#spaza

Sizwile · SPAZA · Nonku Phiri · Malcolm Jiyane · Gontse Makhene · Ariel Zamonsky Sizwile ℗ Mushroom Hour Half Hour Released on: 2020-09-04 Producer: Andrew Curnow Producer: Dion Monti Music Publisher: Mushroom Hour Half Hour Lyricist, Composer: Ariel Zamonsky Lyricist, Composer: Gontse Makhene Lyricist, Composer: Malcolm Jiyane Lyricist, Composer: Nonkululeko Phiri

one of my best vinyl purchases wow

Conceived in the Mushroom Hour Half Hour lab, SPAZA is a band with no permanent personnel, with each lineup assembled for the express purpose of recording once-off improvised or workshopped material. For this, the initial salvo, SPAZA was put together from a group of musicians with individual and collective links to Johannesburg’s jazz, afro funk and experimental electro scenes. In the context of this completely improvised album, the term “spaza” not only refers to the gallery in Troyeville, Johannesburg where this project was recorded live (and in one take) in the autumn of 2015, but to South Africa’s thousands of informal neighbourhood stores. In South Africa, “spaza” has come to signify an entrepreneurial spirit, especially in the country’s black townships where economic barriers to business ownership mean that only a few can attain the status of formal business ownership. In the country’s socio-political context, spazas, usually operating out of converted garages, shacks or repurposed shipping containers, are also contested territories. They are sites of often fatal bloodshed where financially disenfranchised South Africans routinely mete out their frustrations on those they consider “foreigners” and “outsiders”. It is these outsiders who have come to dominate the spaza economy. However, spazas are also colourful, with their facades branded, styled and designed by each owner. They can become the nerve centres of social activity in the communities they occupy and are often stocked with an array of iconic South African brands and products, many of which are referenced in the track names of this album. Perhaps obliquely, there are musical sensibilities to be grasped at the mention of the term. “Spaza,” the recording, the location, the revolving ensemble - all evoke a spirit of independence, a D.I.Y aesthetic, a propensity for spontaneity, and, literally, a coming together of minds at the corner to shoot the breeze or let off a seriously considered prognosis. At times opaque, and at others direct, SPAZA is always unyielding and propulsive. This could be the sound of the city turned inside out, ruminating on its troubled history and ever morphing present. There are pensive and celebratory streaks crisscrossing the album, not to mention a vulnerability that is in keeping with the spontaneous ethos of Mushroom Hour Half Hour. The results, shaped in the Pan African milieu that is Johannesburg, is a freewheeling representation of continental astral travel. Featuring: Ariel Zamonsky – upright bass Gontse Makhene – percussion and vocals João Orecchia – synthesisers & electronics Nosisi Ngakane – vocals & FX Siya Makuzeni – vocals, FX & trombone Waldo Alexander – electric violin with FX pedal Guest Feature on Stametta Spuit: Nonku Phiri – vocals

2020 | Spaza - Uprize! (Music From The Original Motion Picture) Mushroom Hour Half Hour #spaza #uprize #uprizedocumentary #mushroomhourhalfhour @spaza @mushroomhour https://www.instagram.com/p/CGkqRT0JwKl/?igshid=10aqidfdh6av3

View On WordPress

Here it is!! It's for the Cape Town's #021tcg curated by @thespazabrand. If you can guess, it's @farrylpurkiss !! I had a lot of fun doing this one. There's another one coming up soon... Keep a lookout for other artist interpretation of Cape Town Influencer of the 021 scenes. #021tcg #jagercraft #xamillustration #spaza https://www.instagram.com/p/B2jNFYrBs4q/?igshid=b31aonyobv23

Stream on Spotify or Apple Music.