Fokofpolisiekar framed
Photographer Liam Lynch has spent years hounding South Africa’s radical rockers. Now his images are on exhibition, writes Lloyd Gedye

Who are you callin' acoustic?
Jocelyn Newmarch talks to Mexican acoustic stars Rodrigo y Gabriela

Looking back at Neil Young
Old Shakey's musical past is catching up with him, writes Lloyd Gedye

On the electronic pioneer trail
Lloyd Gedye catches up with the crazy rollercoaster ride that is Lark

DVD reviews
From veteran goths to Irish folk-punk rockers, the Mail & Guardian Online reviews some great new DVD releases

Grrrrr politics
The Gossip have transformed themselves from a garage rock band into a radical punk outfit, and lead singer Ditto is on a mission to tackle hypocrisy in world politics as well as the gender status quo, writes Lloyd Gedye

The voice to stop catcalls in the throat
The Gossip's leas singer, Beth Ditto's advice for women on how to deal with catcalls in the street

Reality rap
While the likes of 50 Cent spin gangsta fantasies, rapper K’Naan has the brutal realities of life in war-torn Mogadishu to draw on. Robin Denselow meets Somalia’s hip-hop traveller

Ranging over genres
ZA@Play reviews the latest offering from Stephen Marley, Rickie Lee Jones, K-OS, Sparklehorse and many more

Primal crank empties his pockets
Lloyd Gedye flits critically between Tom Waits’s new album and a collection of writings about the eccentric muso

Reclaiming the beats
Eco-clubbers are transforming Rotterdam’s disused public spaces. They’re even recycling their sweat, writes David Atkinson

Afrikaans music gets interesting
A new crop of musicians is stepping up from the swamp of commercial mediocrity, writes Lloyd Gedye

Sergei Nakariakov blows in
Miagi festival offers a classical treat, writes Dillon Davie

In a category of her own
Fikile-Ntsikelelo Moya speaks to Simphiwe Dana, the newly crowned queen of jazz, about musical challenges and winning four Samas

Fighting words
Widely regarded as Skwatta Kamp’s most perilous MC, Kwanele Sosibo tries to take Flabba’s shades off

Return of the Voice of Destruction
Lloyd Gedye speaks to Voice of Destruction's Francois Blom about the reissue of their classic Bloedrivier album

Play on: The best of music on DVD
From country rockers to burning down the house, Lloyd Gedye trawls through some of the best music DVD releases

A musical postcard
Lloyd Gedye chats to former Clash bassist Paul Simonon about his involvement in the new Damon Albarn project, The Good, the Bad and the Queen

Garcia's jewels
A world of Jerry Garcia opens on a new, two-disc anthology, writes Lloyd Gedye. We also review Cerys Matthews, Jon Auer, Jay-Z, Jack Johnson, Josh Groban and Hard Fi, among others

MUSIC
Hardcore round-up
Lloyd Gedye channels his aggression into a new compilation of Eighties American punk rock

Hitting the high note
Vusi Mahlasela, Simphiwe Dana and Siphokazi Maraqana vie for the big one at this year’s South African Music Awards ceremony, writes Nadia Neophytou

United Kingdom of gloom
Damon Albarn's The Good, the Bad and the Queen is a scintillating, record that is part protest, part social commentary and part metaphysical projection, writes Lloyd Gedye

Take me to your leader
One thing Oppikoppi showed was that local music is in desperate need of new vision, writes Niren Tolsi

Playing away
Time to plan for Europe’s festival season, writes Benji Lanyado. Here are the options

A small splash
Rain did little to dampen the enthusiasm of the 8 000 plus festival-goers, who were intent on a hedonistic charge through the Easter weekend, writes Lloyd Gedye

A feast of aural easter treats
Whether you’re staying in the city or heading for the hills, the Easter weekend offers music lovers a wide range of entertainment options. Compiled by Miles Keylock, Alex Sudheim and Daniel Friedman

Savage guitars and blow-up dolls
Lloyd Gedye speaks to Kobus! about heavy metal, the death sentence and record labels

Indie thunder
Brooklyn's Clap Your Hands Say Yeah are back with a bang. Lloyd Gedye chats to them about their new album

CD reviews
We review some of the latest music releases on the shelf

See them perform and then visit them at home
Iain Harris, co-creator of the Cape Town Jazz Safari, writes on how musical tourism is playing a vital role in the Mother City

'I have seen the future and it's primitive'
Daniel Friedman speaks to Sweat X who take their musical inspiration from just about everything including Chicken Licken, the AWB and Winnie Mandela

Wreaking havoc
Wynton Marsalis almost explodes with rage when he talks about hip-hop. So why has the jazz stalwart recorded a track he raps on? He talks to John Lewis

A total funk-up
This year’s Cape Town International Jazz Festival features intense gyrations on and off stage, writes Daniel Friedman

Chosen to stir debate
Jeremy Pelt is a jazz modernist keenly aware of what keeps jazz timeless, writes Fikile-Ntsikelelo Moya

Spinning Japanese
Multitalented Japanese DJ Krush explains to Daniel Friedman how he is pushing the envelope in hip-hop

Leaving on a jet plane
Lloyd Gedye chats to Harris Tweed about their upcoming international showcase in Texas

From Sweden with love
Lloyd Gedye talks to Sweden's Marching Band, who recently toured South Africa

A Friday night at the Boh
It took years for Femi Kuti to win over fans of his father, the Afrobeat legend Fela, writes Maya Jaggi

Up from the underground
DJ Diplo, currently touring the country, tells Kwanele Sosibo what he hates about clubs

CD review
Lloyd Gedye reviews Portland, Oregon’s M Ward new album, Post-War

The musician who almost wasn't
An impulsive buy in the 1980s helped vibemaster Ngwako Manamela find his vocation, writes Fikile-Ntsikelelo Moya

Nothing irie about Rita Marley
Bob Marley's wife 'might have the name, but she doesn't have his philosophy', write Kwanele Sosibo and Percy Zvomuya

Good Karma
Yolandi Groenewald speaks to the former Henry Ate lead singer about her new tour and life in the US

Forever Makeba
Fikile-Ntsikelelo Moya reviews Mama Africa's latest offering, Forever

Reality show plops white rappers in South Bronx
A new television show is both a parody and commentary on race in hip-hop, writes Jake Coyle in New York City

Still mixing after all these years
The Rainbow celebrates 25 years of jazz music, protest and beer, writes Niren Tolsi

The return of the white Zulu
At 53 years old Johnny Clegg is now a seasoned performer and his first album in four years, One Life, shows he is still a potent force in South African music, writes Jeremy Kuper

Kennedy’s tribute to jazz greats
Nigel Kennedy doesn’t mind the world sniffing at his irreverence and new project : someone has to keep the stuffed shirts on their toes, writes Alfred Hickling

From the fryer into the flames
South Africa’s rock’n’roll royalty, in the form of the Flames’s Blondie Chaplin has released his first solo album in 30 years. Lloyd Gedye reports

Ripping with precision
Jozi-based Zubz says his new album Headphone Music in a Parallel World contains some of his most conscious efforts to date.Niren Tolsi reports

An emotional life
Hila Bouzaglou talks to Inersha about their debut album

A label that cares about music
Charles Leonard reviews the latest released on the music-loving Light in the Attic Records

From hot to super-cool music you must have this season (part two)
ZA@Play brings you second instalment of the hottest music you have to have this festive season

Back in fashion
The South African musical landscape is littered with under-appreciated visionaries, writes Lloyd Gedye

Beast of no nation
Kwanele Sosibo speaks to Afrobeat founder Tony Allen about innovation and diversification

Survival of the lyrics
Niren Tolsi appreciates the fact that Skwatta Kamp are back with more of the same, again

Home and back again
The album Frieze illustrates that Chris Letcher is one of the greatest songwriters to grace the shores of this southern-most tip of Africa, writes Lloyd Gedye

The sounds of violence
Daniel Friedman falls in love with notions of insomnia and dislocation after he speaks to indie-art musician Nikhil Singh

Sexual revolution
Not lighters and cellphones but condoms were held aloft by a slowly swaying crowd during Levi’s Rage for the Revolution concert last Saturday, writes Tumi Makgetla

Suddenly everything changed,
Founded in 2005 One Minute Trolley Dash is mutating into a bona fide independent label, writes Lloyd Gedye

Lebo Mathosa passes to a higher plane
The name of the late kwaito trailblazer will remain embedded in musical history, writes Maria McCloy

Like a kick in the head
Rebel rocker Francois Henning has taken a unique road into Afrikaans music. Charles Leonard spoke to him

An unforgettable pair
Calling a 2006 album Unforgettable may work against it, especially for Nat King Cole’s old fans, writes Fikile-Ntsikelelo Moya

100% Zulu boy
Zuluboy’s new album is easily the most unashamedly Zulu hip-hop album to be released on a national scale, writes Kwanele Sosibo

CD reviews
ZA@Play reviews some of the latest releases on the shelves

Hey you, what’s that sound?
Lloyd Gedye chats to some of the overseas speakers at the Moshito music conference to find out how technology is driving change in the music industry

Whopping Wimoweh
Matthew Krouse speaks to François Verster whose documentary about Mbube picked up an Emmy

All night party animal
To those who like their beats interesting, Mr Scruff is legend, writes Daniel Friedman

MUSIC
CD reviews
ZA@Play reviews David Ford's latest offering , as well as new releases by Beyonce, Rihanna and Nate James

White Mountain festival too white
The South African music festival circuit is a cluttered mesh of gatherings; it seems all you have to do is put a sound system in the middle of a field and the punters will come, writes Lloyd Gedye

Pops Mohamed's future perfect
The traditional instrumentalist goes electronic to teach the youth a lesson, writes Andie Miller.

Gugs grabs the globe
Kwanele Sosibo talks to some Guguletu youths who are honing a potent dancehall style that they are now exporting overseas.

A Black Neon surprise
The Mail & Guardian reviews The Black Neon's Arts and Crafts, an adventurous summer soundtrack, as well as new releases by Editors, Ghostface Killah and Smog

Testing, testing, one, two
The Rudimentals are one of many bands frustrated by the lack of radio-station interest in local music, writes Lloyd Gedye

A guilty pleasure
The Smoking Popes reunite and release a DVD and CD, to the delight of Lloyd Gedye. We also review Cherish, Hoobastank, Peaches, Slayer and others

How Mattafix want to change the world
Daniel Friedman interviews Mattafix, who will be performing in South Africa for one night only

Oozing funk and soul
CD OF THE WEEK: The Brand New Heavies' music, more than 10 years on, is still oozing with funk and soul, writes Daniel Friedman who reviews their latest release, Get Used to It

Return of the death rattler
The competition to see who can slather Bob Dylan’s 32nd studio album with the most deranged praise known to man is hotting up, writes Alexis Petridis

CD reviews
Yolandi Groenewald and Daniel Friedman review the latest local realeases out on the shelves

Having a lark
Having completely sold out the entire pressing of their debut EP, Mouth of Me, Lark returns with a dark, brooding release, writes Lloyd Gedye

African spice
Inspired by President Thabo Mbeki’s vision for the African renaissance, Metro FM has decided to celebrate its 20th birthday by adding pan-African spice to its programming mix. Maria McCloy reports

Raising hell
Lloyd Gedye attends a perfomance by The Hellphones and ends up feeling cheated

Dance to the underground
Muso and label owner Paul Riekert is bursting back in style, writes Lloyd Gedye

Shattering the jazz ceiling
The Joy of Jazz festival line-up enforces the notion that the genre is a state of mind, writes Fikile-Ntsikelelo Moya

The funk revolution reborn
CDS OF THE WEEK: Dudley Perkins is the funkiest cat in hip-hop since Humpty Hump emerged in the 1990s selling Digital Underground sex packets, writes Kwanele Sosibo

Do judge a song by its cover
CDS OF THE WEEK: Take a song and make it your own by not respecting the original too much and breathing new life into it, and you will succeed, writes Lloyd Gedye

Music for the miserable
CDS OF THE WEEK: Lloyd Gedye reviews some albums that will have you moping around your bedroom

Song migrant
Kwanele Sosibo speakes to musician Lura, who will be part of a special double bill celebrating National Women’s Day

Next big thing
Durban musicians claim their form of hip-hop is more authentic than the rest, writes Niren Tolsi

Putting dark forward
No longer content to pump out mediocre pop acts such as Ace of Base and Roxette, Sweden has been responsible for some of the more interesting albums of late, writes Lloyd Gedye

Beating around the Bush
Elder statesman Neil Young has produced a blistering assault on George Bush with his new album titled Living with War, Lloyd Gedye

Electronic protest
CD OF THE WEEK: Radiohead’s Thom Yorke has just done a Bob Dylan, taking the music to the masses with his new electronic protest album, The Eraser, writes Lloyd Gedye

Anatomy of the punk kitten
Nadine Botha speaks to a crop of girl rockers who want to be recognised for their musical ability, not their bra size

Battered into (new)shape
Lloyd Gedye speaks to British band Gomez about their new album, How We Operate

The anti-star
DVD OF THE WEEK: Niren Tolsi reviews Gorillaz Demon Days Live, shot in November last year at the Manchester Opera House

Fame is a strange reality
Australian jazz and pop sensation Missy Higgins is on tour in South Africa. Lloyd Gedye caught up with her to chat about her meteoric rise to fame

Top of the flops
Hype has brought us many of pop’s biggest names as well as some of its most notorious disasters, writes Dave Simpson

House from a half pint
Little Louie Vega spoke to Niren Tolsi about being a master at work

Fiercely independent
Josh Cunningham, the guitarist from the Australian folk/blues band The Waifs, was recently in South Africa. Lloyd Gedye spoke to him about the band's future plans

Black rockers
The Blk Jks consider themselves to be one of the first truly integrated South African bands. ZA@Play's Lloyd Gedye spoke to them

Higher they climb
CD OF THE WEEK: A new Red Hot Chili Peppers’ album is certainly an alluring event, especially after a four-year hiatus, writes Riaan Wolmarans

Jewish reggae
Music today defies labelling and looks can be deceiving -- not all reggae artists are black, Dorian Lynskey takes a closer look

True to tradition
New local styles have come and gone, but only the veterans have enjoyed continued international success -- and Hilda Tloubatla says she knows why

Country rock on city streets
Lloyd Gedye talks to My Morning Jacket frontman Jim James about ditching Kentucky for the Big Apple

Posi+ive: Cause and effect
Last week 6 500 people descended on Sun City for the Posi+ive Aids benefit. Tumi Makgetla asks organiser Philip Georges what the event achieved

Devoted to the dance floor
The music industry is in a state of remix -- and Hugh Masekela is the latest convert, writes Maria McCloy

The innovation of youth
CDs OF THE WEEK: Lloyd Gedye takes a listen to two debut albums from the new crop of South African rock

Rocking on out
Kelly Fletcher speaks to defunct band Fetish about why they’ve chosen this moment to release their old demos

Rocking the world
Old favourites Live have a new album out, and newcomers Fall Out Boy and Hard-Fi make the headlines too, writes Riaan Wolmarans

Just another Sama night
The awards have become too similar to all the others, writes Maria McCloy