Vinnie Mak ready to share his brand of soul
EL singer’s show will promote new single, indie music talent in the city
FROM travelling the country, collaborating and sharing stages with various artists, to fine-tuning his own brand of inner-city soul, East London’s soul and blues singer Vinnie Mak is ready to give locals a taste of what he has been working on.
With a three-hour show lined up at OHBrigado Champagne Bar next Thursday, Vinnie Mak hopes his For
Your Ears Only show will be the first of many as he promotes his latest single Nameless Holds No Bars.
Vinnie Mak, whose real name is Vincent Makeleni, has been singing since the age of seven but it was only in 2004 while doing Grade 10 that the music bug really bit him.
“I was singing tunes on the radio and in church from a young age. I was a street brawler in my teens and my advantage was speed and rhythm.
“It seemed I could tell a movement before it happened,” he said.
Since taking music seriously, Makeleni has gone on to release a number of projects. In 2005 he worked with Rigby Torrent on the Patience of Progression project, which feature Msaki on a number of tracks.
Being surrounded by his grandmother’s peers, Makeleni was introduced to all types of music, with jazz and blues as major influences.
He is strongly inspired by legendary acts such Miles Davis and Al Green.
He said For Your Ears Only was solely to promote indie music in East London. The event will also feature local bands Haze, a three-member outfit which has a fusion of spoken word, alternative soul and hints of romantic blues and The Clan.
“We are all about location and selling the experience, going along with the musical theme inner-city soul, and OHbrigado had to be the jump start.
“The location is prime and futuristic. [It has] clean architecture.”
Makeleni said people should expect more experiences from him in different locations in and around East London. He also added that some of his events would be more intimate.
Catch him at OHBrigado Champagne Bar next Thursday from 8pm.
A single ticket for the show costs R150 and for a couple it is R250.
Tickets are available at Music Mix in Vincent.
For more information, go to the event’s Facebook page, For Your Ears Only .