SECOND TIME LUCKY FOR HOUSE DUO, MR LUU AND MSK
THEIRS is a story of tenacity and passion to make house music.
Eight years ago – Mpumelelo Mbatyoto and Lunga Rululu – were at their peak and filling dance floors through the music produced by Point 5, a five-member group that they were part of. They were signed under Kalawa Jazmee Records and made songs such as Lento by Professor and the remix of Busi Mhlongo’s Izizwe through the group.
But when cracks started to form in the group five years ago everyone went their separate ways.
However, Mbatyoto who goes by the name MSK and Rululu, known as Mr Luu, remained steadfast on their dream.
Three years ago they left Zwide, in Port Elizabeth, and moved back to Johannesburg to pick up where they left off with Point 5. I meet the duo at their modest apartment in Maboneng Precint, downtown Johannesburg where they tell me about the difficulties that come with being independent artists who want a piece of the pie in the ever revolving world of house music.
MSK, 27, says the move back to Joburg has not been as easy as they had anticipated.
“Coming back to Joburg as Mr Luu and MSK we thought it was going to be easier because we were here before and had established relations with big artists. We thought we would just do the brand association and it will be easy but, I’m telling you, we would call those big artists and not a single one would answer for a year,” he said.
Things started looking up for the duo last year when they released
Conversations. MSK said the song was “strategic” and they wanted to grab the attention of people because no one was paying attention to what they were doing.
In the song, the duo questions what happens to house music and whether the current crop of musicians are making good music.
They followed up with 888 ,a track they made three years ago.
The two songs then became number one and two on iTunes in Botswana and received a lot of airplay in all radio stations in that country. Luu, 28, says: “When we released
888 we wanted to be different hence we went for animation for its video.”
The song was also played on BBC radio and it is part of the radio station’s playlist, according to the duo.
The pair are now working on their second single Themba’Lam and are also planning on releasing their album this year.