Gas up
my hotrod stoker, the kwela groove frenzy's hit town - this
is the sound of South African pennywhistle jive, the sound of
Spokes Mashiyane, Lemmy Mabaso and Zig-Zag Jive Flutes, the
sound of cranked up radios on summer evenings, the happiest
music in the world.
The Kwela
boom came and conquered in the late 50's - a time when records
without whistle solos were barred from radio-play, when favoured
gladiatorial whistlers would do the jousting of their rival
patrons for great riches, when no one bothered how much reverb
constituted bad taste.
So, with
whistle solos and wild reverb to the fore and dreams of wealthy
benefactors and lucrative gigs long since dashed, The Positively
Testcard re-enter the ugly jousting pit, that of the world of
whistle-driven instrumental beat combos. |
