Erykah Badu has widely been quoted as saying: “I’d rather see a man with a processed head and a natural mind before one with a natural head and a processed mind.” The Dark & Lovely Global Roots programme doesn’t care what your head looks like, but aims to reach your natural mind by selecting some of the best music for your consumption.
The brainchild of UK DJs Thris Tian and Blackfoot Phoenix, Dark & Lovely Global Roots makes its way to Joburg and Cape Town this week, courtesy of the British Council’s Connect ZA. They will tour as part of the SA-UK Seasons 2014 and 2015, which is a partnership between the South African Department of Arts and Culture and the British Council.
Obviously a play on the hair relaxer brand’s name, this project began as a radio show on London’s NTS. Thris Tian, the lead programmer and A&R of Boiler Room, and Blackfoot Phoenix, Boiler Room’s video producer, try to uncover various groundbreaking sounds while schooling listeners on their origins or roots, as the name suggests.
This week, they will be doing just that alongside DJs Zharp Zharp and Ingozi at Kitchener’s in Joburg on Thursday. Then on Friday, they will perform at the Cape Town Nu World Festival at the City Hall alongside 24 other acts on two stages.
On Saturday, the duo stay in Cape Town to perform at Yours Truly with the John Wizards okes in the afternoon, while they party at Yoh in the evening. Sunday sees Dark & Lovely Global Roots hit up Solly’s Place in Khayelitsha for not only a screening of the critically acclaimed Future Sounds Of Mzansi documentary, but a gig which includes Christian Tiger School, Ruffest and Spoek Mathambo on the line-up.
The pair have travelled all over the world thanks to their insistence on revealing what lies beneath the mainstream radio’s offering. Don’t miss them in your city.
Visit www. darkandlovelyglobalroots. com for more information on the tour dates.