#Splashy Fen#24

#Splashy Fen#24

Posted by Charne' 'crazyNey' Munien at 11:19 ✪ No comment yet

Sunshine, mates, booze and good music, what more could a free spirit need?!

In just two days, KwaZulu Natals number one music festival will kick off for the 24^th time. In the depths of the mountainous hills and farmlands of Underberg an obscene amount of misfits, hippies, freedom fighters, music lovers, Nazi haters and bands and musicians will inhabit splashy fen farm. The time of the year has finally arrived to pull out your Gumboots and beanie’s, your firewood and dig into your Splashy fund to ensure complete entertainment and delight. It isn’t easy roughing out the ice-cold nights or sweating out the sunny days but a can of beer, nay, a bucket of tequila can solve all your camping problems. Although its on the Easter weekend, we feel that music connects us all and is our religion, we follow every note and we feel every word until its coursing through our veins. Music is the reason we gather on this oversized hill, to scream and dance and smile and laugh. The best parts are bumping into fellow fenders on the beaten path, watching people fall in the filth that is splashy's natural mud bath and cruising down to the river for chilled beats, hot rocks and ice cold beer. This is a unique experience that is not to be missed with gaurenteed memories and new friends. It is a utopia of music, good vibes and awesome people. The time has come to let loose and let go.

What not to forget:

A waterproof tent- Precipitation is a high risk at all times.
Contraceptives- So that what happens at splashy, stays there.
Torch- Getting dressed in the dark is only easy if you don't mind looking like a bundle of creased washing.
Festival ticket!- seriously they don't let you in without it. My friend once tried to break in and after braving barbed wire and a poisonous looking snake they still caught him and made him buy a ticket.
Flag for your campsite- Getting lost is a serious matter.
Mobile phone- o wait, leave that at home, there is no signal, trust me.
Money- because nobody likes a Splashy hobo/vagrant
Sense of humour
Sleeping bag- It gets cold. Thermal underwear is definitely an option.
Sunblock- My brown skin is made for the harsh african sun but it was at splashy that i learnt that brown people can go red too :/
Sunglasses- To look cool at all times.. Cover up your hangover or your red eyes.
Swimming gear, tubes and inflatables for river and dams

Gumboots- Your splashy WILL BE RUINED without these.. In fact I should have put this first but it is the last thing you will read so you are more likely to remember it when you are stumbling around pick n pay.

28 March-1 April

Be there.

Tickets available at computicket. (R575- R600)

New at #splashyfen!

Uber Cool Dance Valley!

The Winston Lot!

Johnnies Roti!

http://www.splashyfen.co.za/

Lost? #Ramfest

Lost? #Ramfest

Posted by Charne' 'crazyNey' Munien at 12:54 ✪ No comment yet

After a rather successful visit to the sunny South Africa we are happy to send a proud thank you to Rise Against as well as the other great performers during this weekend. From mosh pits to the wall of death, Ramfest was a lifechanging experience and a great success all around. Well strummed, well screamed, well sung!

It has caught the attention of a couple of my friends that the crowd at Ramfest did not match the concert vibe. With a line up which is predominantly rock branching out into various specialisations, it was strange to observe the mass of vest wearing, rugby tackling jocks. I'm not sure if they got lost on the way to the movies, thought Pendulum was DJing or that Origin had moved but it was rather unsettling. I have never seen any of them at any local rock gigs or pubs. It worries me that so many people will take an interest in international acts when our local acts are struggling to get their daily bread and butter. I'm not trying to be cynical but Bring me the Horizon has caviar and champagne while our local bands are worth just as much but get no support from their fellow locals. How can we ever expect others to notice the South African music scene if we don't even support it. Durban is ripe with possibility and overflowing with talent, everywhere you turn you could be looking at a great musician or performer. I feel sad not for the bands but for you guys out there who are missing out on so much great local music. I don't need to tell you that nothing beats live music. It becomes an experience accompanied with new friends, cold beer and good memories. I may wake up in the morning after a gig with some stolen items, smudged make up, a sore neck from head banging and dreadlocks in my smoky smelling hair but that's when I know I had an awesome night. Support the locals -be a true Punk rock rebel of Dirtbin.

Rise Against- Prayer of a Refugee

Rise Against- Prayer of a Refugee

Posted by Charne' 'crazyNey' Munien at 03:27 ✪ No comment yet

This epic band will be live in Durban in just a few hours! The final Ramfest Durban countdown!

Rise Against comes to Durban #Ramfest

Rise Against comes to Durban #Ramfest

Posted by Charne' 'crazyNey' Munien at 03:11 ✪ No comment yet

Rise Against band profile and Gig information

EXCITING NEWS! 

Tonight this pioneering punk rock band will shed and shred the stages of our home town, Durban South Africa. It is with great excitement that we await the arrival of this influential and controversial band. 

Where: Gateway theatre of shopping, Durban, South Africa

When: 15 March 2013

What: RAMfest 

RAMfest - South Africa's ULTIMATE Rock Festival!

5 cities! 5 days! 7 stages! Local and international artists!

Where 10's of thousands of screaming fans converge to create a raucous spectacle of sound, light, dance and rock n roll.

South Africa has seen a great influx of international artists over the past few years and it is with open arms that we welcome a couple more foreigners into our humble city. The 031 has seen some great concerts despite the Sum 41 riots of distressed rockers without a cause. A slight drizzle and the band decided they would not play which naturally ended in chaos and violence. The last thing I remember is getting hit in the head with a bin and waking up at Burn wanting my money back. Lets hope this time, things go down better. Its wonderful to see such a fierce line up which is guaranteed to leave you with a couple bruises, a hangover and the memories of your well spent money. If you haven't already bought your tickets, I suggest you start digging through those couch cushions, stealing your moms car guard money and emptying your purse because this is one concert that is not to be missed!

Line up:

• Rise Against
• Bring Me the Horizon
• Low profile

For more info check out the Facebook event for Ramfest Durban

or Social Media

Facebook: www.facebook.com/ramfest 
Twitter: @ramfest
Website: www.ramfest.co.za

Band name: Rise against

Members:     
Tim-vocals and guitar, Zach shreds lead guitar, Joe brings the bass and Brandon bangs some pretty sweet drums. They a friends, musicians and more importantly, a band family. 

Origin: 1999 – Chicago illnois

Genre: Hardcore punk

Story: The band actively promotes animal rights and all members are straight edge (excluding Brandon), PETA supporters, and vegetarian. Known to voice their opinions and touch on social issues, they feel it is their duty as a punk rock band spreading the message and carrying the torch to pass on to future punk generations.

In the mix - Kwaicore

In the mix - Kwaicore

Posted by Charne' 'crazyNey' Munien at 13:29 ✪ 4 comments

We bring you the bleeding soul, the revolution, the anti-genre and the South African spirit and rhythm. The compassion and trials through a new music blend of Kwaicore!

What is it?
It's fresh from the oven, hot off the presses, from their mouths to your ears it is the blend of two genres that could bring two cultures together. Taking things to a whole new level and crossing new divides, a couple of 031 rebels have decided to bridge the gap between hardcore punk rockers and the pantsula peeps from down town. The two music genres hardcore punk rock and Kwaito may seem like chalk and cheese but the unlikely combo just might work. I cannot wait to watch this sensational sound at work.

Why is it?
Everybody knows about apartheid, the serious downer that everyone avoids talking and reading about unless low and behold someone posts a racist comment on Facebook (trolling shortly ensues). So its come to light that segregation still exists among us and it is up to us Durbanites to stand together and eliminate this. Apparently you're not allowed to enjoy Kwaito if you're a Punk rocker, sorry for you if you wanted to get your Pantsula on. Also you cannot walk through the streets of Soweto (Kwaito's birth town) blasting the new hardcore "Demonology and Heartache" song without being the victim of merciless laughter and ridicule. Kwaicore brings these two genres together and by doing so brings crowds of people together who all have one things in common, they're love of music.

Check it! 
The genre is still very new and the artists are still working out the kinks but the raw sounds include incredible drum solos, cool kwaito beats mixed with insane shredding on guitar and vocals that will speak to every molecule in your body.

For now here are some rough cuts from other kwaicore supporters:

Punk rockers

Local townshippers

Posted by Charne' 'crazyNey' Munien at 10:38 ✪ No comment yet

Free Link Exchange Blog ">

Kwaicore - Brand New Music Genre Soon to Hit the Streets!

Kwaicore - Brand New Music Genre Soon to Hit the Streets!

Posted by Charne' 'crazyNey' Munien at 10:13 ✪ No comment yet

It has recently been revealed by a few mystery artists that a genre will hit the music scene! Kwaicore is a collaboration of music artists specialising in Hardcore punk and Kwaito. Keep your eyes and ears open on Facebook and Twitter for more information!

Coming soon...

Kwaicore - http://pulp-music.blogspot.com/

The birth of hybrid music

The birth of hybrid music

Posted by Charne' 'crazyNey' Munien at 06:44 ✪ No comment yet

If we look at music genres as people with different personalities we understand that Death Metal is a hardcore rocker and the Blues is a deep soulful old man, classical music is an elegant ballet dancer and rap music is that gangster that wheres his jeans too low, his cap too high and sunglasses in the night. Every so often two genres mix fuse and collaborate to form what todays society calls a hybrid genre. Currently iTunes recognises over 1800 genres of music and the diversity of the worlds collaborations and music revolutions could not be more evident. Genres such as Rap Rock, Nu metal, Rapcore, Blop, Tweemo, funk metal, gypsy punk etc have been hybridised from main music genres into sub music genres. It is these that colour the world with music.

Naturally because there are so many genres out there, there are bound to be ones you have never heard of. Ranging from "hey, this sounds pretty cool" to "is this really music?" to the "this is repulsive, please turn it off". First up on on the slaughtering block is space synth and no it is not derived from aliens.

SPACESYNTH

What the hell?

Well this fine genre originated in the mid 1980s by a group of super nerds that you would swear are not from this planet. Besides being developed by a bunch of mega geeks the peeps at spacesynth.net describes the genre as "instrumental upbeat synth music that focuses on melodies instead of rhythm. Driving basslines, catchy synth riffs, sci-fi influences and futuristic track titles and album covers have always been a major part of space synth.” 

In other words imagine the sound of being in space whilst on the phone to a room full of nerds with nintendo games, jumped up on Redbull with arrhythmia. However these symptoms are also unofficialy the result of lack of a woman's touch and living with ones parents beyond the age of 30.

Why the hell?

When cocaine was on the menu for breakfast and pastel pants suits were the in thing, space synth was all the rage. However the genre has suffered an enormous drop in popularity due to reasons i cannot fathom...

Luckily for the die hard fans small record label Alpha Centuari are to release the latest in space synth technology. 

Check it - Warning: You may feel the urge to squeeze into your old aerobics spandex one piece. Please do not.

EPIC DOOM-METAL

What the hell?

This genre can be seen as very similar to heavy metal with one not so subtle difference. The vocalists of epic doom-metal are specially chosen for their clean and sometimes professional operatic voice as oppose to the sound one makes when one is burning at the stake. Overall one is able to appreciate the skilful musicians talents while listening to what I call the Queens metal if she was a rocker. Very classy, very royal.

Why the hell?
Surprisingly epic doom has a decent audience amongst european youth and Samurai sword owners. Honestly the collaboration of Opera and Death Metal makes me feel sea sick but it seems that others enjoy bands such as Candlemass who have just released their 10th epic doom-metal album. Another "epic" band is Doomsword who have gone though many member with names their grandmas would not be proud of.  Deathmaster, The Forger, WrathLord, Sacred Hert, Nightcomer, The Guardian Angel, The Guardian Angel II and Dark Omen to name a few.

Check it- Filled with doom of "epic" proportions, this video is one you will either put  on your "I never want to see this again" list or your "this shit is so funny, I could watch it all day" playlist.

LOWERCASE

What the hell?

Basically if you stood in your bedroom alone and I asked you what you are hearing, you could describe it as Lowercase. Taking anti-genre to the next level this genre allows you the pleasure of paying to listen to the sound of silence. It is described as "silence that is occasionally interrupted by brief moments of barely audible noise. The sound is comparable to taking an exam. Yup, it's just that great.

Why the hell?

Basically one day a man named Steve Roden thought he would be different and pioneer music that involved only the shuffling of different pieces of paper combined with silence. From a man who is taking ambient minimalism, or drugs, too seriously, one hopes that he did not give up his day job.

Check it!

Actually I will spare you 3 minutes of your life and tell you that it sounds like the soundtrack to the most boring acid trip ever.

It doesn't matter how many you like as long as you find the one that is right for you.

Music is my religion- Jimi Hendrix

Music is my religion- Jimi Hendrix

Posted by Charne' 'crazyNey' Munien at 06:02 ✪ No comment yet

"One good thing about music is when it hits you, you feel no pain"-Bob Marley

The magic of a simple rhythm, a good beat or some good lyrics is not in the technicalities. The magic lies in the experience of the sounds that mix together so well that you are able to lose yourself in it. It's like taking a bite of cake without even thinking about the ingredients because you are in awe of the taste. It is a pain numbing drug that I don't mind getting addicted to. I am a gluttonous music pig and I am proud to say it. I have my own tastes and trust me, it tastes good!

"If music be the food of love, play on"-William Shakespeare

Good old Shakespeare, he had it right. God only knows where romance would be without soppy love songs. I myself feel inferior saying something romantic when the most heart wrenching lyrical sounds can bring tears to my eyes. The likes of John Butlers magic fingers on guitar or the soulful sounds of Peter Gabriel would tug at anyones heart strings. Everyone has that special song that they listened to with that special Mr or Misses that they wouldn't mind listening to a million times more. Often in my own relationship we find that a song better expresses our feelings than we can and even if it is a crappy little song on acoustic guitar, it's written for him alone and its one better than a poem or a letter.

"Music doesn't lie. If there is something to be changed in this world, then it can only happen through music."-Jimi Hendrix

I know for a fact that we as humans have short attention spans and are very selfish with our time. It is not often that I as a member of the Durban youth rush home to listen to the news or get in trouble in class for reading a newspaper. However almost everywhere I go I carry my earphones and some music simply because the news may give me the factoid details but I want to feel what that person is feeling. Through music we are able to learn about love, life and emotions and we are able to relate it to our everyday lives. The entire world listens music with the intention of hearing every word. Some are even able to recite every line of a song and follow every move of the artist. Music is a medium we should use to make the world a better place. It influences not only our minds but also our souls, it inspires, carries and evolves us into better beings.

For many years we as humans have been creating new substance, new sounds and new sights. From these creations come sub creations and we have found ways sew together genres and sub genres to make the most groundbreaking sounds to hit our ears. Music has become an alternative realm that we can escape to, a dose of rejuvenating medicine injected into our ears that seeps into our minds and evokes emotion. It is the safety net that catches our fears, hopes and dreams. We feel the artists pain or joy and we immerse ourselves into a music induced coma. Music is so powerful that it can make us forget about the outside world for a few minutes with the simple plugging in of earphones. Music is a force so irrepressible that it is constantly growing. Every day more and more songs feed the the universal music library. Lets watch it grow...