Taking place over Freedom Day weekend, Utopia Music Festival promises to put a new twist on one of South Africa’s favourite venues, Nekkies, bringing you amazing new stages and some of the country's top live performers over three days. It looks to be one exciting festival. The main stage is an astonishing one-of-a-kind structure, situated at the heart of the festival grounds and will be running throughout the weekend. It promises to be like nothing you’ve ever seen before – a sight to boggle the minds. It will play host to acts like Fokofpolisiekar, Karen Zoid, Al Bairre, aKING [...]
Say hello to your new favourite. Say hello to Mathew Gold . You may know him for his smooth and dreamy vocal that propelled GoodLuck’s ‘Taking it Easy’ to being one of the top 10 tracks to come out of South Africa during 2011 and landing him a SAMA nomination for Record of The Year. GoodLuck enjoyed working with Gold so much that they decided to produce his first Album. Now the first release, ‘No Ordinary Guy', off rising local star Mathew Gold’s anticipated new album, The Rush has finally hit digital space. The song [...]
Andy Bothwell , better known by his stage name, Astronautalis , is more of an adopted member of the Twin Cities music community. After stints in Seattle and Dallas, the hip-hop journeyman has settled in Minneapolis and has wasted no time fitting right in. His 2011 release, This Is Our Science , featured appearances from Doomtree members P.O.S. , Sims , Cecil Otter , and Lazerbeak . Also still in the works is a full length effort in collaboration with P.O.S. Something I think not just fans of Twin Cities hip-hop are looking forward [...]
This six piece, folk infused, indie-rock group is bound to make a big splash in the Minneapolis music scene within the next few years. Portage , who made their debut in 2011 with the release of their debut album The Unsalted Sea , are only two albums young and already sound like a polished act belonging on a big stage with bright lights and screaming fans. Their newest album, Landings, shows obvious evidence of rootsy northern Minnesota influences. The six piece crew boasts powerful crescendos ("Over Your Head") as well as acoustic breakdowns ("Thick Skin") [...]
For the past few years, The 4onthefloor have continued to be mainstays in the Minneapolis music scene. Propelled by winning vita.mn's "Are You Local?" contest in 2011, they found themselves headlining not only stages throughout the Twin Cities area, but playing showcase stages in Austin, TX for South by Southwest Music Festival as well. Their name is practical and informative - all four members play in the shadows of a bass drum at shows and most importantly, the group writes all their songs [...]
A little folk mixed with a little rock, Matt Moberg produces a sound that is replicated by few in the Twin Cities. His songs are comforting stories of faith, family, and romance that bring a backwoods feel to the big city. In a time when the Minneapolis music scene has been flooded with scores of talented hip-hop and pop-rock artists (not that I'm complaining or anything), it's refreshing to hear a musician introduce us to something a little different. Moberg's music has already made its way onto a handful of television shows and his newest EP, Racers, has [...]
After two successful years of competition, Red Bull Beat Battle is back and ready to find South Africa's best dance crews across a multitude of genres. Started in 2011 as a platform for street dance in South Africa, Red Bull Beat Battle returns in 2013 to find the country’s best dance talent in genres ranging from Pantsula, iSbhujwa, Krump, Hip Hop, Freestyle and Breaking. Now in its third year, Red Bull Beat Battle is ready to find the seven best urban dance crews in genres across the board who will take on the defending champions, The Reptilez, in the [...]
Oh do I have a treat for you. Starting today for the entire month of February, South Africa’s favourite, premier poet and MC Tumi Molekane will share 28 songs, one for each day, and for free . Yes you heard that right. For free, gratis. For the fans who will have come on board in the latter part of his 12-year recording history, this is an introduction to an exemplary catalogue in which names like Immortal Technique, Jack Parrow, and Lebo Mashile have featured slots. They’re songs familiar for a legion of fans that will [...]
Going to a Charlie Parr show is something every Minnesotan must do before they die. In fact, it's almost a requirement to actually call yourself a true Minnesotan. Originally from Austin, MN, he's made himself a state-wide legend by getting up on stage at countless bars throughout the Duluth area to make his sound heard to the people. Charlie released his first official album in 2002 and since then has released a new album nearly every year. He has a wide spread following that ranges to every corner of the earth having toured the UK and [...]
MK is back with the 7 th annual MK Awards which will see South Africa's hottest music talent competing in 10 categories, where viewers votes will determine who will come out as winners at the finale event to be held at The State Theatre in Pretoria on 24 March 2013. MK has changed things up a bit for this year’s awards by introducing the “Best SA Music Festival” and “Best Solo” categories. Phase one of the MK Awards 2013 took place between 10 and 25 January, where people had [...]
The New Standards bring a refreshing sound to some of my favorite tunes. Chan Poling , John Munson , and Steve Roehm first formed the jazz trio in 2005 and all have years of musical genius to their names. Most notably, Chan Poling is a former member of Semisonic and in the past has brought in Dan Wilson , another Semisonic member, to produce their 2005 self-titled release. The group is best known around the Twin Cities for their annual holiday show now on its sixth go around. In 2012, they [...]
Smirnoff Ice and Red Bull Mobile in association with MK , Axe , Ticketbreak and Hilltop Live present the 2012 Campus Invasion Tour 3at Greenmarket Square on 8 February with the best bands and DJs you want to see and hear. Escaping the mundane, the Campus Invasion Tour ranks among students as the best party to kick-start the new campus year and last year's tour saw a combined tour attendance of well over 60 000 music fans. The Campus Invasion Tour in 2013 is set to be even bigger. [...]
Taylor Nelson and Alaine Dickman began Wiping Out Thousands as friends and collaborators. Today, they're not just a fast rising electro-pop group but lovers, too. In an interview with vita.mn , Nelson casually suggests, "I guess the music brought us together." The McNally Smith alums have been collaborating since their formation in 2010 and have already put out an EP and made their full length album debut with This Came First in October of last year. Their work is the perfect amount of electronic vibes mixed with pop and rock [...]
Meet Cape Town based synth-pop duo, Gateway Drugs, is made up of vocalist David Gabriel Thorpe and producer Andrew Esterhuizen. In late 2012, the duo set up a small home studio with David singing over a few electronic beats that Andrew had made. In no time their first song, 'Airwaves', came together and they settled on the name 'Gateway Drugs' for the project. Their self-titled album was recorded entirely in their room and produced, mixed and mastered by Andrew, with album art designed by Ian Jepson. The pair are part of the Surfing Loser Space Cult collective [...]
If I told you John Mark Nelson is only 18 years old would you believe me? I know it's hard but it's the damn truth. And then what if I told you Waiting and Waiting is already is second album, a follow up to his 2011 debut Still Here. Writing this as someone in their mid-twenties (that was painful to say) it makes me look back and wonder where I went wrong. A recent graduate from Minnetonka High School, he's quickly becoming a must see show in the Twin Cities. His debut album [...]
Get ready for the definitive in New Year’s Eve celebrations, Nu World Eve promises an incomparable combination of music ranging from World Beats - Afro House - Mashups - Swing - Funk - Eastern Fiddles - Gypsy Noodles - Oompah Punk - Deviant Disco - Jazz Tech – Breaks. With a mammoth selected line-up including; James Copeland, Circuswing, Ma'original, Fletcher, Kimon, Eppelsauce, Kangaroo, Wrongi Inc, Analog Donkey, and A Kettle Called Black. An outdoor party in the city of Cape Town with premium quality sound and lighting, exquisitely themed décor, fully stocked bars, quality Middle Eastern Food and [...]
GoodLuck are not Taking it Easy! Think 103 live shows, 4 international tours and 6 number 1 hit tracks. GoodLuck have been in constant demand this year. Since the release of their self-titled debut album in April 2011, the electronic trio have travelled consistently across the country and across the world to Holland not once, not twice but three times! Their new mixtape ‘The Lucky Packet’ launched just a month ago and has already positioned them as the number 1 selling electronic act on the iTunes South Africa charts. By the end of this year GoodLuck [...]
The V&A Waterfront will continue to showcase live music every day in support of great local musicians, between Saturday 8 th and Thursday 13 th December with free performances at the outdoor Amphitheatre. On Saturday 8 December the five-man soul, Afro pop and R&B band Larry Joe Live will perform between 18h00 and 19h00. Larry Joe first shot to fame in December 2010 when his first album Crazy Life was recorded in a single cell in the Douglas prison in the Northern Cape. From this humble beginning, he has since written more than 80 songs in several languages and has been invited to tour [...]
GoodLuck launched their Lucky Packet Mix tape last week Wednesday at the Grand Daddy Hotel. It lovely evening and the event provided a fun and fantastic look at the band. The event showed off the band’s incredibly crazy schedule, hard work and commitment to music and their fans through a series of short documentaries that we eagerly watched all while clutching at bags of popcorn and goodies. The pieces followed the band on their international and local tours, giving unique insight into the day to day happens. All in all it gave me a new appreciation for [...]
Following the wild success of the second edition in March, Brickfields Festival returns to pioneering, inner-city venue Carfax on Saturday, 24 th November. Organisers have steered clear of mainstream sounds and delivered a refined, left-of-centre line-up showcasing home grown talent of the cutting-edge variety. Young guns and veterans; acoustic and electronic - a banquet of styles and sounds promises to cater for all tastes. Taking place at Carfax and its surrounding streets and parking lots, the third Brickfields brings together a hefty line-up of thirty acts which are divided between four stages from the afternoon and into the night. A mix of live and electronic defines the [...]
Musical Mover & Shaker!
Music That Isn't Bad.
Big Wave - GW Bridge free MP3
おしえて- Avec Avec
Kanye West shares album art for new album, Yeezus
No Title
Billboard Music Awards 2013, vincitori: Taylor Swift, Gotye e Rihanna i più premiati
