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Resonating: DJ Matt Hichens does his thing at the One Park listening bar in Cape Town, known for its curated line-up of local DJs and diverse mix of genres. Photo: Charles Leonard

Discovering Cape Town’s eclectic listening bars, where nightlife is redefined

The popularity of two Cape Town listening bars points to the need for more eclectic music spaces

Trumpeter Robin Fassie (centre) is also a hands-on producer and tends towards sparse use of his instrument on the album. (Photo: Earl Abrahams)

NLite bring supple musicality for their self-titled debut

Cascading between moods and styles, the nine tracks on NLite’s album offer a lightness of spirit

Dedicated following: Uppercut is one of Cape Town’s longest-running club nights. Photo: Aidan Tobias

Honouring a Mother City mainstay

Confounding every stereotype, the festival has gone on to become a movement that puts inclusion and progress at the heart of its mission statement.

Not middle of the road: With a radio show

The cult of Angela Weickl – electronic music’s curator and ever-present fan

She has always been present, first as a fan, then as a DJ, and now as a curator and label owner, reinventing herself as the music does.

‘Soul of soldier’: The United States whistle-blower Edward Snowden features on a new album by Jean-Michel Jarre.

Jarre brings politics to electonica

A pioneer of electronic music, Jean-Michel Jarre has roused crowds, yet at the root of the genre lies a political dimension, he says.

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Electronica booms! DJs seek voice beyond machines

Several leading electronic music artists are seeking to combat perceptions with a renewed effort to emphasise the human element behind the music.

Mark Ernestus: Remixing business with pleasure

After earning his stripes on the Berlin techno scene, Ernestus has turned his attention to the music of the ­Africa, with ­spectacular results.

Opposites attract: Zaki Ebrahim combined diverse influences on her album Every Opposite.

Ibrahim gives South African house a home

Electro-soul singer and global denizen Zaki Ibrahim has always been a nomad, but it is becoming easier for her to call SA, her father’s country, home.

Warrick Sony: ‘I realised that music as an art form can pull together a huge spectrum of feelings’

Warrick Sony: Surfing the zeitgeist

Warrick Sony’s new album deals with the perpetual state of agitation in South Africa and the world.

Eclectic mix to nourish your neurons

Eclectic mix to nourish your neurons

When it comes to electronic music, the Brainfeeder label from Los Angeles is as hot as you get.

Hooked on music

Hooked on music

<b>Charles Leonard</b> explains why Taste of Sónar is a far more exciting prospect for music junkies than the Cape Town International Jazz Festival.

There’s a Spoek on my stoep

There’s a Spoek on my stoep

Dubbed this year’s Die Antwoord, Spoek ­Mathambo’s sound is uncategorically South African.

Killer is death on the dance floor

Killer is death on the dance floor

As famous for his esoteric music as his high-voltage stage presence, the Gaslamp Killer is braced for assault when tours SA this week.

Block-rockin’ beats

Ebenhaezer Smal – aka Haezer – plays the kind of music that makes you want to dance.

Reflective beats

Reflective beats

Jacob Israel’s new album is his most mature work to date, a classical-influenced recording of sublime electronica, writes Lloyd Gedye.