#johnny cradle

[anticute-marshmallowmars]

[album-of-the--year-blog]

Johnny Cradle - ‘Johnny Cradle’

By Tseliso Monaheng

The day began with either a text or a call.

Saki of Johnny Cradle wanted to know whether I’d be available later for a recording session -- to hang, and to possibly snap images of the process.

I obliged.

It was during the first weekend of December 2016, on the Saturday Salut was being laid down. Chris (Lombard, former guitarist) was leaving for Cape Town soon; a permanent arrangement. All of his parts had to be recorded before the new week as a result.

I arrived at the studio, which is located somewhere past Jozi’s more interesting CBD and heads towards its languid Northern suburbs, ready to bang my head to the music.

And bang I did, somewhat.

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The story goes that Saki needed a name to perform with during an event in the Eastern Cape (he’s from Mdantsane originally). His real name Sakumzi Qumana wasn’t enticing, so Johnny Cradle became the moniker he chose; the one that stuck.

It’s come to mean the everyday man: The hustler; the blue collar worker; the suit-and- tie corporate, white-collar homie. All of these manifestations of men, black and beautiful, have lives outside of what they are known for.

For Saki, it’s about being present for his daughter, above all else; but it’s also to do with being a loving partner; a true school, self-taught illustrator; and the vocalist and composer of what is now a trio completed by Soshanguve-born drummer and web designer Tebogo Mosane, and Lazola Ndamase -- father, deejay, producer.

Salut, the song recorded during that December weekend in 2016, is a personal document of the intersections in their lives, and a fist-tight, chest-out moment paying homage to the folks before them -- Saki’s struggle hero father, who besides being an active member in Poqo, later imprisoned on Robben Island, was involved in criss-crossing the country, transporting goods essential to the daily survival of South African households; DJ Laz’s grandparents, who raised him a church boy while his mother lived and worked elsewhere as a teacher; and Tebogo’s mother, who had to leave her family behind to seek out better opportunities for her offspring.

“We talk about people who are under-paid. People who are carrying the nation: Cleaners, gold miners, people who transport us every day,” says Tebogo. “There’s a line where we say keep your 20 bucks handy. Ask anyone who works a 9-to- 5 job how many times they’ve asked their colleagues for 20 Rands to go home, or to come back to work [the next day],” he goes on, reflecting on the precarious existence of people all over the continent and across the black Diaspora.

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The band’s evolved over many years, in different cities, to become the three-man outfit it is today. Their self-titled debut album has also just been released and in 10 songs, realises many of the themes Sakumzi’s been visiting through the years on EPs, remix project and unreleased songs.

But where previous projects sought more outward-leaning approaches to the music, fusing multiple instrumentation to create layer upon layer of sonic motifs, suggesting different directions to advance the message, the music on Johnny Cradle is straightforward and stripped to the bare essence -- the drum, and the bass.

It’s a motif, inspired by roots reggae music, which Saki’s been exploring since end-2013. He wasn’t convinced that he still wanted to pursue the dream, so a friend talked him into locking that entire December down to produce and record. A couple of songs emerged from that session, most notably uLate.

The autobiographical joint is the last on the 10-track project. It ties everything on the album together, and serves as the perfect accompaniment to album opener Mahambelala, which starts off with a vocal sample, courtesy of DJ Laz, proclaiming that they are ready to progress to some steps which are a bit more difficult, before Saki's fingers hit the keys and Stebu's drums set the groove off.

Mahambelala is about how the youngin from the Eastern Cape on uLate wound up in the city of bright lights, confused and somewhat bruised, lonely and searching for self in temporary relief. It’s the antithesis of the Men Like Us instance, which sees the all-encompassing character Johnny Cradle finally settle down and own up for prior fuckups.

Elsewhere on the album are Asidlali and the aforementioned Salut, which complement one another because of the work-oriented we-do- what-we- gotta, ballsy and unassuming attitude.

Saki’s straightforward style of writing lends a directness to the songs’ messages that might otherwise go unnoticed, had the approach been different. His pop culture references are dripping in Ebonics and kasi slang.

Find him giving a tongue-in- cheek shoutout to Heavy D; or fire off a sonic dap to Thembi Seete’s cryptic verse on It’s About Time; or a head-nod to his and our kwaito heroes M’du and TKZee as he sing-raps lines like phakamis’ izandla zakho, lapho sik’ bone from the latter group’s Magesh which appears on their Halloween album.

But there’s the other side which demonstrates that though Johnny Cradle is a principled disciple of life, he’s also not afraid to boogie-woogie in the club; to get crunk and enjoy life.

Songs like Sadakwa and Bangphethe best illustrate this complexity. The former song also gives a head-nod to Oda Meesta.

There’s kwaito here, mixed with roots, and hip hop, and the polyphonic vocal tones of boys who go up the mountain and return, a few weeks or months later, as men.

This project is every bit the 90s hip hop baby’s dream, completed by a self-awareness that illustrates what happens when boys grow up and decide to introspect.

Tseliso Monaheng is the corewreckah. Follow him @nemesisinc and support his work HERE.

[johnnycradle]

Sunday Home Office Thrills

[johnnycradle]

BLACK IS BEAUTIFUL

[blacknationmagazine]

We document culture. Black youth culture more specifically.

What better way to send off the summer than with our second instalment of ‘I Play What I Like’ hosted by our good friends at Poolside. This edition will feature a live performance by Johnny Cradle, our residents Symatics, Just Themba, Bently + Polyestervelcro as well as Jab a Jaw and Wireless G. At just 60 bones at the door you'll be spoiled for choice, starting good and early at 12h00 come through and let us take care of you this Sunday.

Johnny Cradle are a Johannesburg-based outfit founded by songwriter/vocalist/multi-fiddle instrumentalist and producer Sakie in 2006 in the Eastern Cape. Now joined by guitarist Chris and “beat-bot” Sisonke, the trio make a futuristic roots music they’ve termed “Roots Electro.” According to Sakie, “it’s major bass heavy like what roots reggae used to be. The drums are electronic based but I focus them on that heavy 90s rap aesthetic of California. The synths are electronic, my rhodes piano’s electronic, and even though my vocals are of an unschooled Xhosa harmonic texture the sing-rap thing is digital in its approach.

'I Play What I Like'

featuring: Johnny Cradle Just Themba Symatics Wireless G Jab A Jaw Bently Polyestervelcro

Date: 29th March 2015 Time: 12h00 - 22h00 Cover: R60 Venue: Poolside

[johnnycradle]

[rifvmo]

Watch: Johnny Cradle Wraps Up New Album

Watch: Johnny Cradle Wraps Up New Album

Image: Facebook – Johnny Cradle readies new album and videos

  Johnny Cradle readies brand new album and accompanying videos

For those of you who have been asking, the time has almost come. Johnny Cradle has been hard at work at the Sound and Motion studio in Bryanston, Johannesburg readying his new as yet untitled album.

In a recently surfaced behind-the-scenes style video, Cradle reveals that…

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