Alexander Brand

In Feature

Benjamin Jephta on Returning Home Without Repeating Himself

November 25, 2025 No Comments

It’s not easy to go back. Especially when “back” isn’t a place but a version of yourself you’ve outgrown. For bassist and composer Benjamin Jephta, revisiting his debut album ten years later wasn’t about nostalgia — it was about truth-telling. Homecoming Revisited, released on 19 September 2025, doesn’t try to reconstruct 2015. It listens to it from the other side of a decade — one that’s taken Jephta from the Cape Flats to Berklee, to stages around the world, and back to the South African jazz community that raised him.

In Feature

Kujenga on retaining the political urgency of jazz

October 8, 2025 No Comments

In recent years, many musicians and fans have questioned whether jazz still carries the same political charge it once did. For Cape Town’s seven-piece collective Kujenga, those tensions pulse beneath every note of their new EP, Common Ground, a record that insists jazz — or what they call “Black Improvised Music” — still carries a responsibility to the times we live in.

In Op-ed

Music Journalism Has Gotten Too Soft—And It’s Failing Everyone

April 12, 2025 No Comments

Every album is “a triumph.” Every gig “an unforgettable night.” If you read most music journalism today, you’d be forgiven for thinking we’re living through a golden age of perfection. But we’re not—we’re just not being honest. Music journalism has gotten too soft, and it’s failing the very people it’s meant to serve.

In Feature

Cape Town is One of the New Jazz Hubs of Africa—But It Always Has Been

April 1, 2025 No Comments

Walk into the basement of The Athletic Club & Social any night from a Wednesday to a Saturday, and you’ll find a crowd that looks more like a Boiler Room audience than your grandpa’s jazz club. Young people hunched over Negronis, heads nodding, bodies swaying, fully locked in. This is jazz—but not as the world once knew it. This is jazz with an edge, a bounce, a future. Welcome to Cape Town: one of the new jazz capitals of Africa and the world that, frankly, has been carrying the spirit all along.

In Music

Teagan Turns a Writing Session into a ‘Pop-piano’ Breakthrough

December 7, 2024 No Comments

Newest single by Teagan, ‘Lock You Down’, hits like a ray of December sunshine—a track that somehow feels both deeply familiar and refreshingly original. The Cape Town-based singer-songwriter has found a sweet spot between glossy pop hooks and the airy, upbeat sensibilities of amapiano. This isn’t just another throwaway summer tune; it’s a layered piece that radiates confidence, underscored by warm percussion and a chorus that practically begs you to sing along while dancing barefoot under the sun.

In Event

Helter Skelter Vol. 3: Cape Town’s Ultimate Psych-Rock Event is Back

October 29, 2024 No Comments

Where indie meets psychedelic rock in the scenic Shambala Park on 7-8 December 2024, experience Helter Skelter, a weekend of raw soundscapes, trippy visuals, and eclectic energy just a beat away from Cape Town.

In Music

FREDDY L Brings Their Vibrant Sound to the Mother City

October 10, 2024 No Comments

South Africa’s alternative music scene is heating up as FREDDY L embarks on their Mother’s Calling tour, which kicked off at the start of October. The Durban and Cape Town-based trio, known for blending pop and rock with local South African influences, is set to light up venues across Cape Town and Stellenbosch this month.

In Event

Afrikalt: Shaking Up the Afrikaans Music and Art Scene with the ‘Paarl to Pretoria’ Tour

September 3, 2024 No Comments

The South African cultural landscape is in the midst of a seismic shift as Afrikalt, an alternative Afrikaans music and art collective, continues its much-anticipated “Paarl to Pretoria” tour. Kicking off on 29 August 2024, this tour has already set the stage for a groundbreaking celebration of creativity, diversity, and the vibrant undercurrents of the Afrikaans-speaking community.

In Event

The Folklore Festival Returns: Celebrating 30 Years of Freedom with a Powerful Line-Up

September 2, 2024 No Comments

As the Folklore Festival returns for its third year, this dynamic celebration of culture and heritage promises to be more immersive and intimate than ever before. Set across three cities over 30 days, this year’s festival is not just about revisiting the past; it’s about shaping the future through the art of storytelling, as South Africa commemorates 30 years of freedom.

In Music

Alex Biaya Drops New Single “Midnight Serenade”: A Slow Burn Masterpiece

August 26, 2024 No Comments

Cape Town’s rising star, Alex Biaya, continues to expand his sonic landscape with the release of his latest single, Midnight Serenade. Released on 23 August, the track marks a pivotal moment in Biaya’s journey as an artist, showcasing his versatility while remaining deeply rooted in his signature emotive style.