I don’t know if I was embarrassed, upset or just really entertained.
There I am last night watching Muvhango. I'm not even sure how the TV ended up on that channel after I'd watched the 'steamy' DJ Mo, but anyway, the point here is, after Muvhango I saw this Jam Sandwich thing – (second season was starting last night). I watched season 1 once or twice and I remember there was djCleo le boBricks jamming with some white boy band that just couldn’t understand the culture of making black music.
Anyway, as I was saying.. Jam Sandwich nhe, is this show where they get two completely different singers to collaborate and produce a song in like, four days. I’m not very sure how far the song goes really and if its ever sold and what happens with all logistics after the show. More information is
HERESo yesterday it was Jaziel Brothers (I just love them, shem) and this other Afrikaans gospel group called Back 2 Basics.
Before the first commercial break we are introduced to the two slices.
First, Jaziel Brothers – like who are they where they are from, what they have done, who they have produced, what awards they have won and what what.
Comment:
“We hope we’ll be given to work with people who are older than us and who know music better. This has to be a learning curve. We have to look back to this week and say, this is what we learnt from the experience. So we are really hoping to be teamed with someone who is older and has been in this thing longer.”
Enter Back 2 Basics. They are a strictly Afrikaans not-too-uniform band who do things on impulse and they are passionate about the Lord Jesus. They don’t really belong to a church, they do not practice religion, all they do they worship Christ and through music they can reach the nations. Through very Afrikaans music. Apparently they take normal songs that everyone knows and they put in the name of Jesus and with these they fill up stadiums and preach the Word through song. Very good.
Comment: We hope to be teamed up with people who also know God and hopefully not some satanic rock band that will make us do those head moves. lol
After the first commercial break is THE REVELATION
The brothers are given a CD of this Back 2 Basics band. Their reaction – priceless! They are like “yho! They sing in Afrikaans bro…”
Comment: “T
he first thing we looked for was the RISA (Recording industry of South Africa) logo on the CD and they don’t have it. Which means they are not really in the industry, they are just doing their own thing out there. We hope this will work.
We also don’t recognize any of the names in the credits”.
Then they google and find only the website with some raw video. So this band seriously does just raw music. They write, they sing, they record and they sell. That’s it!
The Afrikaners are given the Jaziel Bros CD to listen to. Their reaction – Very upsetting!
Comment: “
we’ll have to teach them some Afrikaans”.
Well, they admit that they have never heard of the name, they are hoping that they have proper musical instruments.
One comment:“
oh, maybe their drummer will go like, ‘I also wanna come with!’ heheh. “
We’ll write in Afrikaans and they’ll translate into their language so that when their people listen they will hear and when our people listen they will also hear."
At this point my mouth is already wide open.
Then they also decide to rather google. They do find the Bros and even get to know what the name Jaziel means, and they are happy with it coz at least it say something about God.
And the Jamming beginnings.
I’m not trying to say anything racist. I love my white friends. All I’m saying is I don’t think I have ever seen such ignorance in my life. Well, I have… im just saying.
These guys, nhe.. just by looking at the Jaziel brothers they already decided.. oh well… we’ll teach them Afrikaans. Notwithstanding the fact that they themselves know way less about music than the Bros do and they are not even really in the industry. What they are doing is good. Really good. I mean they are preaching the Word of God – in the most relevant way – something a lot of churches struggle to do. They just need to ease on the Afrikaans – maybe they will have a bigger following.
Anyway, all I’m trying to do really is laugh at the situation. If you were watching that show you might agree with me when I say…They got the shock of their lives!
The first recording was at their own home studio and they were showing off n’all. And the Bros were as cool as ever. They did the song, which the Bros took some minutes to put together first to make sure it’s right.
Comment: “
We understand that some people need time for the words to come together. With us, we just write – we just go for it.”
#shakin my head.
Then the beef begins when the Afrikaners start to feel left out.
Comments: “Die punt was om ‘n toebroodtjie te maak. Almal moet mos deel speel. Een bring eiers, die ander bring botter en ons het n toebroodjie. Nou ek voel dat hierdie mense het mos die hele toebroodtjie klaar gemaak. En ek moet nou probeer om hul te smeek so dat hul sal my jam ook inplaas. Ons het geen deel gespeel nie. Hulle he di hele song geskryf en nou moet ons net translate… Dit bedoel mos dat ons is net hier vir die vertaling. This is not good"
Clearly now when they are the ones who have to do the translating now it’s a problem.
FAST FORWARD… The beef is sort of sorted when the brothers are taken to some community feasting thing and they make potjiekos. Togetherness.
Alright, back to the jamming. The white people enter the Jaziel Brothers’ studio and they can’t stop saying wow! Only now they realize that these people are actually quite big.
Comment by one of the Bros: “
We take this music business really seriously and we don’t like it when people just wake up and think they have a voice so they can release a CD.”
Of course he’s just saying… not implying that the Back 2 Basics band isn’t clued up with the basics.
Anyway yha… the result of this was a good pop-gospel song in 3 official languages – Afrikaans, Xhosa and English. Of course each group singing in their language and the English part done together…. Just like the national anthem before a big Springbok game. #sigh!
The very last part that killed me finish was when they were in studio recording this Golgotha song... This lady here...
just doesn't get why the Brothers have to sing one thing five times to get it right..
Comment: I'm a one-take artist... and she closes her eyes and rocks that "
Die Naam" line in vibration. Classic.
The whole thing really just reminded me of John Vlismas joking… we are a true rainbow nation –. Different colours but each on its own straight line. Not a blot of colours. LOL
So yha..... I just really wanted to share.
Note: Pictures have been stolen from several sites across the net.