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Mail & Guardian
blk jkslatest news & developments
South African rapper, producer and musical artist, Sam Turpin

Sam Turpin’s notes on grief

The legacy of photographer Gisèle Wulfsohn echoes through her son’s music as Sam Turpin confronts sorrow through art

‘Laundry’ finds resistance in the music

Zamo Mkhwanazi’s striking debut film blends family drama, apartheid oppression and blistering music into a defiant film that refuses to lower its volume

In black and white: Zander Blom tells of the colour in his work

The artist’s new Joburg exhibition has drips and smears – it can scare you – but it can also make you feel light

South African experimental rock band BLK JKS, composed of vocalist and guitarist Mpumelelo Mcata, bassist Molefi Makananise, trumpeter Tebogo Seitei and drummer Tshepang Ramoba.
Photo: Brett Rubin

BLK RCK Festival celebrates the impact of black music on alternative culture

The BLK JKS present a two-day transcendental music experience during their Black Rock Safari tour

Lockdown luck: Jazz musician Malcolm Jiyane was recording a new record at Sumo Sound when three-year-old Umdali was unearthed. (Andy Mkosi)

Malcolm Jiyane: A tale of two albums

The jazz musician’s album comes with a backstory as good as the music itself

Blistering energy: The long-awaited second album from the BLK JKS (pictured above with collaborator Morena Leraba), was recorded in three days at Downtown Studios. (Brett Rubin)

‘Abantu: Before Humans’: The BLK JKS tread new turf

The second album from BLK JKS captures the band’s strengths, weaknesses and sonic vision

Humanity unadorned: In their latest release, BLK JKS use their experimental sound in conjunction with Morena Leraba’s idiosyncratic artistry to explore themes pertaining to African identity. (Brett Rubin)

BLK JKS find life after robots

Their single blends Leraba’s famo vocals and nostalgic memories of the 2011 Hifa festival

Mountain man: Morena Leraba is the fantastical alter ego created by Teboho Mochaoa, derived from his Sotho culture and used to convey his frustration with the political situation in his country. Photo: David Harrison
Video

The new accordion cowboys

Morena Leraba and Kommanda Obbs draw upon deep roots in creating the new Sesotho sound

Man with the Midas touch: Maphorisa’s talents aren’t restricted to gqom

Surfing the Gqom Wave to oblivion

Not just a genre, gqom is not being recognised in the industry as the cultural movement that it is

Awkward frontman Linda Buthelezi has returned with a quiet

Linda Buthelezi and his new God Sons and Daughter outfit re-emerges revived

After years of hiding and seeking, the former BLK JKS frontman has again reappeared armed with a fresh approach to his work.

In his latest novel

Sigh, the beloved Madondo

Mercurial jester? Tragic hero? Compulsive and relentless obfuscator? His latest book shows that Bongani Madondo is all of the above.

Explaining: ANC chairperson Gwede Mantashe (centre) made the party’s first submission to the Zondo commission. (Masi Losi/Gallo Images/Sowetan)

Prince: So long you sexy motherf*cker

Three South African musicians talk about the spell of the purple one.

A painting at a David Bowie memorial.
Video

There’s a Bowie in all of us

As tributes continue to pour in for rock legend David Bowie, South African artists take some time out to remember music’s ultimate chameleon.

‘Black President’ is a film about artist Kudzanai Chiurai

‘Black President’, an ironic portrait of an art enigma

A BLK JK has swapped music for film with ‘Black President’, homing in on an artist whose work interrogates power on the African continent.

Blk Brothers get it together

For their next project, the Blk Jks have teamed up with performance art collective, the Brother Moves On, to present "Blk Brother".

Singer Moonchild’s debut album will be out in the new year.

Singer Moonchild reaches for the stars

The genre-bending poet, dancer, fashion designer and singer’s debut album will be out in the new year.

The cultural scene in Johannesburg’s inner city spawned the birth of a number of experimental black music acts. Kwanele Sosibo tracks their evolution.

The evolution of the black band, a decade on

The cultural scene in Johannesburg’s inner city spawned the birth of a number of experimental black music acts. Kwanele Sosibo tracks their evolution.

The BLK JKS’s Mpumelelo Mcata
Audio

Half-JKS are the new BLK

The BLK JKS have some new faces, but they’re still doing what made them great – breaking down genre barriers and building new sounds.

The august house that fosters art

Welcome to August House, a relic of Doornfontein’s ?industrial past and home ?to some of South ?Africa’s top artists.

An installation representing the pillars of black music does not tell the whole story.

A jumbled trajectory

The International Exhibition of Black Music at Museum Africa in Newtown, Johannesburg, is a real treat.