STUDIO83

 

Studio 83 has already shed light on this new artist on the scene, Spoek Mathambo. His The Fader cover has set a buzz on Twitter and have people interesting in the persona. From living in Malmö to to his aspirations to Mshini Wam's release on 31 August, Spoek Mathambo gives us a summary of where he's been and where he's going.

Where does the name Spoek Mathambo come from?

I used to watch the TV show Emzini Wezinsizwa. It's pretty much my favourite sitcom ever. I just love the premis and characters. My favourites probably being the security guard and Mofokeng. Anyways, in one episode about AIDS, Chedwane said [Spoek Mathambo]. I found the way he said it so funny I started rapping under that name. It means Ghost of Bones...directly.

I've been rapping since I was around 10 years old. I've gone through a ton of pretty generic and weird rap names. Spoek Mathambo was me just picking a ridiculous one and getting it over with. I sometimes think to work under my real name Nthato Mokgata, as I'm not sure how people understand the name and it irritates me when people think i mean Spoke...like Speech. Urgh.

Does the international audience/listener understand the significance of "Mshini Wam'"?

Obviously not. I'm not sure I care about that beyond the short blurb in my PR stuff. I'm not sure I understand the significance of Mshini Wam'. It is simply a reference which makes sense to me as a South African-born in the state of emergency growing up in this crazy young democracy.

Where in South Africa are you from?

I am from Johannesburg. Born and raised partly in SOWETO, then my family moved to Sandton...I now live in Malmö with my lovely wife...who I make music with. She raps under the name Gnucci Banana.

Describe your music and its target listener?

Best way to describe it is to say that it's a new sound coming from South Africa; that's what we're try to do. Music that takes heavily from South African music and culture, but sounds like nothing ever before. I'm really just learning how to make music and I'm glad you can all watch the growth.

There is no target listener. I want everyone to listen and get into it. That's the dream. I love mass music, pop music. I love that really dark house and Kwaito [have been] the pop music of South Africa since the early 90s. I want to continue this lineage.

So now that the album is released, what do you have planned for the next year?

Whoa! A lot of plans I will tour with my band to promote the album. The plan is to get the music to as many people as possible. 

I really love shooting music videos. The next one will be shot by great South African artist Pieter Hugo.

I'm [also] currently writing material for two different albums, one is a rap album based on old Kwaito songs like Ibizemoyeni and BOP's Egoli. I'm gonna go reeeeeeeeeally hard on that one. I'm a rapper, and I'm gonna challenge myself to make the greatest rap album ever out of South Africa.

The other album will be a "mshini wam" album where I develop the ideas that I hinted at on this first Mshini Wam album; the biggest development being [the addition of] a Maskandi guitar to give it a chugging rocking edge. I just discovered Phuzekhisi like REALLLY listening to a lot of his songs with Khetani, and the super group with Nothembi. KILLLLER SHIT! That's my big influence of the next mshini wam album.

What did you do before recording or even coming up with the idea of your debut album?

I'd been writing stuff for the album for seven months to a year maybe. [During] all the time I was still working and touring with my old groups Sweat.X and Playdoe.

I listened to tons of heavy metal, living in Sweden, and initially, I wanted to make a SA house album with a metal darkness. This was [influences by] winter in Sweden. I [arrived in] Sunny South Africa and the album got a whole different feel...especially after meeting up and working with Soul geniuses LV and Zaki Ibrahim. The vibe lightened up a lot. Could have been a very different album.  

Why is it that so few South Africans know of Spoek Mathambo or never heard his music before?

There are a number of reasons. The most simple and direct is that I do not have representation here...in terms of label, management and booking. An infrastructure. The other reason is that I have spent much of the last two or three years overseas.

The third is a decision I made a long time ago, which was that I am going to do whatever I want on as international a scale as possible, without feeling I have to specifically focus on just SA. Not that I plan to neglect SA. Far from it. But I just want to build my stuff. Currently, my album is dropping in SA in February and distributed by Soulcandi. The videos will start to get on TV and the songs on radio.

Have any gigs lined up in South Africa?

I'm DJing in Johannesburg this Saturday [4^th of September]. And then my band is playing live in Cape Town on the weekend of the 23^rd of September.

How does it feel to be recognised by great publications such as "the fader"?

It feels phenomenal. They are really one of the few magazines I still LOVE and buy. That and POPAfricana.

Do you aspire to be as big as Jay-Z or are you liking the little mystery?

I aspire to be as big as Fela Kuti or Stevie Wonder or Prince or Iggy Pop...those are really my big role models. I just wanna make the best music for as many people as possible.

Mystery is overrated. I want my face stamped on the sun.

 

*Listen to Spoek Mathambo's music here

*Watch Spoek Mathambo's videos here