Black Motion savours Zim visit
THEY literally have crowds across the globe going crazy over their live tribal house music.
They recall even having legendary South African DJs giving them props.
“We had almost all the DJ legends going crazy over our set and at one point DJ Fresh got on stage, as we were performing and bowed down to us,” reminisced Black Motion on their recent Bulawayo encounter on the eve of Unity Day celebrations.
Black Motion a duo comprising Robert (DJ Murda) Mahosana and percussionist Thabo “Smol” Mabogwane have developed one of the most dynamic live performances going right now.
They released a debut album that has earned multiple Metro FM and Channel O Music Video award nominations, put in guest appearances at the Miami Winter Music Conference and headlined shows in London town, as well as Canada, and notched up a number one single on Traxsource.
The pair of gifted young lads hailing from Pretoria are set to shake up the global house scene with their post-modern Afrocentric style and signature sound.
They spoke to Sunday Life senior reporter Peter Matika (PM) about their rise and Zim visit. SL: So who are Thabo Smol and Rob Murda? Smol: I was born and raised in Pretoria. My mother is a gospel singer from a traditional gospel group, so you could say I had a bit of musical influence growing up.
I was born in Potchefstroom and raised in Soshanguve. Smol and I both have a shared background because we were both dancers before we started making music. SL: How did you meet? BM (Black Motion): We met through our manager and business partner Moses Mokgoko. When he heard what we could do in terms of music production he invested in studio equipment for us; we hooked up and started Black Motion in January 2010.
SL: What’s the process like when putting together a track?
BM: When we get in the studio we don’t work on a track because we have to do a track, we do a track when we’re in a mood of expressing our thoughts on a beat. We pull out the drums and set up and record anything that we are feeling that moment and the end results are always good, we don’t bring anything separate, we just bring together our thoughts. And we never went to music schools or anything; it’s just pure talent from God.
SL: What’s the story behind the name Black Motion?
BM: Black Motion because when we are on stage and we are in the zone, while we are playing, the sound of the drum takes our minds into a BLACK space, when Murda plays with the knobs on the decks it causes an irresistible movement from deep inside you which is MOTION of the body . . . BLACK MOTION.
SL: Tell us about your international gigs; lessons learnt, crazy stories, differences in house cultures?
BM: Performing in Angola taught us a lot about performing for a crowd we know nothing about; so we took it as selling something new to a stranger; we had to be convincing enough to connect with the crowd with our energy on stage. Our craziest trip and experience was in Miami at the Winter Music Conference when we played at the South African invasion party.
SL: What do you think of Zimbabwe and having performed at gigs here, what do you think of the response and crowd?
BM: The crowd and people are awesome. We savour all our visits here; it’s incredible just how much love you can get from another country.
Great show and we hope to see you again soon. Black Motion came into being in early 2010 when Robert (DJ Murda) Mahosana and percussionist Thabo “Smol” Mabogwane decided to work together. They had already been producing music separately for years prior. From the onset this partnership led to string of respectable production that have been lighting up the dance floors in Southern Africa.
Black Motion has enjoyed support from big name South African DJs and party goers alike. Their music has been featured on a number of CD compilations in South Africa and Bhana Shilolo and Set Me Free are on healthy rotation in the leading commercial radio stations.
They have worked with names such as DJ Oskido, DJ Mthi, QT, award-winning vocalist Bantu Soul, to name but a few.
Their first year in the music industry has been fruitful with lessons learnt along the way. They have managed to anticipate the different sounds that appeal to the dance floor junky and their music is testament to that. On stage, Black Motion makes use of vocalists and keyboard players to support their DJ Percussionist act.
They are rapidly gaining respect for their live acts. If the work they have done so far is anything to go by, 2011 will be an even bigger year for the young lads from Soshanguve.