Kalahari Surfers

Infobox musical artist
Name = Kalahari Surfers


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Origin = South Africa
Genre = Avant-progressive,
Experimental
Years_active = 1982–2007
Label = Recommended,
African Dope
Associated_acts = Felix Laband,
Krushed & Sorted,
The Real Estate Agents
URL = [http://www.kalaharisurfers.co.za/ Kalahari Surfers homepage]
Current_members = Warrick Sony
Past_members = Recordings:
Brian Rath
Hamish Davidson
Rick Van Heerden
Christo Doherty [ cite web |url=http://kaganof.com/kagablog/category/contributors/christo-doherty/ |title="kagablog" |accessdate=2007-07-25 ]
Lesego Rampolokeng
Shaun Naidoo
Live collaborations:
Iqbal & Yunus Momaniat
Shaun Naidoo
Alig
Mick Hobbs
Tim Hodgkinson
Chris Cutler
Mark Duby
Barry van Zyl
Nibs van der Spy
Loius Mahlanga
Jimi Indi
Jethro Sash
James Phillips & The Lurchers
The Kerels
Brendan Jury
Dizu plaatjies & Ubuyambo
Pops Mohamad
Brian Rath
Hamish Davidson
Lesego Rampolokeng

The Kalahari Surfers is the moniker of South African composer and musician Warrick Sony. It began as a solo recording project in the early 1980s to subvert the total media and propaganda onslaught of P. W. Botha’s Apartheid South Africa. With guest musicians, the Kalahari Surfers recorded five albums, toured Europe and played concerts in East Berlin, Moscow, Riga and Leningrad.

Biography

The Kalahari Surfers began with a home recorded cassette release in 1981, and built a reputation as being one of the most politically radical musical forces in South Africa. Their second release was a double single package released by Pure Freude Records. German group Can were involved with this label and, along with other krautrock bands, were an important influence on the Surfers sound at this time.
Shifty Records tried to release their 1982 release album "Own Affairs" but could not find a vinyl pressing plant who would do it. The reasons given by EMI were that it was "too political".

Those who owned the means of production, especially the electronic media, were controlled firstly by themselves (self-censorship i.e. those too afraid to put a step wrong made it impossible for others to realise their objectives) and then by the State: anything which had made it into the mainstream which was found undesirable was then banned.

Chris Cutler's London based Recommended Records pressed the album and set up an alliance that continues to this day. Cutler (ex-Henry Cow drummer) helped set up tours and in 1985 they put out the second album "Living in the Heart of the Beast" to critical acclaim. ["Viciously critical and historically intelligent", Jon Savage: "New Statesman", 8 August 1986] ["Kalahari Surfers bravely ignore the many paradoxes… throw in the gauntlet and preach succession", Dele Fadele: "New Musical Express", 3 October 1986] The album title was taken from the title of a Tim Hodgkinson composition on the Henry Cow album "In Praise of Learning" (1975).

Music

A unique South African album, "Living in the Heart of the Beast" pushed the barriers of local independent music. Stylistically it ranged from dub-reggae, art rock, rap, and punk—Zappa-ish in places (with the use of rapid tape splice edits and juxtaposing of ironic bits of state propaganda broadcasts).

The Surfers moved to London to complete the third album "Sleep Armed" and to perform live concerts there and in Europe. The Kalahari Surfers were seen as far afield as Holland, Germany, Switzerland, France, Luxembourg, Moscow, Leningrad, Riga, East Berlin and London. The 1980s ended with the release of a forth album "Bigger Than Jesus" which was officially banned in South Africa followed by concerts in the Soviet Union and East Germany (the first South African rock group to do that).

The new millennium consolidated the New South Africa and new technologies influenced the Surfers sound. The avant garde moved into the mainstream and, in the clubs of Cape Town, the Surfers found a younger audience who were drawn to their eclectic electro world-dub, sound. The new millennium saw a number of releases through African Dope Records and Microdot Records:
*"Akasic Record" was critically acclaimed and saw the licensing of tracks for various films commercials and television,
*"Muti Media" (which featured a sculpture by artist Brett Murray on the cover),
*"Conspiracy of Silence", and
*"Panga Management" followed.Remix projects include work for M.E.L.T. 2000 on the Busi Mhlongo remix album as well as an "African Cheese" set for the BBC Food series "Cooked in Africa".

Recent concerts include:
*the Wiesen Festival in Austria 2006 and the Unyazi Electronic Music symposium at Wits University, Johannesburg,
*"Turbulence" the South African art Exhibition in Salzburg—Red Bull's Hangar 7 event, March 2007. [ [http://insidepeakperformances.blogspot.com/2007/02/kalahari-surfers-and-friends-for-red.html Kalahari Surfers and Friends for Red Bull] , Peak People blog] Recent work includes:
*the experimental sound design and final mix for the feature film "SMS Sugarman"
*composing for local SABC and M-NET TV series: "Origins", "The Calling" and 2 seasons of "Home Affairs"
*Co-producing and arranging for the album "The Triptic" (2007) for Polish metal band Sweet Noise
*Composing and designing music with Dizu Plaatjies for the opening of "Turbulence" Salzburg—Red Bull's Hangar

Discography

*"Gross National Products" cassette (1982)
*"Burning Tractors Keep Us Warm" double-single (1983, Pure Freude-Germany)
*"Own Affairs" (1984, Recommended)
*"Sleep Armed" (1985, Recommended)
*"Living in the Heart of the Beast" (1986, Recommended)
*"Bigger Than Jesus" (Beachbomb in SA) (1989, Recommended/Shifty)
*"End Beginnings" (with Lesego Rampolokeng) (1989, Recommended/Shifty)
*"The Eighties Volume 1" (Recommended)
*"The Eighties Volume 2" (Microdot Records)
*"Killing Time with Transsky" (1997, tiktikbang)
*"Paralyzer Ghetto Muffin" (1999, Milestone)
*"Akasic Record" (1999, African Dope)
*"Muti Media" (2003, African Dope)
*"Tall Horse" (2005, Milestone)
*"Conspiracy of Silence" (2005, Microdot)
*"Panga Management" (2007, Microdot)

Compilations

*"The Sound of Dub" (Echo Beach)
*"Breathe Sunshine" (Amabala)
*"The Mothers Township Sessions" (Mr Bongo Recordings)
*"Yehlisan'umoya Ma-Afrika—Urban Zulu Remixes" (2000, M.E.L.T.)
*"African Meltdown Volume One" - with Greg Hunter
*"The Rough Guide to the Music Of South Africa- Rough Guides
*"Mandela: Son of Africa, Father of a Nation" (Island Records OST1997) [ cite web |url=http://www.palmpictures.com/film/palm-world-voices-mandela.php |title="Palm World Voices: Mandela" |accessdate=2007-07-13 ]
*"U KNOW ? Mixes Vol. 1" (2000, M.E.L.T.)
*"U KNOW ? Mixes Vol. 3" (2000, M.E.L.T.)
*"U KNOW ? Mixes Vol. 4" (2000, M.E.L.T.)
*"A Naartjie in our Sosaatie"(Shifty)
*"New Africa Rock" (Shifty)
*"Forces Favourites" (Shifty)
*"Rē Records Quarterly Vol.1 No.1" (1985, Recommended)
*"RēR Quarterly Vol.4 No.1" (1994, Recommended)
*Art Bears: "The Art Box" (2003, Recommended)

References

*Melody Maker September 5, 1987
*TNT issue 214 p.48
*MMN 18/81 sete8 (Germany)
*Bad Alchemy Vol. 8-1987
*banning: Weekly Mail September 1–7, 1989
* Unyazi: website- and Prof Jurgen Brauninger Vol15 No 1 [http://leoalmanac.org/journal/Vol_15/lea_v15_n01-02/guest.asp]

ee also

*Warrick Sony

External links

* [http://www.kalaharisurfers.co.za/ Kalahari Surfers homepage]
* [http://kaganof.com/kagablog/category/contributors/warrick-sony-kalahari-surfer/ Kagablog]
* [http://www.rermegacorp.com/ Recommended (now RēR)]
* [http://www.africandope.co.za/artists.htm African Dope Records]