Afrikaans Rock

Spyke · 2009-03-24T13:00:37+00:00

Cast your vote and then list a few of your favourites with a recommended track or two. We're guaranteed to find something new and exciting amongst the lot...

Afrikaans Rock

Bob-Dubery

Squonk wrote: Bernoldus Niemand - James Philips

That's who I would have cited.

The question for me is an interesting one, because I don't think I hear much "Afrikaans Rock". What I hear is rock with Afrikaans lyrics.

OK... I'm perhaps splitting hairs here, but I don't think I'm hearing a new, intrinsically South African take on Rock music these days. I thought I heard the beginnings of such a thing in the 80s with Corporal Punishment, James Phillip's early solo work (later on, probably because of the players he surrounded himself with, his sound became more generic) and especially The Genuines.

Or am I missing something?

NB! I am not trying to diss local music and musicians here. There are many excellent musicians in this country singing in all of the official languages.

Spyke

No Bob, you're quite right. It is rock with Afrikaans lyrics. Afrikaans rock used as a loose term.

There are an odd few who are drumming to their own beats so to speak and I applaud them. However mainstream is not yet ready for that (IMHO) so the stations and TV would rather 'ease' the public into the vibe with some more palatable stuff.

My opinion

Neps

Bob you're right in saying that its Rock with Afrikaans lyrics.. But then again, we'll all rip into an afrikaans rock band if they had a trek klavier on stage with them

I think we've gotten so use to 'american' & 'british' rock that we tend to play in that style.. Even Aus and NZ rock sounds the same to me.. But in some cases just a weird accent in the english..

But I'm forever grateful what these blokes are doing for afrikaans, cause they are opening up a scene that was predominantly held captive by popular overseas music. I'm on my way to Stellenbosch this weekend and I know that I'm going to hear A LOT of afrikaans music there.. esp. FPK and the likes..
Where as before you'd struggle to hear a word of afrikaans in music, unless you end up in Springbok at 3am and sokkie to some of the afrikaans treffers.

hcolyn

I'm a long time Valiant Swart fan and like some Koos Kombuis action as well. KOBUS! is pretty cool but I don't own any of their music though.

Neps

I don't realy like KOBUS.. Theo should never have gotten involved in that project.. but then again.. if you came from years of playing with the nudies the you are bound to try something diffrent

Ray

I dont think it is a big issue that it is rock with Afrikaans lyrics. For me rock is not US or UK. You get guys in Europe that play rock and then sing in Belarusian or something. Also see nothing wrong with the trek klavier. When an Englishman or Irishman (Gary Moore or someone) sings blues, is it English or Iriash blues? So I dont think of it as Afrikaans rock. Just as rock sung in another language.

Bob-Dubery

Neps wrote: Bob you're right in saying that its Rock with Afrikaans lyrics.. But then again, we'll all rip into an afrikaans rock band if they had a trek klavier on stage with them

What's wrong with a trek klavier? A mate of mine plays lap steel in a band whose instrumentation includes accordion, mandolin and penny whistle. You won't see me laughing or snearing because I'd be too busy applauding.

People who would pooh-pooh such things automatically are in a dead-end street of taste if you ask me.

Great thing of me forgot in my previous post: Bright Blue, with all those township organ licks. Great stuff. One of the best things about Corporal Punishment was that they sang about South African issues with South African accents. The Genuines mixed a punk attitude with jazz-rock chops and coloured that with elements from styles they'd grown up with in the Coloured communities of the Eastern and Western Cape.

It's lekker to hear music with authentic accents.

Matt-White

Bob, youre right about the sound + Afr lyrics = the same way it happens in most other countries.
Even Bernoldus, who was heavily influenced by the Brit punk scene.
Take FPK - they have been labelled a punk band, but theyre not. Theyre a retro classic rock band (structure and sound wise) with modern lyrics.

There have been exceptions, like Radio Kalahari Orkes, who incorporated bluegrass and Coloured music into their sound. That could be termed unique?

Also keep a lookout for Die Kaalkop Waarheid (DKW) - they use trekklavier, klavier, violin with electric guitars etc to create a rootsy sound, almost like some of Bruce Springsteen's stuff.
One thing is for sure IMO, and that is that Afrikaans bands tend to emphasize lyrical content more than their average Eng counterparts. Just take Koos, Piet Botha (solo in Afr.), Valiant, DKW and Gert Vlok Nel, Karen Z, FPK eg. And the youngsters following in their footsteps, do so to.

Bob-Dubery

Spyke wrote: There are an odd few who are drumming to their own beats so to speak and I applaud them. However mainstream is not yet ready for that (IMHO) so the stations and TV would rather 'ease' the public into the vibe with some more palatable stuff.

My opinion

I think you're right, and I think it's not a solely South African phenomenon. England is a prime example - they tend to steer clear of their own musical traditions and generally have not welcomed those into the mainstream of their popular music.

themanthatwalks

I think guys like FPK, straatlig and Ef-el has removed the awkwardness from afrikaansrock/emo/metal/whatever. In the past the guys just couldn't seem to fit the two but thankfully it has been done. So in general I am for ARock. I just hope it doesnt go sower with to much copycatting ??? and to much "lets get the wierdest theme and wright 'n Treffer"

Spyke

Bob Dubery wrote: I think you're right, and I think it's not a solely South African phenomenon. England is a prime example - they tend to steer clear of their own musical traditions and generally have not welcomed those into the mainstream of their popular music.

Westernization. The public is trying so hard to emulate Hollywood movies and tabloid publications. True local stuff, be it in the UK or SA, just isn't seen as cool.

Riaan

My favourites are: Piet Botha/Jack Hammer, Valiant Swart, Mel Botes (listen to his solo stuff like David's Confession), Koos Kombuis, Jan Blohm. I've only seen one or two video's of KOBUS on MK and liked that. Oh yes, and Kerkorrel of course.

There are some really good Afrikaans musos and composers out there, but unfortunately a lot of crap also...sadly the latter are often the financially more successful...."Lekker Suip Volume 14" that goes "doem doem doem doem" without end and so on.

For me the distinction between rock with Afrikaans lyrics, and Afrikaans rock, is when the lyrics takes full advantage of the capabilities of Afrikaans and sung to a good rock tune - sometimes things simply have more power when it's said a certain way in Afrikaans. That's were poets such as Valiant and Koos shine. Listen to Valiant Swart's "Welkom in jou donkerste uur" - now there's an Afrikaans blues song for you, funny and kind of sad at the same time, expressed like one cannot do in English even though the music is rather standard blues and musically not spectacular.

When you really think about it, some of the very successful overseas pop is probably no better than some of the commercial Afrikaans stuff that makes us all cringe...after all, what's the difference between "Bokkie met die rooi rokkie" and "Lady in Red"... ? And who remembers the local "Soft Shoes" of the 80's? They were quite popular. Now imagine a bunch of Afrikaans ouks calling themselves the Sagte Skoene singing similar songs in Afrikaans.... :-[... Or the hugely successful Michael Jackson songs that earned him millions..."Slaan dit"

Maybe there's something in our Afrikaans psyche that makes crap sound better when it's sung in English?

(Runs for cover.. ?..)

CDee

Klopjag is ook baie goed. Meer rustiger as meeste ander nuwer bands. Ek geniet baie van hulle songs. 24uur is baie goed...

And I think that if an English South-African band brings tribute to a Afrikaans artist, you know he is well respected.
The Parletones doing "Lisa se klavier"

?

bENDER

Afrikaans Rock RULEs!!!

Not that there are millions of bands...... ?

My gunstelling:

K.O.B.U.S! FOkofpolisiekar

8)