Mzansi Mondays #1

Happy Human Rights Day! Time to celebrate by expressing your right to listen to great local music. Mondays don't always have to be blue, they can be rainbow-coloured and groovy. And the Rainbow Nation can always provide a tasty techni-colourful selection of tunes, which leads us to Mzansi Mondays! Super kiff South African tunes to make Mondays go a little bit more nxa. Ek se.

Our Mzansi Mondays artist this week is Cape Town-based producer Maramza a.k.a Richard The Third. This guy is the man! A white guy who can make some of the coolest and most new age future kwaito beats. Maramza is inventing new genres that combine Mzansi-house, gqom and kwaito style influences with trap, bass and tech elements that retain a unique South African flavour. Chakalaka for your ears.

Please do yourself a favour and visit his Soundcloud page, where you can find plenty plenty original tracks and remixes of some of your favourite local hits. This generous witch doctor of beats provides us with so many exquisite sonic remedies, mahala even, so spread the love and show support. Preview some of his tracks below:











Listen to Maramza's latest EP, Low Magic, as well as some of his previous releases below:

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SHAYNE

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Dirty Jacuzzi in the Mix

I've been working on some mixes for your ears. Feel free to download them and enjoy :-)

DISCO SAUCE MIX

"YOUR ELECTRONIC DISCO MOVES HAVE KNOCKED ME OFF MY FEET... 
OUR ELECTRO ROBOTIC LOVE IT STARTED IN THE STREET"

FUNK CITY MIX

WELCOME TO FUNK CITY: FROM DOWNTOWN JUNGLE BOOGIE TO UPTOWN FUNK 'N ROLL

ELECTRO-SKIT MIX

I'M SO 2008 / YOU'RE SO TWO THOUSAND AND LATE

MZANSI MIX

A SHAP SHAP SELECTION OF SOUTH AFRICAN HOUSE CLASSICS. HAIBO!

DEMON RAVE MIX

HECTIC DEMON SEX PARTY MUSIC

WARNING: DO NOT PLAY NEAR OLD PEOPLE OR BABIES

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SHAYNE

Run The Jewels 2

The second album by Killer Mike and El-P as Run The Jewels officially places them at the top spot for the baddest rap duo out today. Run The Jewels 2 maintains the momentum of it's 2013 predecessor and brings it harder than ever. The first half of the album is heavy as fuck, with El-P's banging guttural beats shaking the system severely. The second half of the album sees a return to the super cool and intricate hip hop beats rapped upon masterfully by these two mighty MC's. Lyrically, this album is untouchable. The duo perform so well together as a tag team, with Killer Mike's shotgun flow weaving in and out of El-P's complex and deadly delivery. There are so many memorable lines in this album, and it will take several listens to even begin absorbing some of them if you listen carefully enough.  The lyrical content ranges from bad-ass boasts and battle-style aggression to contemplative social commentary and biographical tales to intricate thoughts on the world from the perspectives of one of rap's coolest duos. These guys ain't stoppin'! Mal.

They even released their new album for free! DOWNLOAD. What china-bosses. But if you'd like something extra, there are several packages of the album ranging in price available on their website too. These include a package for $40000 where the duo will re-master and re-compose the entire album using nothing but cat sounds; the $100 000 Fuck Boy Revenge Package, where"Run The Jewels will fly to your town, stalk and ultimately take revenge upon anyone in your life who has ever wronged you through a series of humiliating and vicious tactics designed to bring shame upon their name and the name of their children. We will then train your enemies pet to love you. This offer does not include murder". And finally, the $10 million Retirement Plan Package: "Run The Jewels will retire from music, making only one song a year for you personally. Every song title will be your name with a number next to it.  You are free to exploit these recordings however you feel like.  Includes: all Run The Jewels publishing from any new song created during our retirement; two fake gold 36” chains; two green hands; and a sticker". These guys are too badd-ass, listen to their awesome album below.

"MY BUSINESS CARD SAYS YOU'RE IN LUCK. I DO TWO THINGS I RAP & FUCK"

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SHAYNE

Beauty & The Beats Vol. 1

Check out this awesome free compilation of super kiff and cool South African electronic sounds offered up by local label Drk&Lvly Records. Can you say "value for money"? How about value for no money! This excellent selection showcases some of the best sounds from Cape Town, Jozi and elsewhere in Mzansi, with talents such as Richard The Third a.k.a Maramza (check out his track Shambok, it skops hard), Phizisict, The Watermark High, Veranda Panda, Dank and more emerging local artists that will make you say "Yoh!". The beats contained herein range from super smooth chill-tronic to banging electronic trap and glitch to drum 'n bass, and this wide variety really showcases the talent that South Africa has to offer the world of electronica at the moment. And in true South African fashion, it's mahala! Thanks guys! Check it out:

Keep it kinky

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SHAYNE

Fake Bluuurd!!

The man, the legend, the mystery. My favourite filthiest funkiest beatmaker in the UK has dropped a brand new house-style remix of Riton's Inside My Head and it's bouncy as fuck. This is in keeping with FB's recent more house-oriented output, which opts for a more chilled out yet funky house sound than his classic evil boy crunchy nasty electronic style. The man can do it all. Check out the track below, it's great!





Now check this out hectic okes, he even released a free download a while ago. And we forgot to tell y'all about it! What a shame, we've been slacking. I blame Tozz. But it's never too late. Don't stop believing! Check it out below, it's called Liberties, and it's more classic Fake Blood. I have no idea where this guy finds all the crazy sounds and samples he uses but they're like nothing I've ever heard before and they're ama zing zing like Zinger wings.





And as if that wasn't enough to satisfy your Blood-lust, check out his Waiting EP released back in March (which we also forgot to tell you about, sorry). It's more mellow than his usual stuff, and more house-y like I mentioned earlier, but in the best possible way. The title track Waiting has a really nice atmosphere to it and is super smooth, with a slick piano riff and guest vocals from the other Black Ghost. Get Myself Together is probably my favourite pick of the bunch, those soulful vocals mixed with those classic Fake Blood synths treat my ears really well. Tell Me Nothing is pretty weird, but I like it, it sounds sinister.





Chilled beats my chinas. Be kind to others and smile.

Shayne