vic wrote
Ouestion is...do we have in SA that breed of people.. If we do then it wont be long until SA export music that the world will take notice of.
I believe Eddy Kramer (Hendrix, Zeppelin) was South African. And there's Mutt Lange ?
Originality is interesting. It must be in the mix for bands to be really great - even AC/DC had something about them that no-one else was doing, even if you don't think "originality" when you listen to them.
But when it's the main focus you can easily end up making experimental crap that doesn't actually give people what they want out of music - which is not meant to be an all-cerebral experience. Too little of it, and you have just a shadow of another band - Wolfmother is barely more than a Sabbath tribute act, for e.g..
A nice blend for me are bands like Talking Heads, or Depeche Mode, or The Pixies. Very different to anything anybody had heard, but not "experimental." Bands like that are very rare even in Enland and America.
Most good bands, are blends of their influences and their musical choices that make them sound unique. The Jesus and Mary Chain doesn't really sound like the Velvet Underground - even though you can hear the influences. Nirvana's Smells like Teen Spirit doesn't really sound like The Pixies, even though it was a self-conscious attempt to write a song in their style.
One thing though, it's pointless for a guy like me who grew up mostly on UK and American music, to force African traditional music into my stuff. It's too small a part of my influences to take centre stage authentically.
