The British Council, in partnership with Live Magazine SA and London’s Roundhouse, today announced that the winners of the FutureMusic series, Cape Town-based electronica/hip hop producer Wildebeats and Johannesburg music collective, The Brother Moves On, will perform at Roundhouse Rising new music festival from Thursday 20 to Sunday 23 February 2014.
The Future Music Series is part of the British Council’s Connect ZA initiative to connect young creative artists and audiences in South Africa and the UK. The series ran throughout 2013 as a succession of music events, bringing emerging artists from the UK and South Africa together for unique performances in Johannesburg and Cape Town.
A total of 84 up and coming South African-based acts were nominated before six were shortlisted to take part in the November final in Johannesburg. Winners were chosen by a judging panel including representatives from the British Council Connect ZA, Roundhouse, Live Magazine SA and music industry experts.
The Brother Moves On is a South African performance art ensemble from Johannesburg, founded by artist Nkululeko Mthembu. Beginning as a self-proclaimed art movement which interrogated the notion that members were an impermanent part of the process, informing the collective’s name; TBMO have moved to incorporate music in their live performances and in their current incarnation perform mainly as a band.
Wildebeats is the alter ego of computer scientist and producer Mohato Lekena. As a bass/hip-hop producer Wildebeats creates morphed, future versions of the instrumentals he grew up on.
Wildebeats and The Brother Moves On will travel from Cape Town and Johannesburg respectively to join the Roundhouse Rising festival bill, which runs from 20 to 23 February and includes live music, master classes, panels, workshops and creative projects as well as performances by Little Sims, Leatherette and Blessa.
A film has been produced by Johannesburg-based filmmaker Chris Saunders to accompany their visit, which documents the artists’ journey to London and the experience of the other four finalists as they prepare for their final performance in Johannesburg: http://bit.ly/1nvEM8X
Tom Porter, Director Arts, British Council South Africa, says ““This project really sums up the work that Connect ZA is doing to support artistic collaborations and to connect young creatives in the UK and South Africa, and Roundhouse and Live Magazine SA have been the perfect partners to work with in this field. The Future Music process has enabled us to shed light on a wealth of new music talent in South Africa and we’re delighted that the Brother Moves On and Wildebeats will lead the way in developing sounds that are both unique to their context and accessible to audiences internationally.”
Oli Kluczewski, Roundhouse Rising Festival Producer, says: ““Roundhouse Rising has always been about championing the future of new music and having Wildebeats and The Brother Moves On involved will no doubt prove to be a massive highlight for the festival. The Roundhouse are very excited to be hosting two very distinct South African artists and being a part of their artistic journey and development”.
FutureMusic Series is a collaboration between the British Council and Live Magazine SA, in association with Roundhouse.
For more information about the British Council’s Connect ZA or Roundhouse Rising visit https://connectza.tumblr.com/ or https://www.roundhouse.org.uk/roundhouse-rising-2014
For more information about the British Council or Connect ZA contact:
Mary Doherty, Press Officer // +44(0)207 389 3144
mary.doherty@britishcouncil.org
For more information about the Roundhouse contact:
Emma Reynolds // +44(0) 20 7424 2984
Emma.Reynolds@roundhouse.org.uk
For more information about Live SA contact:
Beth O’Connor // + 27 (0) 79 887 7991
beth@livemag.co.za
Roundhouse Rising Festival
20-23 February 2014
Roundhouse,
Chalk Farm Road,
London, NW1 8EH
www.roundhouse.org.uk/rising
#rising2014
Judging panel
Diane Coetzer, Contributing Music Editor, Rolling Stone South Africa
Percy Mabandu, Arts Journalist, City Press
DJ Kenzhero, South African DJ & Event Producer
Oliver Kluczewski, Music Programme Producer, Roundhouse
Heather Davina Campbell, Trainee Event Producer, Roundhouse
Lee Molefi, Johannesburg Editor, Live Magazine SA
Buhle Mweli, Editor, Live Magazine SA
Wildebeats
http://futuremusicza.wordpress.com/2013/10/26/wildebeats/
The Brother Moves On
http://futuremusicza.wordpress.com/2013/10/22/the-brother-moves-on/
About Connect ZA
Connect ZA is a major new series of cultural exchanges between the UK and South Africa marking 2014 as a celebration of 20 years of democracy in South Africa. From 2013 to 2015, the programme will support cultural connections between young people aged 18-35 in the UK and South Africa with series of arts projects and use digital platforms to build creative networks through live music, film, visual art and design.
Projects will range from partnerships with arts festivals and workshops to working with artists, writers, filmmakers and designers. Connect ZA aims to reach new and diverse audiences for the arts and stimulate innovation, whilst forging new collaborations with organisations and individuals on both continents.
The British Council creates international opportunities for the people of the UK and other countries and builds trust between them worldwide. We are a Royal Charter charity, established as the UK’s international organisation for educational opportunities and cultural relations. Our 7000 staff in over 100 countries work with thousands of professionals and policy makers and millions of young people every year through English, arts, education and society programmes. We earn over 75% of our annual turnover of nearly £700 million from services which customers pay for, education and development contracts we bid for and from partnerships. A UK Government grant provides the remaining 25%. We match every £1 of core public funding with over £3 earned in pursuit of our charitable purpose. For more information, please visit www.britishcouncil.org.
About The Roundhouse
The Roundhouse is more than just a great venue. Each year it works with over 3,000 11-25 year olds, enabling them to realise their creative potential, and offers audiences of all ages new and extraordinary experiences in live music, circus, spoken word, theatre and new media.
Roundhouse Rising is an annual new music festival that pioneers and platforms the best in new music. As well as live performance, the festival offers a range of development opportunities for young people, focusing on creative workshops, industry advice sessions, seminars and talks.
http://www.roundhouse.org.uk/rising
About Live Magazine SA
Live Magazine SA is a youth media company who publish the Live Magazine print and livemag.co.za online platforms for 18-25 year olds in South Africa.
Live Magazine SA is a nationwide youth‐run media channel that helps springboard young people into full‐time paid employment. We provide vocational, on‐the‐job training in journalism, media, marketing and digital skills producing content that is of industry standard. We employ professional industry mentors who work closely with young people in video production, digital media, photography, graphic design, fashion and styling.
http://livemag.co.za/