American rock has been cribbing African sounds for years. Now a South African band is poised to make a big splash on our shores. BLK JKS, from Johannesburg, blends African sounds with MTV-inspired art rock. They just released their first album in the U.S., Mystery. Band members Lindani Buthelezi and Mpumi Mcata perform live, and tell Kurt about witnessing the end of apartheid and discovering Nirvana.
Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa
Artist: Vampire WeekendAlbum: Vampire WeekendLabel: Xl RecordingsPurchase: AmazonSummertime
Artist: BLK JKSAlbum: MysteryLabel: Secretly CanadianPurchase: Amazon
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Studio 360 with Kurt Andersen is a co-production of Public Radio International and WNYC Radio, and is funded in part by Ken and Lucy Lehman and the National Endowment for the Arts. Studio 360's American Icons series is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities. Our Science and Creativity series is supported in part by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.
Comments [3]
Glad to see you giving a great band some props, BLK JKS are indeed the future and a great live act.
Great interview with these talented musicians, Kurt. Thanks for exposing the world to good music like this and giving us the story.
How refreshing! These are talented musicians from South African and they belong to the world. It is so wonderful to hear such profound talent. It is pure art in its highest sense! I could listen to that guitar for time without end.
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