Top Sama nominees to rock Gardens

Published Apr 2, 2014

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ONCE again, it’s time to sit back, relax to some amazing tunes and enjoy everything Durban has to offer in a serene environment.

Sunday will see the South African house music trio, Mi Casa, with supporting act, The Muffinz, at the Durban Botanic Gardens in the Old Mutual Music at the Lake series.

Mi Casa’s top tracks, Jika and Turn You On, are pumping on the airwaves and their latest album, Su Casa, is nominated for Album of the Year, Duo or Group of the Year, Best Dance Album, Best Music Video of the Year and Remix of the Year at the year’s South African Music Awards (Samas).

Then, there’s the Afro-jazz, soul and funk act, The Muffinz, who will take to the stage before Mi Casa. Simphiwe “Simz” Kulla, Mthabisi “Mthae” Sibanda, Gregory “Keke” Mabusela, Karabo “Skabz” Moeketsi and Sifiso “Atomza” Buthelezi make up the group. They also fall among the nominees for a Sama for Best Music Video of the Year.

Chatting to Tonight, lead electric guitarist and vocalist, Kulla, is bubbly as he answers my call. They are in Joburg and driving to their destination.

“Our sound has grown a lot. When we started out, we were trying to find ourselves and now we try to give each individual a specific jazz. So it’s very different and a lot more mature, I guess. We understand it a lot more now, musically and artistically. We’ve grown up. We’re not in our 40s or anything, but a lot has happened since we were 21 with the previous stuff.

“With this album, we’re more focused and give the album a balance. We don’t want too many different sounds. We create a body of work and give it meaning. We are all different musicians, jazz pop, gospel and so on. So we’re trying to incorporate everything without trampling on the initial idea.”

Steering the conversation to the Music at the Lake gig on Sunday, Kulla tells me the guys are really amped and looking forward to having their own show with Mi Casa: “It’s pretty cool. It’s always great at those gigs.

“Durban is always nice. And we’ve played with Mi Casa plenty of times out of the country, and we’ve gigged together at lots of places. We always play at festivals with other artists, but this time it’s just us and we’re gonna play our own show, so that’s cool.”

So what’s new?

“We’re working on our second album which we plan to release by late August. We just want to respect our audiences and make good music and not pump hits that any kid can make on a PC,” says Kulla.

 

• Don’t miss Mi Casa and The Muffinz on Sunday at Durban Botanic Gardens, Music at the Lake series. Gates open at 1pm, show starts at 2.30pm. R120 on www.webtickets.co.za, R150 on the day. Kids 8 to 12 pay R50, kids under 8 free. Call 031 322 4021.

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