black Coffee, Dirty Paraffin, Haezer, Portable (UK), J-Phlip (US) and Crazy White Boy.

COMPETITION

 
 

To win a bar tab to the worth of your ticket or a VIP upgrade follow these steps:

 
Like one small seed and CTEMF on Facebook

Leave a comment below telling us who you’re looking forward to see most
 

The two winners will be announced on Monday 3 February at 12h00
 

Image: CTEMF

Old Money, image: Lichiban

oss: How are things going that side?
A.J: Quite well. Can’t complain at all. I mean, we could, but you’ve got your own problems don’t you?

How’s NYC?
The same as it’s ever been. Beautiful and ugly. ‘Life In Marvelous Times’ by Mos Def pretty much captures my feelings on it at the moment.

How do you find the current state of hip-hop?
I don’t follow hip-hop too closely these days. And by these days I mean past several years. Most of what I listen to has no words or words that ain’t English. From what I glean though, it’s vibrant. It’s evolving. I think what I’d like to see though, beyond new faces and new clothes and new types of beats getting out there, is also some more progressive representation in terms of attitudes/lifestyle/etc. ‘Hot new artists X Y and Z’ are cool and might have the hot streetwear shit but if a dude got the same mind state as his predecessors then that doesn’t bode well for women, gay people, poor people and so on…

Ahmad Julian aka Scheme, image: Olivia Seally

Do you feel it’s an interesting moment to be in the music industry?
Yeah…. now there’s no model on how to ‘make it.’ Though to be frank, we stopped giving a shit about that in the traditional sense a while ago. Anyway, it’s interesting because there’s more people than ever (or so it feels/seems) making music.

But the machine as we once knew it is pretty much dead.

So, what’s behind the name OLD MONEY
We thought about what we weren’t (wealthy white people in America) and just went with that. We’re thinking about changing our name to CRIME though, it gets more to the point of how old money muhfuckas got their shit anyway.

Moozlim Oils Sage - Behind-The-Scenes, image: MEGA.DOPE.POP

 
You have such a unique blend of influences, tell us a bit about the mix you put together for VANE.
That’s really what it was about – showing some of our influences and the connectedness of the communities where this music is coming from – and also connecting it to the past. If we really went in though, like for real for real, that shit woulda’ been 12 hours long.

Why do you feel it important to ‘stretch the limits of new age music’?
It’s really just about keeping ourselves entertained at this point. Andre and I have been making music together for a while now. So one year, we might wanna rap our asses off. The next, we’re making punk tracks that you might not ever hear. And the next, only recording chants over soca and hopping around on stage.

You’ve mentioned Spoek Mathambo, are there any other SA artists that you guys are listening to/spreading the word about?

DJ Spoko‘s shit is dope. I’ve only heard a couple joints but would love to hear more. Dirty Paraffin. DJ Mujava. Culoe De Song. A few others.

Any comment on Die Antwoord?
Not really.

 

 
Tell us a bit about the Visitors mix that debuted on The New Inquiry.
We, along with Lamin Fofana, didn’t feel like doing some trendy shit. We thought it would be more interesting to get to the root of the forms we fuck with today. For those that don’t know, a lot of the approach and production techniques used in dub reggae decades ago is where a lot of the experimentation in modern electronic music comes from. Thematically, we also felt it was fitting given the cosmic vibe of a lot of the records we were drawn to – and our whole shit is like real life black science fiction anyway. Hence ‘Visitors’.

Any plans to visit here in the future?
Book us and we’ll be in there like swimwear.

Do you go back to Jamaica often?
I’ve been back a couple of times in the past few years after a long stretch of not going. No offence to mi bredren, but I’m trying to see some new shit.

Any gigs/festivals coming up that you’ve been amped about for a while?
We just played a benefit for Hurricane Sandy victims that was thrown by our friend Va$htie. ‘Amped about for a while’ might not be the right description, since the whole thing came together just a couple of days before, but it went really well and it was really nice of her to have us be a part of it.

Our dream is for all parties to have some sort of social component.

Other than that – we have a record that just came out with the homie Lamin Fofana – so expect us to hit a few spots on the east coast of the US in the coming weeks/months. SXSW and some international things on the horizon for next year.

 

 
Your music video for ‘DC1A-+- Gamma Rayz (snippet)‘ presented some interesting views on humanity and philosophy while diving into Egypt’s history. Elaborate a little for us.
Well it all, more or less, stems from the fact that niggas is the OG E.T.s (original extra-terra-astrals). Sun-Ra said that ‘if you find Earth boring / just the same old, same thing / come on sign up with Outer Spaceways Incorporated.‘

I love that song, but if I could amend it I’d make it say ‘if you find Earth fucking intolerable’, because that’s what it’s been like for people of colour. Particularly poor ones. So it shouldn’t be no surprise that niggas stay looking back. Looking forward. And looking up. Because if we look around, we’ll go crazy. Everyday lunacy being accepted as the norm is enough to drive a good-hearted individual mad. And we’re barely holding it together over here.

Andre Oswald, image: by MEGA.DOPE.POP

Old Money, image: Lichiban

In creating your diaspora music, what’s one thing you always try to do?
Make something that’ll stand up to our own critiques.

How have you been received by your local audiences?
It varies. Sometimes it’s all love. Like, some people seem genuinely refreshed to see/hear us. Sometimes it’s ‘what the fuck?’

What do you guys do when you are not making music?
Read. Currently Bloodchild & Other Stories by Octavia Butler. Live. Watch some shit on Netflix. Kick it with dope individuals that inspire us. Shouts to ALIEN!

Any views on the whole ‘Mayan’ thing?
If I’m supposed to be scared, I’m not.

Beat-wise, what can we expect in 2013?
Evolution from Old Money. The New Black Mythology.

Old Money, image: Lichiban

Lastly, any chance of giving us a little rhyme?
Fantastic phantasm
Wanted for a lab experiment by NASA
Extract the data, coat the space capsules
Shield from the UV Rays that’s coming at ‘em.

Breaking atoms, since Adam’s rib, smashin’
Black magic, speed through the space fabric
…leave a demon choked
And fleeing for horizons receding on approach.

Bankhead (WAV file) bouncin’
Douse ‘em with flames like he Dhalsim
I’m like a hunned thousand pounds of 24 carat piled in
Draped in cowskin the color of fresh scallion.

Flames hopskotch in my veins.
Blood made from molten gold chains.
Conductor of a high vibration.
Charles Darwin didn’t die…I ate him.

…Survival of the what
I’m ridin’ on a comet, kamikaze, nigga what
Who could I be? Prolly starbody
Blue navi, annunaki, make you spill ya lil’ mochafrappalatte.

Who could I be? Prolly starbody
Over Hoover’s dead body, put my dick where his eye be.
(Then) teleport to a project lobby
Free minds, now he got the FBI tryin’ to find him.

taken from Chants – ‘Night After Night’ (Old Money Remix)

Some links!!!

Check out OLD MONEY’s SoundCloud, music videos & Blog. The single – Ethiopia b/w Nāga by Old Money & Lamin Fofana – is available now on iTunes and bandcamp. And Keep track of what are up to by following them on Twitter!
 

Old Money & Lamin Fofana, image: Olivia Seally

 
images: OLD MONEY, Lichiban, Olivia Seally, MEGA.DOPE.POP

JOBURG PARTY! A snapshot of South Africa’s new youth underground from Windeck Productions on Vimeo

“Joburg Party”, image: screen grab

“Joburg Party”, image: screen grab

“Joburg Party”, image: screen grab

Credits:

A Film by Rod Stanley & Chris Saunders.
Edited by Rob Hannah.

Music Video Credits:

DIRTY PARAFFIN in collaboration with CUSSMONTHLY
Edited & Directed by: Ravi GOVENDER
Shot by: Justin MCGEE & Jamal NXEDLANA
Animation by: Lex TRICKETT
Styled by: Jamal NXEDLANA & Ravi GOVENDER
vimeo.com/24394476

Dirty Paraffin – ‘Papap! Papap!’
Directed by Smiso Zwane.
Footage by Lebogang Rasethaba.
Edited by Ravi Govender.
youtube.com/watch?v=HITto4e6BK4

Artist: mtkidu
Song: ‘Skeleton key’
album: skeleton key 2012
free music: MT KIDU
Written and Directed by MJ Turpin
Dop: Chris Saunders and Justin Mcgee
Edit: Malcolm Che
Producer: MJ Turpin

MTKIDU SNUFF HOUSE PARTY ARCHIVE 1992.
Artist: Mtkidu
Album: shakawon 2010
Track: ‘Zombie’
Written, Produced and Directed
by MJ Turpin and Nick Nesbitt.
Dop. Robyn Nesbitt
Edited Nick and Robyn Nesbitt.

Bhubesii – ‘Members Only’.
directed by Obrian Manana and Khaya Sibiya
Cinematography Sims Phakisi
Edited By Themba Mbelu
youtu.be/izrRttbuzUA