So this is your first time in South Africa?
It is my first time and I’m enjoying every moment! It’s been non-stop but I’ve been loving it here.

So what have you seen so far? Been to any parties?
Yeah I’ve been to a few… I went to LEGGO last week, at The Waiting Room which was really good, I like the vibe of that. I went to SWIM as well, popped my head in there. I’ve been to the beach, Llandadno I think it’s called. It’s like a postcard, literally.

That’s Cape Town summer for you! Where were you before you came to Cape Town though?
I was in London. Freezing cold London! I don’t miss it at all, I could live here!

And how’s the new album – One of Many – coming along. You had a call for submissions a while ago where you asked people to say ‘I am (insert name) and I am one of many.’ How did you put those recordings to use on the album?
I just wanted people to be part of the project and the process in some way. I try to make music that’s for everyone, you know… The meaning of the record is that I’m just one of many people on this planet and collectively, we make one. That’s why I wanted to get as many people from around the planet as I could. When you get the record you can hear it in the intro and the interlude, so look out for it! It’s not going to be available for sale until next year unfortunately. I wanted it to be out in March/April, but we need to find the right home for it first.

ERIC LAU - IMAGE BY CHRISTINE HOGG

Have you heard any South African music that you like? Any kwaito?
Yeah, I’ve been schooled on some kwaito and the other local artists like Nonku. I knew Zaki from before, my friend from New York put me onto Zaki a while ago and it’s been four years, we’ve been meaning to meet and we keep on missing each other, so we hooked up yesterday and started a track. I also met up with Uno from Ill Skillz, who I met in London at the Red Bull Studios and he introduced me to everyone, and he’s been taking care of me so it’s been great. We’re working on something too.

So you’re working on material with all of them?
Yeah, with Nonku definitely, she laid down some vocals and we just need to finish them up. There’s also some work with Crosby. Redondo… you know they just happened to be in the studio and they asked me what I do, so I played them the music and they were like ‘yeah, we need to jump on this now!’ We laced it in like an hour. It was a fun little track about where they’re from and stuff. Yeah, it’s about going with the flow.

Eric Lau, image: ericlaumusic.com

So if you could pick anyone to work with, who would you pick?
Afrika Mkhize. He’s one of the most talented African pianists I’ve seen and you need to know about him! His father was a great musician too. I met him in London when he was playing for Simphiwe Dana, and it was so great…

(Afrika Mkhize is a great pianist, and this is one gem you should take Eric’s word for. Check him out here.)

Obviously I’d like to work with D’Angelo… The Bilal’s and the Badu’s of the world… Robert Glasper… Karriem Riggins, as a drummer, I think he’s great.

Alright, so making tracks is what you do. If you could put together a recipe for the perfect track, what would go into that formula?
Probably Dilla programming, drums and bass; Robert Glasper on keys; Bilal on backing vocals; D’Angelo on lead and Dilla on raps… and then you have a live version where Chris Dave takes over on drums and a choir of female vocalists to a little thing at the end… Yeah I think that would be perfect.

Would you ever like to see that happen, now that you think about it?
Well, Dilla has passed, so…

People are still using his music though.
Yeah that’s a sensitive subject for me. I really feel that people haven’t been using his music in the right way, especially since he’s passed and I think he wouldn’t approve of a lot of that.

Eric Lau, image: Red Bull Studios Cape Town

We hear you’re working on a film score too?
Yeah, a short film for my friend Gary Carr, he’s a very talented young actor from Britain and he’s written a script called Freedom Serenity and we’re going to be starting work on that as soon as I get back to London.

Do you find that there’s a difference between making things for other people then, and making things for yourself?
For myself it’s like I go into that space where I zone out and try to get into that space and channel the music through, which is really healing and creative and expressive for me, but doing a job for someone… it’s more like putting a different hat on and being a professional at work regardless of what it is. You have to supplement both sides and it’s good to be on both sides because you get out of your box when you have to accommodate other people.
 

 
Obviously you’re very much into hip-hop. How do you feel about the way hip-hop has evolved as a culture and as a sound?
Hip-hop culture has obviously migrated and mutated into many forms… The fact that I’m a Chinese-British guy in South Africa right now, making hip-hop music is a sign of the times. I feel on a mainstream, capitalistic level of hip-hop there’s been a lot of investment into music that doesn’t have the same essence of what hip-hop initially stood for, in terms of social commentary and skills, and it’s less about the music and it’s less about empowering people.

Where do you think we’ll go from here? Generally things come full circle and history repeats itself…
It depends on the youth, you know. So if we share knowledge with them and educate them in the right way then it’ll be fine. Another thing I’d like to say about hip-hop is that it’s such a limiting word. It’s just music at the end of the day. When people say hip-hop they conjure up images. And on one side you can have hip-hop as The Roots, and on the other side, in the same category called hip-hop, you have Soulja Boy. So for the person who doesn’t know the difference, they’re going to avoid it if they go by what they think it is.

Eric Lau, c/o Red Bull Studios Cape Town

interview: Shiba Mzaza
photos: Eric Lau Music, Red Bull Studios Cape Town, Christine Hogg, Eric Lau Tumblr (homepage image)

Blue Gene - Too Much (Live at Redbull Studios Cape Town)

Just returned from their tour reaching as far as Durban and Harare, with the close at the infamous Oppikoppi Festival 2012, Blue Gene (consisting of South African spoken word artist CreamyEwokBaggends and the french jazz guitarist Charles Amblard) have a lot more to offer in the next coming months, including a new EP and movie. While in Cape Town they showcased their new material live at Redbull Studios. Don’t miss our upcoming interview with the guys themselves!

Jesse Boykins III- I Can’t Stay (Produced by Gold Panda)

Set to perform at this year’s STR CRD Johannesburg, New Yorker Jesse Boykins III and UK producer Gold Panda get together for this banger of a track. Only in his early 20s, already throwing out some of the best indie-soul tracks with hauntingly husky Ian Kamau-like vocals, we cannot wait to see what he has in store for South Africa. Along with Gold Panda, Afta-1 and Machinedrum, everybody seems to want to get a piece. You should too!

TNGHT - Top Floor

Glasgow, Scotland and Montreal meet in this long awaited collab between Hudson Mohawke and Lunice. Deliciously bassy, this EP is a sample orgy that demands some misbehaviour… It is the season after all. Go on, listen for yourself…

Marbert Rocel – Small Hours

The first track on this here mini-mix, ‘Cause of Lovin’ is what turns a listener into a fan. Mild and groovy, this band takes quirk to a more lounge-y level. Plug in and invite some friends over for din dins and some pseudo-intellectual wine-induced conversation. This album will get under your skin.

The Soul Housing Project - Digital World

The brainchild of South African jazz pianist Bokani Dyer and Goldfish vocalist Sakhile Moleshe, this side project is one of Cape Town’s best kept secrets. In the words of the boys themselves, ‘whether you’re a broken soul, soulful soul, joyful soul, inspired soul, lost soul or a playful soul… There is a place for you in the music.’ Performing regularly around Cape Town in association with The Pan African Space Station and The Pressure respectively with music as inviting as their words, who wouldn’t want a place in this music?

The Shaolin Afronauts - Quest Under Capricorn

1970s West Africa must have been the hippest place on earth. Along with the Fela Kutis and the Tony Allens of the world, The Shaolion Afronauts really bring it, so if you like to get a little funked up every now and again, wait until you get your hands on their latest release, ‘Quest Under Capricorn.’

Ian Kamau - One Day Soon

Currently on his Pan-African tour, having just performed at The Dojo SA in Bloemfontein this past weekend, Toronto-raised Ian Kamau is another sacrilegiously underrated act. Sharing a stage in Cape Town alongside Tumi Molekane of The Volume and Femi Kuti himself among others, this year has been great for this uber-conscious creative wordsmith. He’s recently released his newest offering entitled One Day Soon along with some artworks to go with it; catch the entire album here!

Bad Bad Not Good- Flashing Lights

Apparently one of the most overlooked groups this year yet, BBNG has released their second album free online entitled BBNG2, and it is FRESH. With some of the most amazing covers you’ll get this side of the underground, from My Bloody Valentine to J Dilla to Kanye West, this jazz-hop-step trio will show you something you’ve never witnessed before. Bad Bad Not Good? Not bad…

Crazy White Boy feat. Nonku – Zoma

Having worked with the likes of B Team and Zaki Ibrahim, the 1/3 of the now-split hip hop outfit Pangaea, Nonku Phiri is a vocal powerhouse. This joint is a banger; Nonku’s soulfully catching voice makes you wanna sing right along even if you don’t understand the lyrics. With Crazy White Boy doing their Crazy White Boy tech-housey thing, this track is one you can’t sit down for.

Author: Shiba Melissa Mazaza