Interview with Da Multi Snake about Shangaan Electro

Posted on 05 July 2014 by Caballo


Via Lacroixx.

To contextualize this, the man behind the most important Zouk Bass channel in Youtube, and one of the most active Lusophone related bloggers, Filipe Ribeiro was able to hook an interview with Da Multi Snake & Rob Owner of Shangaa BANG! Records.

Shaangan Electro is (for many) a faster version of Kwaito blended with the eclectic footwork.

And being an African genre that has around 15 years, we still do not see it covered a lot.
SO here it is the interview with STU
TB- What music did you listen too as a kid?
Stu:I grew up listening shangaan electro, i’ve been a fan of the genre since i was 7 yrz til now.
TB- where did you learn to make music, video and graphics?

Stu:I studied Sound Engineering at Denva technical College by 2010 for 6 months, it was supposed to be 18 months, due to lack of money, i had to drop out in 6 months. Da few i’ve learnt by then made me. I taught myself editing graphic and videos!

TB: what programs do you compose your music on? and why do you use that program?
Stu:I use cubase combined with FL and Reason. 3 three combined gives me good sound, easy to use nd it saves me time.

TB: How do the older generation and traditional musicians feel about the new Shangaan Electro? Stu: majority is copying with the new electro, thy understand that music is evolving,

TB: Which websites/shops/radio stations do you use to find new music?
Stu:shangaan electro is hard to find øn the net. Only few artist. But i use kasimp3 for my shangaan hip hop

TB:Where did you compose the tracks for Volume 1? and how did you choose the vocalists?
Stu:I composed em while workng at BNB Media SA. I went there for da experience. I just took 2 good looking galz who knew nothing about singing. They were dancers of shangaan electro. I taught em singing.

And then we move to talk to Rob, the guy behing Shaangan BANG !! A Shangaan Electro Label
TB: Are you from UK or S.A. but living in UK?
Rob: I’m currently on a one year internship with a charity based in Buntingford (in between London and Cambridge) but I grew up in a place called Plymouth, which is in Devon, England.

TB:When did you take contact with Shangaan Electro?
Rob: I discovered Shangaan Electro thanks to the Honest Jons compilation ‘New Wave Dance Music From South Africa’
TB: Are you familiar with traditional Shangaan music?
Rob: I am aware of Shangaan Disco but honestly, I’m not at all familiar with the history. From what I understand, the ethos of Shangaan Electro is to take the tropes of traditional music and present them in a new way. So, the rhythms and the melodies are similar but the bass guitar is replaced by Marimba and the ‘real’ drummer, is replaced by electronic percussion.

TB: How did older musicians react to Shangaan Electro at the beginning? How do they react now?
I’ll ask Stuart this
TB: Normally Shangaan Electro uses performers/dancers. What are the main influences for the dance?
Is there some kind of ritual/tradition where we can find similar dances?
Rob: These should have what you’re looking for… Several smaller ethnic groups influence the Shangaan Electro dance such are the Zulu dance ceremonies, Xibelani dance or the Pantsula dance, a more urban street culture emerged in the 50´s and 60´s.

TB: Are people in UK aware of this new wave of S.A. dance music? How is the feedback? Where in UK we can listen some Shangaan Electro playing?
Rob: In electronic music circles, Shangaan Electro is fairly well known (thanks to the Honest Jons comp and Nozinja signing to Warp) but on the whole it’s definitely still ‘underground’. Which is a shame, because thanks to it’s tempo and charm, the reaction is almost always positive. And, from what I know, it’s almost almost impossible to hear Shangaan Electro playing anywhere but from behind a computer.

TB: Which blogs/sites do you choose to search for new music?
Rob: There are so many ‘smaller’ blogs that I follow but these ‘big’ sites have always been a great source for new, Electronic music…
TB: Do you see Shangaan Electro artists collaborating with other artists and join forces to explore new sounds and fusions with Shangaan Electro but always maintaining his essence?
Rob: I would love for this happen. The Shangaan Shake remix comp was incredible. It was so great to hear how different artists interpreted the genre but what I’d be most interested to hear is a real collaboration.

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