Mpho Molikeng solo // Garth Erasmus Quartet

Reihe: In Between Spaces

Indigenous South African music in current transformations and encounters, between traditional and non-traditional folk, improvisation and ambient.

The musician and multi-instrumentalist Garth Erasmus has been artistically, culturally and politically committed for almost forty years to preserving and updating the indigenous knowledge of the KhoiSan, the original people of southern/western Africa and, according to genetic studies, the oldest human group still in existence. Erasmus, who has repeatedly worked with the Hamburg band Kante during various stays in Germany, processes this heritage in a fascinating and captivating way. The resulting music is reminiscent of Ndikho Xaba & The Natives, La Timpa, Pat Thomas, Rat Heart or Moondog in its idiosyncratic balance between non-traditional folk, ambient and free jazz. The album Threnody for the KhoiSan, which will be released on TAL in May, fits in enchantingly with the label's preference for subtle moods and grooves: field recordings blend with the unmistakable hum and scratch of Erasmus' self-made instruments and electronic undercurrents, united by his husky, accented voice. Minimal gestures and "street poetry", poignant lament and spiritual incantation.

The multi-faceted artist Mpho Molikeng reworks the legacy of the Basotho hill tribe that emerged in the early 19th century from the fusion of various tribes that fled from the Zulu, drought and famine. Molikeng plays a variety of traditional musical instruments such as Lesiba, Mamokhorong, Thomo, Setolo-Tolo or Mbira, always looking for new ways to bring the Basotho culture closer to the world - including in collaboration with the Italian sound artist Luca Forcucci and as part of the current exhibition "Oscillations" at the Berlin Akademie der Künste. He is also active as a curator, actor, author, composer, poet, painter, storyteller and cultural activist.

With its focus on contemporary approaches to African traditions, this programme of "In Between Spaces" ties in with the "OLUZAYO -African Music Futures" festival organized in Cologne and Johannesburg in 2023.