The FIRST thing that strikes you when you watch Bakgat 2 is that it has a killer soundtrack.
It's not just that it is the best representation of what anyone interested in Afrikaans pop music currently listens to; there are also some really well-produced songs.
"In the last five years the bands that have made it onto the music scene are the ones who are well produced, which is indicative of a healthy music industry," says Pierre Greeff of Die Heuwels Fantasties, one of the bands represented on the soundtrack.
Cape Town boutique music label Supra Familias (headed by Greeff and Hunter Kennedy of Die Heuwels Fantasties), is releasing the soundtrack at the same time as the film opens, a timeous link which isn't always observed in this country.
Greeff explained that a friend who works for Film Factory (the film company producing Bakgat 2) used some of Heuwel's earlier work as a mock soundtrack during an early edit process.
Film Factory then approached Supra Familias to work on music for the film as a trade barter agreement, hence the imminent release of Eerste jaar Treffermix!
"They let us put out the compilation," says Kennedy.
"That was kind of the deal, it's an excellent platform for us. The film's a cult hit and has quite a following online," interjects Greeff.
"On the back of that? it means a whole lot more exposure for us to a new audience."
Mentioning their involvement with the Bakgat 2 soundtrack |at a recent Stellenbosch concert earned them a roar of approval from a crowd who knew the first film quite well.
They didn't get to conceptualise the music list from the beginning, though they did get to suggest a new track of their own, Doodgewone Aand, for inclusion.
In addition to the Simon Schofield track - the romantic ballad You is the only English language song on the album - there's a third track which was newly reworked for Cheriè van der Merwe to use as her singing debut.
She plays Wimpie's love interest Katrien in the movie, and gets the chance to sing Laurike Rauch's track Stille Waters at one point in the film.
The rest of the track listing sounds like a who's who of Afrikaans pop, with Glaskas, Jax Panik, Straatligkinders and Van Coke Kartel, among others, putting in appearances.
Greef says Ef-El's Die Here Weet is his favourite track, and he is amused by the fact that it was written by their ex-drummer Hugo Brand, who has since left the band.
Kennedy chooses Doodgewone Aand as his favourite, but switches to Gazelle's Verlore Seun when I tease him about choosing his own song.
Kennedy pointed out that soundtracks don't sell well in this country, which explains why their involvement with the project has been questioned. But they're game to try because it isn't just the immediate exposure that interests them.
They are intrigued by the possibility of building a relationship with Film Factory, since both are interested not just in music but also in the concept of filmmaking.
But in the future, if they were to work on a soundtrack, they'd want to be involved from the beginning, possibly even specifically writing music for the film.
Check Youtube for music videos of Glaskas' Bring Maar Nog; Die Heuwels Fantasties' Doodgewone Aand; and Simon Schofield's You, all of which were specifically released to whet the appetite for Bakgat 2.