Telling a story through music

“Our community has such a special vibe and its own unique stories to tell and we hope to express this in our music.”

These are the words of Nkosinathi Hadebe (25), one of the members of a local music group, Latin Extreme Music.

Nkosinathi, who performs under the name Da Coffee, with band mates 29-year-old Sifiso Hadebe (DJ Kam), 19-year-old Refous Matleke (Tumi) and 21-year-old Sphelele Mbatha (Native) call Dukathole their home.

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“We have not always lived in Dukathole,” explained Nkosinathi.

“Sifiso, Sphelele and I are originally from KwaZulu-Natal and Refous is from Limpopo.

“But the one thing that has always been the same is our love and passion for music.”

Latin Extreme Music, which falls into the deep-house genre, is a multi-layered band. The band members not only write and produce their own songs and music and play their own instruments, but they also help other musicians in their music production.

“With our own music, we focus more on the music, beats and production and when we need vocals we will hold auditions to find the perfect vocalist,” said Sifiso.

“When auditioning for a vocalist it really is all about the voice.”

When asked what inspires their music, Nkosinathi explained that everyday life inspires them.

“We watch the highs and lows our community goes through and we draw inspiration from that,” Nkosinathi said.

“We want to tell the community’s stories in a unique and real way and in a way they can relate to.”

The band, which has worked with international producers in the past, hopes to sign to a record label in the near future.

“It is hard work doing everything for yourself as a band because we not only have to work on our music, but work on promoting ourselves as well,” said Nkosinathi.

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Refous agreed. “We then have to take time away from the music to work on promotion.

“Another problem we face is that sometimes we do not have the money to make it to gigs we are invited to.

“We hope that with the right record label this will no longer be a problem and we can begin to build a better life for ourselves focused on music.”

When asked about their future plans, the band, which won a trophy at the Germiston SAPS Youth Day celebrations in Dukathole in 2018 for their music, explained they will be releasing a new album and a single, Zulu Liyaduma, in the coming months.

“Ideally in five years, we would love to see ourselves making waves internationally,” said Nkosinathi.

For more on the band follow them on Facebook (Latin Extreme Music) and Twitter (@latinextrememusic2).

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Contact the newsroom by emailing: Melissa Hart (Editor) germistoncitynews@caxton.co.za or Leigh Hodgson (News Editor) leighh@caxton.co.za.

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