Halls BeatBox Choir

Halls, South Africa's favourite lozenge, is inviting talented South Africans to 'free their voices' and enter the country's hottest talent contest to stand a chance of becoming part of a Hip Hop musical sensation – the Halls BeatBox Choir.

The Halls BeatBox Choir talent search aims to launch a purely acapella hiphop group. The search is on for three beat boxers and one free style MC with judges Lance Stehr of Ghetto Ruff and Bongani Fassie looking for unproduced talent.

The talented foursome will win a record deal with Ghetto Ruff that includes a music video, and the opportunity to work with top producers like Bongani Fassie.

The official search kicks off on May 10 at Carfax in Johannesburg, followed by two more regional events – one on May 24 at the Bat Centre in Durban, and another on May 31 at Distrix Café in Cape Town. The final event will take place on June 13 at Carfax.

Be part of it. The auditions start at Carfax, Johannesburg this Saturday (10 May) from 11h00 - 16h00

Visit www.cadburyschweppes.com to learn more

Cadbury South Africa

Kobus! to Perform at Magic Circle Festival - Germany

Kobus!: They have been honored with an invitation to perform at the gargantuan Magic Circle Festival ‘08 in Germany. Headlined by the legendary Manowar, it features the likes of Alice Cooper, Stormwarrior, WASP and HolyHell among many others in a truly spectacular line-up in celebration of heavy metal. The festival runs over four days in Bad Arolsen, Germany from 09 – 12 July 2008.

KOBUS! was formed in 2000 after Theo Crous (Springbok Nude Girls) and Francois Breytenbach (VOD) Blom realized that they did not like anything that the Afrikaans music scene had to offer. They decided to create music that they themselves would like to hear in Afrikaans. With brilliant lyrics, unique music and brain shattering live shows they soon became one of the most talked about and popular Afrikaans acts. SWAARMETAAL is their third album.

Rhythm Records

The Almighty Armchair Laid to Rest

It is my solemn duty to inform anyone of you that doesn't already know that the bastion of local music and coolness, the Independent Armchair Theatre has closed it's doors. This is a sad day in the local industry. The Chair will be loved and missed by all. The following emotional letter was released by the owner, Gil a few days ago...

Hi Everyone,

I’ve been avoiding this press release for about a month now. To cut straight to it, after little more than eight years of existence and an eternity of good times The Armchair has closed.

So that there is no confusion on the matter, this is what has happened:

I bought The Independent Armchair Theatre in March 2005. At the time the business was heavily in debt and about to close. Since then we have fought tooth and nail to not only keep The Armchair going but to make it the best venue for live music that we could offer. But three years later with my debts and stress levels reaching dangerous proportions, and some expensive renovations required in order to meet the city’s noise pollution requirements, I had to take the decision, like my predecessor, to sell the business. However the sale has not gone as planned and so - with The Armchair not able to reopen without the requisite soundproofing and no money to pay for the rental - the time has come to close.

That’s the story. I hope you understand. The Independent Armchair Theatre is one of the finest things to have existed in this city. It embodied loves and dreams. It was place to belong to and that belonged to you. In all the time I owned The Armchair, I never felt that it was really mine. It belonged to everyone. To the fans, the musicians, the promoters, the staff. I was simply the guy at the back holding the rudder. It was our home.

And it was all about the music. When The Armchair started it had quite a mixed line up of film, music, comedy and drama but as the years went on it grew into a venue whose purpose of the soul was to provide for the music of Cape Town and it’s many lovers. In the end it might have been out downfall, but the music was all we have ever cared about and I take comfort in knowing that we never made a decision that didn’t have the music at heart. I would start listing all the sublime moments I had in the place, the bands I saw, the musicians that changed my life, but the list would be too long and I wouldn’t want to leave anyone or anything out. The Armchair was nothing if not a sum of its parts. Plus I’d cry lot.

That’s it. I could write all night but that would just be avoiding the inevitable. And I don’t have enough tissues, toilet paper and sleeves in this place.

Before I go though, some very important thank you’s:

To my parents, who have gone far beyond any reasonable expectations in supporting me and The Armchair. To Jen and Alison for being totally fucking cool, for weathering the storms and for understanding more than most. Thembi, Angela, Nick, Alex, Timmy and Stuart and to everyone else who worked at The Armchair since it opened - you know who you are and I’m not going to list names because I don’t want to leave anyone out. One huge thanks to Ian James Watson whose value and talent can never be underestimated and if you ever meet this man please buy him as many drinks as possible. And of course Carl, Jess and Chris for coming up with the idea in the first place.

And finally, to anyone who ever set foot in the Armchair. Who made the times and enjoyed the times. The place was there for and because of you.

Till next time.

Gil

TERMINATRIX to Release Album

The long awaited TERMINATRYX album is set for a May 2008 release through ENT Entertainment, South Africa - distributed by IRIS (cat. no. CDENT 010).

The TERMINATRYX sound is a unique one in the South African musical milieu with the combination of striking vocalist Sonja Ruppersberg and the music of extreme music veteran Paul Blom (V.O.D / F8 / SAMA winners K.O.B.U.S.) blending into an Industrial-Metal soundscape rarely found in this country.
In addition there are many musical elements subtly filtering through across the diverse songs, from Alternative-, Hard Core- and Punk flavours, to Electronic-, Dark Wave- and Gothic hints.

From the start TERMINATRYX never attempted to sound like anyone out there, developing a sound all their own with inspiration coming from cinematic moods rather than other musical references.

The undercurrent of the fusion-, symbiosis- and corruption of man & technology is illustrated and supplemented with subjects ranging from socio-political issues, individualism & independent thought, consumerism, a critical tirade in Afrikaans, a love song alternative, biological- and viral infection, alien visitation, instrumentals and more.
Reacting on the state of the world (and beyond), there is no mincing of words.

With a natural aversion to cheap commercial sentiments and a blind consumer society, TERMINATRYX is truly a unique South African audio adventure, looking at the world with a satirical eye as they take the listener through a juxtaposed range of sonic intensity and calm, merging technology with the organic in a David Cronenberg vs. H.R Giger trip.

Produced by Paul, the track elements were re-recorded in February 2008 at Flamedrop Productions (with many of the original segments recorded since 2003 retained).
All of the songs are original creations with Sonja and Paul also acting as executive producers.

Early March 2008 Paul joined Simon "Fuzzy" Ratcliffe across a 10-day period at Sound & Motion Studios where mixing commenced. The final mastering was done late-March.

Fuzzy also guests on the instrumental track ABSINTHIUM with upright bass and a variety of exotic flutes, adding an organic emotional element to the predominantly electronically programmed backbone of the track.
Another guest includes original guitarist Tom Somers with lead segments on SLEEPWALKERS and WE COME IN PEACE.
Jenna Bird added a few well-placed bars of piano on SIEK+SAT.

A German nursery rhyme narrated by Christina Storm opens the song MIDNIGHT.

The album cover pictures were shot by Graham Abbott (of One Productions), with design, art-direction & post-production by Paul.

The video clip MIDNIGHT is included as an enhanced CD segment on the album (as well as a web link). The video features clips from F.W. Murnau’s silent German classic Nosferatu.
TERMINATRYX also created an original soundtrack for Nosferatu with collaborators from Lark, performed live to the screen at the 2006 South African HORRORFEST Film Festival (a DVD of which will be released in October 2008). At the 2007 Fest they gave The Cabinet Of Dr. Caligari the same mood-drenched treatment, while the TERMINATRYX live soundtrack for the 2008 HORRORFEST will be the legendary Häxan (again with special guests – www.HORRORFEST.info )

The Midnight video clip (and others) are also at www.YouTube.com/terminatryx. Two versions can be found here, with either the new audio track or the older demo version.

Keep an eye on the gig guide for launch events...

Flamedrop Productions