MADALA KUNENE
ISAIAH SHEMBE
IJAH MENELIK
“Music is a huge part of the way human beings exercise the gland of self healing. It is one of the few things we do to heal ourselves and heal our communities.” JAMIE CATTO
"celebrate the unity and the diversi of humanity."
Shared admiration for such 80's cross-cultural works as Peter Gabriel's world-music project. Passion and Brian Eno and David Byrne's My life in The Bush Of Ghosts.
In this age of ostensibly portable recording equipment, could Duncan and Jamie not go to record their favourite performers in their home environment? By taking a multi-track recording environment with them, to take the studios out of a little room in London and put it into the world. The mobile recordings were spontaneous. "I\m very proud that it wasnt mixed on a mixing desk. It was mixed without a mixer - just with a Mac and a Mouse."
When we were making the film, we were really interested in the idea of where inspiration comes from, so we asked everyone. And more or less everyone said the same thing. You let go, and it will come to you."
After nearly four yests the new 1 Giant Leap project, currently titles 'What about Me' has been handed over by Dunan Bridgeman and Jamie Cato. Twelve films and twelve tracks about "... all the different ways we're mad ... desperate, obsessed, neurotic, fixated ... the insane ways we make ourselves unhappy ...""Previously we made our work about Happiness, Inspiration, Unity and Faith - this time we entered through the doorways of Shadow, Shame, Mind and Pain and reaped all manner of shattered mirrors and shards of haunting in our own lives as a result - how did we think we could go so deep into these subjects without joining the dance? Fools."
"Our newest offering is called 'What about Me? And it is about how insane we all are, needy in relationships, insatiable in desire, wounded by birth avoiding all pain with happy pills, and unable to stop thinking. It literally is a miracle for us to break into the mainstreamin this way and that all the gems of inspiration are going to be broadcast to hundreds of thousands of people in the UK. Amazing when we consider how the media is run now."
Jamie notes on his myspace blog on which he describes how he suffered for seven hours in New Zealans in order to have a greatly significant tattoo done. "As Inia explains, the Moko is about the experience of having it, not the marks that are left on your body."
Notice the work of Jamie Catto and Duncan Bridgeman , who created a project known as I giant leap. This has been four years of top quality work in uniting the world through music. DVD volume one received funding through Palm Pictures. It received two grammy nominations. Volume two ‘What about me' is set for release. It was funded by maverick millionaire, Simon Fuller.
Catto says: ”What comes across is a global unity. We wanted to showcase musicians in this context to show how great they are. When we integrate and fuse this music suddenly the English can appreciate it. On a philosophical level we are all the same. Realising this will provide some sort of relief.”
Volume three remains a pipe dream of a six month recording festival, travelling circus! 1 giant leap presents a dynamic visual and audio experience of the global importance of African music. To be with the music of Africa is to be with the people of Africa and that is possibly why Jamie says that 1 giant leap is the start of his political career!
He says, ” If Africa Unites it will be the end of all their problems. The only problem in Africa is division. They have everything. The charisma, the resources, the intelligence, the music, the money, everything here.”
“Artists are the frontier walkers, they are the carriers of the message. If the people of all different cultures were meeting musically, exchanging their songs, there would be so much beautifully crafted new music. Collaboration is the key across all areas of life,” Catto Says. Catto says, “Africa has the ability to meet a struggle and create integration under extreme circumstances.”
“Commercials are poisonous.” Kurt Vonnegut said that TV is providing artificial friends and relatives for lonely people.” Our direction and redependence on cultural values is inevitable. Jamie is currently recording a 22 year old South African singer by the name of Aluta Lichaba in a reggae band called Aluta and the Mystics, is being signed to Chris Blackwell who signed Bob Marley.
For more information www.aircosa.org ; www.casa.org ; www.moshito.org ; www.1giantleap.tv
Cultural matters and collaboration are now at the forefront of our attention.
SA is the fastest developing music market in the world, estimated R2 billion. 80% of local products reach the market through the channels currently controlled by the multinationals (or major record labels).
“Historically the majors have not been supportive of the independent movement because of their bottom line to get foreign content to hold a hegemony. The existing monopoly must be deconstructed or else we will be obliterated on the information highway.” announced Glen Masokoane (DAC) In 2006 sales of international artists decreased by 11.2% & sales of South African artists increased by 19.4%: Whilst the value of the digital market was up by double. “Digital frees us from hegemony to unleash the creative talent of our composers. This is a new distribution outlet for our creative wealth.”
This is the tool for the regeneration of authentic music over artificial.
Indeed we have everything. It takes much courage to realise that. My experience of African music festivals is that the all African way is a way of risk. When FESPAM 1999 hit the stage it created an immediate compassionate ceasefire in the Congo. And when FESPAM came to an end, they never took up arms again!
The Recording Industry of South Africa has an awful reputation. And we believe piracy (selling fake copies of music) has finally met its match with conspiracy (exploitation of artists). The unanswered question is how to protect your intellectual property in such a hard-core place. At the public workshop an audience member offered a potential solution in the transformation of the pirates into a sales force. This has already happened in Senegal with all the small operators being well stocked with local product.
Moshito need not get stuck in the mud of the South African music industry. There are many examples that shine a bright light. The South African Jazz expression of the late fifties and on fought a struggle and won. Gito Baloi said : “the artists must get the bucks!” For that is the time humanity puts its money where its mouth is!
Therefore, Catto suggests. ”It could be really cool to do an aid concert here for the West to raise consciousness. I've been talking to a few people in England. There is such drama going on it is embarrassing.”
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