#2sidesofthebeat Deliciously eclectic and decidedly open-minded, #2sidesofthebeat is Kid Fonque’s monthly event where dubstep and house rubs shoulders with hip hop, broken beat and everything in between. Kid Fonque handpicks the line-up which promises to be a lot like the Kid himself: genre-defying and unpredictable but always captivating and on-point.
We stole 5 minutes from London’s Jonny Miller ahead of his #2SIDEOFTHEBEAT set alongside Kid Fonque this Friday..
Where are you now and what are you doing?
I'm at home in London getting ready to fly over to JHB on Thursday, finalising plans for the trip and gathering music together.
How did you meet Kid Fonque?
Through a mutual friend of ours back in 2008, we had such similar music tastes and first DJ'd together at Bassline 206 before we started making music together.
What have you been up to in 2016?
I’ve been busy here in the UK teaching music production, doing remixes and other production work and setting up my Motherland Music' brand of club nights, radio show and most recently, digital label.
You have a special relationship South Africa, why is this?
I think its always been about the drums... thats always been there but when i first started coming over to SA, it was the passion people had for good quality house music that really hit me. The love South Africans have for house music is unrivalled anywhere in the world. Its infectious and it drives me to to my bit for the scene.
This Friday you'll be playing back to back with Kid Fonque all night long, what will you be packing in your record bag?
All sorts! We both love downtempo music and broken beat so they'll be some of that but i have a ton of great house music to spin including lots of my own productions, remixes and edits. Stuff that people know me for and some new bits due for release in 2017, can't wait!
Kid Fonque presents #2sidesofthebeat feat. jonny miller (UK)
On Friday 25th November, Kid Fonque welcomes a friend and frequent collaborator, London's Jonny Miller (UK) back to Kitcheners!
It's no secret that the pair have a strong bond and their output affirms a shared affinity for music with soul. They'll will be sharing duties behind the decks all night long, so expect a future-facing blend of house, broken beat, soul, bass, disco and everything in between. Just how we like it at #2sidesofhebeat!
/// About JONNY MILLER
Jonny Miller has spent the last 26 years immersed in the underground electronic music scene. His roots lie in the early
90s dance music scene in London and over the years his sound has evolved with the times and moved effortlessly between the genres. In Jonny Miller DJ sets you'll hear the deep soulful house groove, afro-house, broken beat, classic disco, beat heavy downtempo joints, choice classics and even the odd forward thinking bass music track. Soul and quality links everything together.
Travelling, He's spent time in Ibiza playing at the beautiful beach terrace bar La Escollera, he's was a regular at the legendary Southport Weekender festival and resident DJ at their sister festival in Croatia, Suncebeat, playing alongside Black Coffee, Louie Vega, Culoe De Song, Djeff Afrozila, Anane Vega and Jullian Gomes on the South Africa Sessions boat parties and Barbarellas open air club. Jonny co-ran the afro-house club night Hoja at their infamous
Sunday evening rooftop parties and 2016 saw Jonny launch his monthly “Jonny Miller Presents...” parties in London, curating specially themed musical events and playing six hour DJ sets.
He continues to work on his own music productions, remixes and edits with releases for labels such as Stay True Sounds, Soul Candi, Tribe Records, DM Recordings, KAT Records and The Atjazz Record Company, he's collaborated on tracks with artists such as Lay-Far, D-Malice, Kid Fonque, Cuebur and DJ Whisky, in addition to engineering for amongst others, New York’s finest Victor Simonelli and UK underground dance music legend, Goldie.
www.jonnymillermusic.com
www.soundcloud.con/jonnymiller
www.facebook.com/jonnymiller.music
Email: info@jonnymillermusic
Twitter: @jonnymiller
Instagram: @jonnymillermusic
■ LINE -UP ■
Kid Fonque
Jonny Miller (UK)
VITAL DETAILS:
Date: Friday, 25 November 2016
Venue: Kitcheners Carvery Bar
Address: Corner Juta & De Beer, Braamfontien
Doors open 7pm
R60 All Night
www.kidfonque.co.za
www.2sidesofthebeat.co.za
/// About #2SIDESOFTHEBEAT
Deliciously eclectic and decidedly open-minded, #2SIDESOFTHEBEAT is Kid Fonque’s monthly night at Kitcheners. This is a night where dubstep and house rubs shoulders with hip hop, broken beat and everything in between. Kid Fonque handpicks the line-up which promises to be a lot like the Kid himself: genre-defying and unpredictable but always captivating and on-point.
We celebrate the sunshine with this October edition of #2SIDESOFTHEBEAT and welcome some of the city's most exciting purveyors of house, Kat La Kat & BRUCE LOKO! Safe to say the heat is getting turned right up!
■ LINE -UP ■
Kid Fonque
Kat La Kat
Bruce Loko
VITAL DETAILS:
Date: Friday, 7 October 2016
Venue: Kitcheners Carvery Bar
Address: Corner Juta & De Beer, Braamfontien
Doors open 7pm
R80 All Night
www.kidfonque.co.za
www.2sidesofthebeat.co.za
It's a big milestone for Kid Fonque and his #2sides team, who celebrate 5 YEARS on the 26 August at Kitcheners!
Using the event as a platform to host some of the most current and up and coming DJ's and live acts across all genres, Kid Fonque has celebrated and promoted underground independent thinking in South African music.
Over the last 5 years icons like King Britt, Mark de Clive-Lowe, Nightmares On Wax, Rich Medina and 4Hero's Dego have graced the #2SIDES stage as well as South Africa's brightest talents and underground heroes like Zaki Ibrahim, Muzart, The Brother Moves On, Raiko, DJ Bubbles and many, many more.
To celebrate this special occasion Kid Fonque has brought some of #2sides best loved acts Jullian Gomes and Kenzhero and, as always, a newcomer to the line-up: Sean Munnick (P.E)
■ LINE -UP ■
Kid Fonque
Jullian Gomes
Kenzhero
Sean Munnick (PE)
VITAL DETAILS:
Date: Friday, 26 August 2016
Venue: Kitcheners Carvery Bar
Address: Corner Juta & De Beer, Braamfontien
Doors open 6pm
R80 All Night
Kid Fonque presents 2SidesOfTheBeat featuring DJ OP! (NYC) & TIM WHITE
A very special edition of #2SIDESOFTHEBEAT is set to unfold on Friday, 27 May 2016!
We bring you one of NYC's top purveyours of soul, DJ OP! who'll play alongside a house music legend and co-founder of House Afrika, Tim White.
This line-up exhibits the #2SIDES ethos.. Quality first!
#2SIDESOFTHEBEAT & Kitcheners present Nightmares On Wax
///About Nightmares On Wax
Nightmares on Wax is an institution, albeit a delightfully different one. The man behind the moniker, George Evelyn, just keeps reinventing - flowing along, going at whatever speed he fancies to wherever his ideas carry him. For the last seven years he’s lived in an Ibizan farmhouse and, while he’s Warp Records’ longest serving artist – “the granddaddy,” as he puts it – he overwhelmingly focuses on his current projects, letting them revitalize his music.
Nightmares On Wax has released a range of records that have been integral to cultural movements and electronic music. He spent his youth b-boying his way around the streets of Leeds and Bradford as part of teenage breakdance crew the Solar City Rockers. After cutting some embryonic rave tracks with musical co-conspirator Kevin ‘Boy Wonder’ Harper, the duo signed to Warp and released debut album A Word Of Science, becoming instrumental in the bleep explosion; with tracks such as ‘Dextrous’ and ‘Aftermath’ attaining mythical status for a generation of clubbers. George continued as a solo artist, still under the Nightmares On Wax moniker, going on to produce definitive albums Smokers Delight and Carboot Soul - both of which helped shape the burgeoning down tempo hip-hop scene, and tracks such as ‘Les Nuits’ being widely regarded as chillout classics. Later albums such as In A Space Outta Sound continue to be staple after party favourites, with the track ‘You Wish’ in particular being featured in numerous DJ mixes, compilations and club sets.
Constantly creating, forever evolving, collaborating, enjoying music & life. Paradoxically, the only nightmare in this audio adventure is in the name. “To feel good is only a thought away,” affirms George. “The feeling is all that matters.”
LISTEN: www.nightmaresonwax.com
■ LINE -UP ■
NIGHTMARES ON WAX (UK)
Kid Fonque
DJ Danger Ingozi
Cateran (BassXchange UK/ZA 2016 Winner)
VITAL DETAILS:
Friday, 6 February 2016
Kitcheners Carvery Bar
Corner Juta & De Beer, Braamfontien
Doors open 7pm
R150 at the Door
www.kidfonque.co.za
www.2sidesofthebeat.co.za
Restriction on Door - Guys 23 & Girls 21
We exchanged words with with DJ/producer Women Who Kill just before he broke his #2sidesofthebeat virginity on 9 October 2015.
► First off I wanted to ask about your name as an artist – Women Who Kill. What’s the inspiration behind it?
The name was there way before I even thought about venturing into the electronic side of music. Also, way before the DSTV show.
A good couple of years ago as student, I found myself at the Brooklyn (Pretoria) Mall club. It was a really fun night until I realised my friends had left me behind and I had to take the long way home on foot.
On the way home I saw a newspaper billboard that read “Women Who Kill”. I found this rather strange as it’s usually men who are in trouble for murder, etc. Intrigued, I saved the name on my phone to find the newspaper and read the article the next day. I couldn’t find anything and decided it was a sign and stored it in the memory bank of possible names for whatever.
Fast forward 10 years later and I’m known as Women Who Kill and electronic music producer and DJ.
► You remix a lot of different music. Tell me about the process and describe your signature sound as a producer.
The best compliment you can give a producer is that they have a signature sound. Angela Weickl (DJ Sideshow / Cult of Maybe) was one of the first to tell me this and make me blush in public.
My song remix selection happens quite randomly actually. I got the idea to remix Phil Collins after hearing it on the radio on the drive home from work one day. I like changing the mood, story and message of the original. I like to make it my own, not just put a 4/4 beat under.
If you listen to my Slyza Tsotsi remix, you’ll hear I slowed it down significantly, flipped the beat and chopped and reversed the main theme. Make it your own, you know.
My process varies from song to song, but I like working with vocals only. You can do so much with it - chop it up, use it an instrument, rewrite basslines, rhythm section and melodies. The drums (kick, snare, hi hat) in my Turn Down For What remix are all tweaked vocal chops.
Every song has that special something and I like to explore that. At the end of the day, I’m just having as much fun as I can without being predictable.
► What are you working on currently?
I’m currently in the mixing phase of my follow up EP to Yaoi named Yuri. A robbery of equipment has put a bit of a delay on the process, but will be out soon. There’s also a split/collaboration EP in the works with Leeu as well as an EP myself and Escapism Refuge still need to finish. We literally have one track to finish. Other than that - constantly chasing sleep.
► I believe you play the, viola, drums, guitar and Jewish harp. When did you start playing music and what’s your favourite instrument?
My first instrument was actually the recorder at 7, but decided at 8 that the violin was my weapon of choice - clearly not thinking about the consequences of being a violin toting teenager at a co-ed school. It was both a blessing and a curse. Boys teased me, girls loved it. I went on to play in various orchestras (KZN Youth Orchestra and Durban City Orchestra), as well as featured on a punk record (Sibling Rivalry).
I also got in touch with my angsty side and played guitar and sang for my now defunct post-hardcore band His Dying Wish.
Right now it’s difficult to say - I will always love the raw power of smashing drums and crunching guitars, and the twangy Jewish Harp for laughs, but right now on my laptop I can make and manipulate absolutely any sound I want.
► Electronic music in 2015 - what’s your take?
Two thumbs up. There is a lot of really good music being pushed out at the moment and is actually being taken seriously - not just seen as not being real music.
With all things there’s a lot of nonsense you have to sift through to find diamonds. Trends will always come and go, but the realest will always rise to the top and stand the test of time. People aren’t scared to experiment and collaborate.
Right now electronic music is enjoying a lot of time in the commercial spotlight which is a good thing - it opens the door to a lot of people who wouldn’t have necessarily have access to it. Education is key and it’s up to DJ to educate the youth and partygoers of new music, not play the same Ja Rule song time and time again.
I mean, I still have my What’s hot in Derrick the Bandit’s box vol 1 lying around somewhere with a couple Bump compilations. We all need to start somewhere and ask the necessary questions.
► In your opinion, who are the most important SA artists and why?
It is extremely easy to copycat and follow trend, but that’s lazy and easily forgotten. Everyone has their own personality and should explore the music of their soul.
There are way too many to mention and I know I’m going to get in trouble for leaving out names, but I’m going very far left with my names.
■ Okmalumkoolkat - No other artist pushes the SA sound as hard as this homie, also he singlehandedly plays a massive roll in gqom reaching and being played on such an international level. Also, on a cultural level - he’s changed the way people dress and speak. It’s mindblowing.
■ Card on Spokes - This guy is ridiculously powerful. And yes, I am a little jealous.
■ Terrence Pearce - He isn’t easily discouraged and each release is better than the previous. He’s also released on a nice number of international labels.
■ Jazzuelle - The homie’s productions are unlike anything I’ve heard before, he’s also making big moves locally and internationally.
■ Nonku Phiri - She knows what she wants and how to get it - plus she has an amazing set of pipes.
■ Leeu - No explanation needed - this homie’s productions are pure fire.
■ Escapism Refuge - Probably one of the most soft spoken people you will ever meet, but his beats are loud as hell.
■ Micr. Pluto - This guy. Wow. Also, have you heard him rap?
■ Petit Noir - The gift that keeps on giving. He has started a global trend with Noirwave and is influencing people from all corners of the world.
It’s an absolute honour to call the above mentioned homies and to be able to work alongside them.
Next Friday, 28 August 2015 wax enthusiast Kid Fonque is packing a bag full of gems for another vinyl only edition of his long serving monthly night #2SIDESOFTHEBEAT at Kitchener’s in Braamfontein.
Fonque’s events are known for bringing together influencers from different music movements and this edition is no different. This month sees two wax fanatics, Brian Blaq and Symatics joining Fonque.
Expect delicious, soul-soaked house from an obsessive collector and long-serving DJ, Brian Blaq.
Co-founder of Johannesburg’s "WeHeartBeat" events, Symatics draws predominately from his hip-hop origins weaving electro, funk and soul into his sets.
Johannesburg-based collective The Brother Moves On is a group which not only smashes the boundaries between art, performance art and music - but also a group who melds a variety of musical styles into a sound which has caught the attention of The Guardian (UK), The Telegraph UK, The Mail and Guardian and CNN. The collective’s accolades so far are Rolling Stone’s Best Live Act (2012 and 2013), “Hossanna” off a A New Myth voted into Sunday Times “The Greatest 100 South African Songs” and being the second band to be voted onto The Mail and Guardian’s Top 200 Young South Africans.
The group began as a self-proclaimed art movement mainly of graphic and fine artists and since began incorporating instrumentalists for the live performance environment.
Taking the lead from TBMO, we abandoned the traditional interview format and asked the group to discuss 5 main themes..
1. Right Now
Record deals at home and in Europe, gallery representation, international tours and booking agents. We've just shot a video for our Spring single "Shiyanomayini" and just recorded what might be our second single featuring the mighty Tshepo Tshola entitled "Don't be Stupid". We at that point where its time to go big or go 9 to 5.
2. On Stage
Our guitarist Raytheon Moorvan has gone on sabbatical and has had a baby. As you know its in the name "The Brother Moves On" so our not so new brother who left and is now returning is Oskido Kgware on sax. It's meant our sound is closer to a tribute to South African Jazz rather than the Mars Volta meets Ladysmith (laughs).
3. Expression
We are moving back to our ethos of the Brother Moving on with a new website design that will have all our solo projects under the banner "The Brother Moves On presents. We are working on our exhibition which will tribute Nkululeko Mthembu our founder and a brother who has moved on to the other side. We are celebrating his spirit of collaboration this year having worked with Tshepo Tshola, Okmalumkoolkat, The Blk Jks, Neo Hlasko, Nosisi from Kwani Experience and Thandiswa Mazwai. There's isn't enough collaboration to enjoy the artistry and beauty present in Johannesburg.
4. Johannesburg
Our home, we've been offered moves to work in other cities but at this point of what we do we wouldn't be what we are without this city and its people. They teach you that we all just people on the chase for a better life in a world full of S-T-O-L.
5. BUCK BUCK BUCK BUCK
We've been on the road and nothing as beautiful as playing for a Jo'burg crowd.
Catch The Brother Moves On on the #2SIDES stage this Friday, 31 July 2015 at Kitcheners! All the info here:
Link to music - www.thebrothermoveson.bandcamp.com
NEW MUSIC OUT IN THE SPRING - NEW WEBSITE OUT IN THE SPRING - ULULU UBUYILE.
Kid Fonque presents #2SIDESOFTHEBEAT feat. The Brother Moves On (LIVE) & Themba Lunacy
Kid Fonque presents a one of most exciting and soaringly creative live acts to emerge from the local scene in recent years - THE BROTHER MOVES ON!
They'll be supported by hip hop and neo-soul specialist Themba Lunacy and your host for the evening, Kid Fonque.
///ABOUT The Brother Moves On
The Brother Moves On (TBMO) got tired of of the idea of being a band and embraced a multi-aestetic multi-disciplinary concept of a collective happening to new spaces and places.
The Brother Moves On began as a self-proclaimed art movement mainly of graphic and fine artists and since began incorporating instrumentalists for the live performance environment. The name The Brother Moves On is a grammatical misconfiguration of The Brother Mouzone, a fictional character in the American television drama series The Wire. In their emerging stages, the movement interrogated the notion that members were each an impermanent part of the process. Hence the derivation of the name The Brother Moves On.
“The Brother’s sound is a tradition-trouncing trans-Atlantic Afro-centric futuristically ancient fusion that jack knifes between offworld spectral dub-metal, hyperrhythmic rock psychedelia, indie-township and astro-afro-free-jazz.”
LISTEN: https://soundcloud.com/thebrothermoveson
■ LINE -UP ■
Kid Fonque
The Brother Moves On (TBMO)
Themba Lunacy
VITAL DETAILS:
Friday, 31 July 2015
Kitcheners Carvery Bar
Corner Juta & De Beer, Braamfontien
Doors open 7pm
R40 for ladies, R60 for gents
www.kidfonque.co.za
#2SIDESOFTHEBEAT jonny miller & Kid Fonque ALL NIGHT
You're in the capable hands of Kid Fonque and London-based Jonny Miller all night long. These beat brothers, will immerse you in quality music 'til the early hours.
//About JONNY MILLER
Jonny Miller has spent the last 24 years immersed in the underground electronic music scene. His roots lie in the early 90s dance music scene in London and over the years his sound has evolved with the times and moved effortlessly between the genres. In Jonny Miller DJ sets you'll hear the deep soulful house groove, afro-house, broken beat, classic disco, beat heavy downtempo joints, choice classics and even the odd forward-thinking bass music track. Soul and quality links everything together.
The last few years have been pretty busy for Jonny -He's spent time playing Ibiza, regular sets at the infamous Southport Weekender festivals at their sister festival in Croatia, Suncebeat, co-running the UK's leading afrohouse
club night Hoja not to mention plenty of time in the studio crafting tracks for release on the likes of The Atjazz Record Company, Soul Candi, Tribe Records and DM Recordings and The Atjazz Record Company and engineering for amongst others, New York’s finest, Victor Simonelli and UK underground music legend, Goldie.
www.jonnymillermusic.com
www.soundcloud.con/jonnymiller
www.twitter.com/jonnymiller www.facebook.com/jonnymiller.music
--
■ LINE -UP ■
Jonny Miller (UK)
Kid Fonque
VITAL DETAILS:
Friday, 19 June 2015
Kitcheners Carvery Bar
Corner Juta & De Beer, Braamfontien
Doors open 7pm
R40 for ladies, R60 for guys
www.kidfonque.co.za
www.2sidesofthebeat.co.za
A fresh new production star bubbling up from SA’s house underground, evidence of Jazzuelle’s extraordinary musical abilities lies in his recent achievements which include participating in Red Bull Music Academy’s Bass Camp in 2013, sharing the stage with names like Loco Dice, Tale of Us, Black Coffee, Culoe De Song and Vinny Da Vinci, recent releases on Get Physical, Atjazz and Lazy Days - all of which has culminated in an upcoming European tour.
Jazzuelle shares the stage with hip hop and funk hero Kenzhero at Kid Fonque’s long-running party series #2SIDESOFTHEBEAT this Friday. We caught up with him to talk samples, cities, finding inspiration in art and his upcoming set.
You’re originally from Cape Town. When did you move to Johannesburg and has the move affected your music?
I was born in Cape Town, but lived in between a small town called Aliwal North too, but spent more years in Cape Town as a kid. And yeah, definitely the move to Jo’burg changed my life, I mean I know now that you can be based anywhere and do this, but I reached a point in Cape Town where there wasn’t any future for me, I weighed everything up and decided Jo’burg had the best environment for me to pursue a full time career in music.
Life’s been pretty busy for you lately. Tell us about the highlights this year…
So much has been happening you know, and I’m grateful for that. The biggest highlight was recently signing myfirst record on Get Physical music in Berlin featuring Jo’burg-based poet, The Lazarusman, and also having good friend Fred Everything part of the project as the remixer too, I’ve got so much respect for Fred, not only as an artist but he’s also a great individual too.
Sometimes a certain song at a certain time can shift they way you think and redirect your musical path. Can you tell us about 3 big tunes for you personally?
Definitely! 3 tracks stand out for this, firstly “Undercurrents”, a tune doing my rounds on a label I started back in 2010 called Cityscope, inspired by a lot of my vivid memories from my past, its personal.
Secondly; “The Vollard Suite” which was released on Foliage Records, in reality The Vollard Suite is a set of 100 etchings in the Neoclassical style of art by Pablo Picasso, the track was inspired by my fascination and adoration for the man.
Thirdly, a track that I just did for Lazy Days Recordings on a series called “10 by 10” along with producer Matthias Vogt called “Darkest Shade”, this was inspired more by the longing to break away from the melodic style of music my sound has been labelled with. It ventures into melancholic and deep techno territories, will be interesting to see the reaction from everyone…
When and how did you start making music? Have you had formal training?
Oh wow, I really don’t remember, I think I started in 2006 0r 2005 if I can remember properly. I’ve been listening to music for a long time and was quite okay with just being a listener, until of course I started being interested in making the beats too and DJing, as most kids were. I don’t quite remember how it started, but it did, and I’m happy it did.
Your choice and use of samples is fresh and innovative and sets your music apart from your contemporaries. How do you go about choosing and creating the sounds you use in your productions?
Well, I’ve been collecting samples and field recordings for almost a decade now, I use one synthesizer/virtual instrument for all my sounds and process everything (drums, synths etc.) to sound the way I want them to sound, being different is really unintentional, I’m just really very curious while making music, its more fun like that, I love imperfections…
What are your major inspirations right now?
Ah man there’s so much that inspires me, the music, the love of my life, progress, art, design, books - it all works together… the zeal to perform at an international level is probably the biggest inspiration. I’ve also never really wanted to belong anywhere, I’ve never have… in the grand scheme, I’d probably relocate to Europe, in the next few years… as such, travelling is also an inspiration too.
If you weren’t doing music, what would you be doing?
I’d be a painter! Art has a very powerful and profound effect on me and how I relate to everyone and everything else in between.
Any big plans you have for the rest of 2015?
Oh man, so much happening, can’t give anything away just yet, but a few big dates in London, Berlin, India, and even Spain on the cards right now, but until I can confirm everything with my team nothing is guaranteed, but definitely looking forward to being out there. Also an album on the cards for end of the year too but nothing finalised so still can’t confirm anything yet.
It’s your #2sidesofthebeat debut this weekend. Do you have anything special planned?
ALWAYS!!!! Been a fan of Fonque and his style of music for a while, so definitely rocking something special for everyone there! So keen!
Catch Jazzuelle alongside Kenzhero at Kid Fonque’s monthly night #2SIDESOFTHEBEAT at Kitchener’s in Braamfontein this Friday, 29 May 2015!
