Making use of our digital magazine features, we have been able to breathe new life to previous print content – and everything has truly come together, just how we always envisioned! Please take your time to go through this magazine (all at once or a little bit each day) as a lot of work went into producing every edition and every page, since we first launched in 2005. This issue is a superlative balance of content, comprising of traditional and contemporary art, photography, fashion editorials, exclusive interviews, videos, feature articles, music, and the best of one small seed TV.
 
So, without further ado…
 

 
Follow us on:

Facebook
Twitter: @onesmallseedSA
onesmallseed.net

 
We caught up with various artists who performed at CTEMF and chatted to Dave Ireton, one of the organisers, to find out what they had to say looking back at the event – one which has surely been a milestone in South Africa’s electronic music scene history.


 
Fabio Di Cosmo aka DJ Cosmo from Digital Rocket(Listen!)
 

© Digital Rockit

The CTEMF exceeded my expectations in many ways, and although Sunday was not as busy as previous days, I was still amazed that on the third day the crowd had such a high level of energy.

Deep-house seemed to be the order of the day. Although I was only there for Black Coffee and Bruno Morphet, they both delivered quality sets with Bruno definitely delivering some of the deepest music of the festival. In the evening when we (Digital Rockit) played, the crowd was well into it and it went down really well, it was such a pleasure to play to them. I was very impressed with Regan’s underground quality techno and thought Goldfish killed it.

I thought the layout and location of the festival was pure genius, the sloped floor leading down towards the stage and backstage area were brilliant, the sound was amazing, the bars were always clean and quick and the weather just perfect.

Here’s to CTEMF 2013.
 
 
 
Floyd Lavine:

© Floyd Lavine

My CTEMF experience was one I will never forget, being able to say I was there from the beginning will one day be my ‘claim to fame when telling my gran kidz.’ I was booked to play on Sunday for CTEMF, I was rather nervous about my performance, firstly because it was great honour to be part of the first ever electronic music festival and secondly because I only had a little bit of sleep before my set which was at 13h00. When I arrived on Sunday it was rather empty so I was kind of relieved as my nerves were starting to get a hold of me. Many of the stage managers were very cool and professional, they made sure I was well looked after and made me feel at ease, which allowed me to focus on my set.

For me the most important part about CTEMF was how professional the whole event was run. Truly a worldclass event that I believe will grow, and in future become the cornerstone of the Cape Town music calendar.

I am very proud to have been one of the artists chosen.
 
 
 
Audiophile021 and Richard the Third:

Audiophile021

 
Do you think it was a good decision to have held the festival over three days?

Audiophile021:The three-day festival was a good idea as you cannot showcase the diversity of genres in only one day.

You need the time for the festival to grow – to morph. Numbers are not the most important thing. This is the first time we have hosted something like this in SA; CTEMF really set a standard, and people should be aware of that. (Audiophile021)

Richard the Third:It could only be done over three days. That’s the essence of a city festival like Sonar or Detroit Music Festival, that you go and party and come home and go out the next day. Also it was necessary to have at least three days to accommodate the line-up of artists that reflect SA electronic music; 1 day would have just scratched the surface.

Richard the Third

You spoke to a whole lot of industry people and artists in the Red Bull workshops that led up to the CTEMF – which workshops were most informative for you, and any words you’d like to reiterate for artists that could not attend?

Audiophile021: The lectures leading up to CTEMF were all free for the public to absorb information and network with people they would never usually get a chance to meet. I mean when you’re starting off, how do you get a chance to really sit down and get to know these people? When you have Dominique Gawlowski from Griet – an artist and management events company – sitting on a couch telling you about how signing artists and her experiences, well, it’s fantastic. We do these talks often but dedicated three days of talks, getting to grips about the industry and for artists to find out things themselves was a great idea – and a really good marketing strategy.

You can never underestimate the value of lectures.(Audiophile021)

Richard the Third: That’s not something I can easily answer! Because I hosted all the Red Bull sessions, they were all equally informative and fascinating packed with information.

I guess if there is one overall point to come out of the workshops is that artists need to balance being as independent as possible in the modern music world, at least initially in their career, and always remain focused on the music that they love making and playing. (Richard the Third)

 

CTEMF

How was your set?

Audiophile021: Yeah, it was a good one – I played beats that I looked and searched hard for – that, without sounding cheesy, felt a connection to. I had a good one.

The sound system was fucking incredible. (Audiophile021)

Richard the Third: For my set, personally I found the crowd really open. Got to play a nice range of bassy, housy stuff and harder edged stuff which I can’t normally play at other venues.

 
Any suggestions – being someone in the industry – for CTEMF 2013?

Nothing for the organisers, rather more for the people of Cape Town.That they should embrace partying during the day. (Audiophile021)

I mean to stop the mentality of ‘let’s go see a 10pm movie and then head over to the festival’. The festival was the perfect day setting, views over granger bay – cream of the crop artists playing during the day. You don’t need drugs to have a good party!

Richard the Third: Nope Everything was perfect.

CTEMF

CTEMF

Your opinion concerning the venue of CTEMF and over all organisation of event?

Richard the Third: Very well organised, there were no hiccups from my side. The venue is great for it being a festival that attracts an international audience as it’s well-located and has a great view of the ocean and mountain. Nothing like raving with the smell of the sea in the air!

Did you watch any other sets, if so, who was your favourite?

Felix Laband and Fletcher were amazing, playing their own stuff mixed over with quirky South African voice samples and Kid Fonque played a really diverse and varied set which I enjoyed a lot, but overall I felt like everyone brought their A-Game.(Richard the Third)

 

CTEMF

CTEMF, Mr Sakitumi & The Grrrl

We are very happy with the way the festival ran, we did not have one issue all weekend, our team was incredible… bars ran smoothly, the door never had a hiccup, the production was incredible, no noise complaints and best of all, positive reviews! We are so excited to get working on CTEMF 2013, there are some areas we feel we can improve on! Personally my favourite acts were… Kalahari Surfer, Markus Wormstorm, Felix Laband, Mr Sakitumi & The Grrrl, El Gordo, Monique Pascall, Black Coffee, Bruno Morphet, Dean Fuel, Regan, Goldfish and Ivan Turanjanin but that’s because I’m a bit of a techno-head I guess. Everyone was brilliant!

Big thanks to all the people of who came along and were part of the first Cape Town electronic music festival, and a big thanks to all our partners without you guys this festival would never had happened!

CTEMF, artist: AKA

CTEMF

Well, that’s it for now. From the team at one small seed, thanks to the above peeps for taking the time to speak with us and big ups to Dave Ireton and Duncan Ringrose (the other main organiser behind the CTEMF) for making this event happen and keep us informed about the next one guys.

Some links to check out!
If you haven’t yet browsed through our EleKTRONiK Dialogue category on onesmallseed.com, then here’s a few links to some of our video interviews with artists who played at the CTEMF.

Niskerone

Tommy Gun

Bruce Willis??

Felix Laband

Blush n Bass

Keep posted for upcoming interviews with Audiophile021, Protoculture and Haezer! Keep posted to our Facebook page and follow us on Twitter @onesmallseedSAfor updates!.

CTEMF

one small seed in conjunction with Olmeca Editión Black Tequila present a new edition to one small seed magazine: The Elektronic Dialogues; offering our readers an intimate showcase of the diversity in our local and international electronic music scene. In Issue 24 – our latest issue in stores now! – we brings you Blush n Bass and Felix Laband, and to follow is the full interview with Felix Laband.

1977 was the year that electronic music pioneers Kraftwerk released Trans-Europe Express. And the year that Felix Laband was born. Like his German counterparts, the Kwa-Zulu Natal-born electronic producer/artist employs a distinctive sound that fuels his X Generation. Bringing in classical music, jazz and old TV recordings, his hauntingly nostalgic soundscape is a minimalist mish-mash laced with themes of politics, pornography and pop culture. Laband takes a break from working on his new album deaf safari after a six-year hiatus and shares some fuel with one small seed.

Who is DJ Snakehips? Are you still playing gigs as Felix?
DJ Snakehips is just an opportunity for me to play anything I want instead of my own material. I am really into all sorts of music, especially crazy band music from the ‘50s and ‘60s and the music I grew up on: the dark stuff from the ‘80s. I also love kwaito and jazz and ‘60s French big beat and modern classical music. And all the Talking Heads-era music. I don’t just listen to electronic music.

Tell me about your new work.
It’s an honest attempt to try and capture the world we live in and expose it in all its beauty and flaws. In my previous work, I tried to create a world that was very far from reality. I wanted to create a space wherein the listener could disappear and find a piece of their own imagination. I didn’t want to dictate the listener’s experience. I wanted to be the LSD and they could have their own trip. But with this album, I wanted to express my feelings about things as I am generally very disturbed by contemporary society and need to comment now.

Describe your sound and style.
My sound is a mix of electronics and raw natural sounds with lots of juxtaposed samples that I’ve been recording over the years. Politicians, preachers, talk show hosts, porn stars. This album returns to some more traditional ‘80s style verse and chorus arrangements. My love of kwaito and local house is also a strong influence and this album will feature vocals for the first time. There’s some beautiful music and some in-your-face reality that may not please everybody.

How do you represent politics in your music and visuals?
For the last six years, I’ve been keeping a visual diary of my experiences in South Africa. The mass media today has eaten our souls and left us a blind, frivolous generation. We are spoonfed all these crap ‘reality’ shows and vulgar celebrities… and we swallow. Americans seem completely hoodwinked about the evil things they do, like invading countries for oil, and South Africans praise corrupt politicians who lead them Pied Piper-style to their own destruction. Pornography is a huge part of our society and two mouse clicks away, but is never spoken of. This new media bill is the beginning of the End, but all we care about is Paris Hilton. My art helps me to express all the things I want to comment on that my music can’t express. I will soon start working very closely with the two different media.

How has the ‘Scene’ changed over the last ten years?
I think the scene today is about to get very exciting because everybody is able to produce music now and there are so many kids doing so. The competition will be fierce and the truly talented will win the battle. Hopefully people will stop putting up with shit.

What is success to you?
A couple of things. Firstly, it is about being able to live comfortably doing what I love, being able to travel and meet other artists that inspire me. And secondly, it’s about leaving behind music that has the power to change people’s lives, help them identify who they are and inspire them to be creative with integrity and passion.

How’s it been getting back into music after your break?
That break was very important to me as everything exploded when I was quite young and it has given me the opportunity to really think about who I am and what it is that I want to do creatively. I started reading more and that has inspired me on a more political level. But I have also found that the older I get, the more critical I am of my work and it has been really hard for me to finish deaf safari. But playing again has definitely helped with my confidence as the reception has generally been great so far.

What are your plans?
I’m playing quite a lot in the near future. Just watch the press. After I release the album, I plan to tour Europe for a while. I would also love to work with Professor or L’vovo Derrango.

What was it like to come from a small town in Kwa-Zulu Natal and achieve local and international recognition in the electro music industry?
I always knew that this would be my life, so it has felt very natural.

‘Click HERE for a preview of the latest issue of one small seed, Issue 24 “Listen to my Colour and Look at my Sound”

Artwork: Felix La Band

Issue 24 of one small seed asks you to ‘Listen to my Colour and Look at my Sound’. Music, motion, words and colour – looking beyond the obvious, our latest issue brings a union of the senses. To follow is an all-inclusive preview of the new issue: a full breakdown of content that resonates with inspiration. Hold on tight…

The human story is told in the language of pop culture. Coca Cola designed Santa Claus and Hugo Boss the uniforms for the Order of the Death’s Head. Jimi played The Star Spangled Banner at Woodstock and the Devil went down to Georgia. David Byrne wore a big suit and Princess Leia that bikini. We couldn’t handle the truth, needed a bigger boat and loved the smell of napalm in the morning. Assorted male models shot JFK, RFK and JR, then Biggy Smalls, Tupac and the Sheriff. And something made Andy Warhol’s Marilyns smile. Maybe it was the hand up the Mona Lisa’s skirt. (Gustav Swart)

This issue’s theme of ‘Listen to my Colour and Look at my Sound’ led us to some odd doors as we sought artists that bridged the divide between the visual and the aural.  An interview with legendary album artist Storm Thorgerson – referred to some as the 6^th member of Pink Floyd – allowed us to revisit the aesthetics of the ’70s, while 21^st Century poster designer Dan Khulken tells us about making posters for bands like Black Keys and The National. Issue 24 is a 30 000-plus words visual explosion, and one such visually exploding artist we spoke to is the infamous Gonzo illustrator and Hunter S Thompson’s partner-in-grime, Ralph Steadman. Another artist that tore through the ’70s and still doing what he does best is Horace Panter – the bass player of The Specials. In this issue, Panter gives us a candid account of his life in music and his life as an artist, from playing with The Clash to his time working as a white van man, he shares memories of his life on a road less traveled.

Our fashion spread this issue comes direct from Tokyo, Japan. Creating a 3D-like effect, reminiscent of Nintendo games and early Star Wars films, Japanese designer Kunihiko Morinaga created his Low Resolution collection around the 8-bit inspired colorful square blocks. Mari Sarai’s lewd black and white nudes feature as this issue’s photography section, her subjects including celebs like Gavin Rossdale’s daughter Daisy Lowe and model Janice Dickinson. We have a feast for the ears in the form of interviews with Kenya’s globe conquering Just a Band and the revolutionary American poet Abiodun Oyewole – the man who robbed the KKK and worked with legendary Jazz musician Gil Scott-Heron on his famous song ‘The Revolution will not be Televised’.

Ever tasted the letter ‘f’? Or smelled the colour blue? Well, some people have! One of our main features this issue is on Synesthesia – the condition that lets people see sound as colour – and trace its path through the methods and madness of some of the brightest stars in the human firmament. Click HERE for a preview of the feature. On the local frontier, we sit down with singer/song writer/actress Sannie Fox, electronic trio Digital Rockit and all four members from Cape Town band iScreamStix. Olmeca Editión Black Tequila joins us in showcasing electronic DJs/Producers, with this issue bringing Blush n Bass and Felix Laband to the party.  We watched architecture dance slowly to visible music in our architecture feature, looking at structures like The Sum of Days, NY; Stillspotting, NY; the Jewish Museum, Berlin; Jetty Square and more.

Ending with the beginning, our cover for Issue 24 is devoted to one of the street artist/videographer Mr Brainwash’s tongue-in-cheek creations. This issue features a six-page interview with the artist, who talked to us from his L.A. home about money, art and Andy Warhol. Showcasing at 34FineArt Gallery in Woodstock, Cape Town is an exclusive selection of Mr Brainwash’s latest artwork, including issue 24’s ‘Madonna’ silk screen on paper with spray paint.

Right, without further ado… Here’s the breakdown for Issue 24 “Listen to my Colour and Look at my Sound”.

FEATURES

American Civil Rights Icon

Abiodun Oyewole: Grand, High Wizard

Founder member of The Last Poets talks about verse, Gil Scott-Heron and robbing the KKK. Click HERE to read our blog ‘The Revolution will not be Televised’ and find out more about the legendary Gil Scott-Heron: a spoken word poet, jazz genius and close friend to Abiodun Oyewole.

Defiant Photographer

Mari Sarai’s Girls on Film

Black-and-white nudes that stare right back and you and challenge the Gaze. Check out a video interview we found with Mari Sarai by visiting onesmallseed.tv HERE.

Aural architecture

Echo Chamber: The Sound of Space

Our investigation of sound and concrete spans the globe and classic art movies. First we took Manhattan, then we took Berlin. Click HERE and visit onesmallseed.tv to watch the video titled Berlin: Die Sinfonie der GroBstadt, which showcases a selection of abstract visual content that portrays the ‘life’ of a city.

Cape Town-based breakout band

iScreamStix: It ain’t Sorbet

A big scoop of local talent

Kenyan Globetrotters

Just an Interview with Just a Band

Meet the voice of East Africa’s ‘superhero’ Makmande. He may not exist but he sure kicks ass

Cross-sensory Exploration

Neuromagic: The Harmony of Synesthesia

We dive into the magical world inhabited by synesthetes: individuals who see, hear, feel, smell and even taste colour. Such people include legends of our time, like Syd Barrett of Pink Floyd, Marilyn Monroe and Vladimir Nabokov to name a few. Click HERE for a preview of the feature and then visit one small seed TV to see a video about this unique condition

Genre-busting rocker

Sannie Fox: Rage with the Machine

This star of stage and screen proves that you don’t have to be a fatbottomed girl to make the rocking world go round.

Gonzo illustrator

Ralph Steadman: Another Freak in the Freak Kingdom

We can’t stop here. It’s bat country

Controversial Pop Artist

Mr Brainwash: Laughing all the Way to the Banksy

We got a call from the man who calls himself ‘Banksy’s biggest piece of art’. We’ve uploaded a snippet of the interview featured in the magazine, simply click HERE and see if you can make out who Mr Brainwash really is…

Jozi Beats

Digital Rockit: The Neon Gods they Made

Local veterans of the electronic scene look forward and back

Classic Album Art

Storm Thorgerson: Dark Side of the Tunes

We get under the covers with the man who designed for bands like Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Muse and machineri.

Troubadour’s Poster Boy

Dan Kuhlken: Dreaming of Electric Sheep

The National, The Black Keys, Red Hot Chilli Peppers… just some of the bands that LA-based design team DKNG have worked for

Musical contrasts

eleKTRONIK Dialogues

A new department brought to you in conjunction with Olmeca Editión Black Tequila dedicated to showcasing the best and brightest musical talent.

Ska rocker and painter

Horace Panter: If Music is your Special Thing

The bass player of The Specials went from fame to obscurity and back again

Avant-garde Fashion

Kunihiko Morinaga: Pretty in Pixels

Chic couture meets the chunky pixels of 8-bit arcade games on the catwalk. Check out our interview with Morinaga in the latest issue, and if you’re thirsty for more information on pixel fashion then check out our blog HERE.

DEPARTMENTS

IN STORE

Products for your eyes, hands, and mind…

BOOK REVIEWS

Get the critique on books that will read you.

SELECTED CREATIVES

We reveal the winners for Selected Creatives 06, a showcase of the very best uploaded to onesmallseed.net. Click HERE to check out who made the cut, voted by you on the one small seed network.

FILM REVIEWS

This issue we check out Mike Cahill’s Another Earth; Clint Eastwood’s J. Edgar, Martin Scorsese’s Hugo, Tarsem Singh’s Immortals, Lars von Trier’s Melancholia and Paula Van der Oest’s Black Butterflies.

MUSIC REVIEWS

We dissect the beats that are supposed to move your feet.

NOW SHOWING

Issue 24 showcases some of the most gripping videos we found in 2011, including Influencers; Jeff Staple; Earth time-lapse view from Space; Press Pause Play; Morpho Towers: Two Standing Spirals; Brain Eno’s Imaginary Landscapes and Berlin Die Sinfonie Der Grosstadt, a fascinating video that sheds light on the discourse of aural architecture. Click HERE to watch these awesome videos.

THE LAST WORD

We leave this to South African writer duo Headline Payoff and illustration by Mark Venter.