Musical background was prime motivator

MUSIC runs in the veins of Neil Breytenbach.

His grandfather used to sing opera to him on the beach in Amanzimtoti and there was always a great big organ in the family home while he was growing up.

Breytenbach said he grew up in a small resort town south of the Little Manzimtoti River in KwaZulu-Natal. “I grew up in Warner Beach before I entered school in Pietermaritzburg. We spent a lot of time on the beach surfing, swimming and having fun,” said Breytenbach.

Breytenbach said he discovered his love for music through family, “I always knew I would be a musician as my grandfather was an Italian opera singer. While walking on the beach he would sing some amazing songs and this resonated within me. Music was with me from birth,” he said.

Were it not for his parents, Breytenbach may have never become a keyboardist. “From a young age, maybe five years old, I wanted to play the drums, but my parents only had a big old organ in the house,” said Breytenbach. His parents urged that he try the keyboard before they considered buying him a drum kit. “The rest is history. I never looked back since then and I’m still playing the keys now,” he said.

Having studied here, Breytenbach considers Durban to be his ‘musical home town’. Prior to Prime Circle, the keyboardist played in a number of jazz trios and did session work. Breytenbach worked overseas to gain experience in his music career. “I worked with international tours, helping and shadowing the keyboard technicians from bands like Michael Jackson, Depeche Mode, Crowded House, and Alanis Morissette,” said Breytenbach. “A while later Prime Circle came together and we are going from strength to strength internationally.”

The album, Let the night in DELUXE, was recorded in Cape Town with the songs mixed and mastered in the US. “The writing process was amazing, we all brought some great songs and ideas to the party,” said Breytenbach. The idea behind the name, said Breytenbach, “Relates to people from all walks of life letting their hair down after working hours and ‘letting the night in’ to having some fun.”

As for their recent tour, Breytenbach said, “Europe has been great to us. The fan base in Germany is very healthy and growing daily. The reaction to the band has been very positive and they love the music.”

Neil Breytenbach