Documentary ‘Future Sound of Mzansi’ about SA electro music to screen in London

The documentary, directed by Soweto-born performance artist and musician Spoek Mathambo, and filmmaker-cinematographer Lebogang Rasethaba, offers a fascinating insight into South Africa’s cultural landscape via electronic music, the sound pioneers, the musicians, producers, dancers, singers.

There are interviews with many emerging artists and with those who influenced the electro music scene, such as Rock Silver, Naked Boys, Black Coffee, Felix Laband, Krushed & Sorted, Okmalumkoolkat and many more. Future Sound of Mzansi traces the explosion of music making across South Africa and its growing worldwide popularity thanks to the internet.  All the artists who are interviewed in this lively documentary explain that music such as Ogom (house music from Durban) or the superfast dance beat Makwaya, or the desire to create something completely new can be made with accessible technology. The days of expensive studio costs are long gone – great music is coming out of South Africa and being heard – and performed around the world.

Dubbed the prince of Township Tech, Spoek Mathambo performed at London’s 100 Club on 5 March with his band Fantasma. Their sound combines traditional Zulu maskandi music with shangaan electro, hiphop, punk and electronica. South African film “Future Sound of Mzansi” turns the spotlight onto local electronic music producers breaking new ground and the cities that inspired them.

Spoek came to attention in the UK four years ago with his brilliant beat-heavy version of Joy Division’s ‘She’s Lost Control’ with a video by renowned South African photographer Pieter Hugo and cinematographer Michael Cleary and a cast of dancing kids from the township Langa in Cape Town.

Cinematographer Lebogang Rasethaba said the film took about three years to make.

“Originally, the film was supposed to be a series but it became a feature-length film as the scale, characters and story, and realities developed. It was too big a story. It focuses on who built up the electronic music scene but also asks what is the future sound of Msanzi?” said Rasethaba.

The film is shot beautifully. But Rasethaba comments,

“Twenty years since democracy, there’s been an interesting development in electronic music. It’s a film about South Africa using music as a vehicle to inform on society. The cities are characters. We state facts, we don’t create facts…we documented things as they sit geographically on the map.”

 

Screening info

When: 14 March, 11:30pm
Tickets: http://bit.ly/1wZOtyW
Where: Rio Cinema, 107 Kingsland High Street London E8 2PB
What: Introduction and post-film Q&A by director Spoek Mathambo

UK Film tour of African films

Future Sound of Mzansi is part of the SA at 20: The Freedom Tour, a programme of eleven film titles produced by South African filmmakers which is making its way around the UK.