South African music doccie goes worldwide
JOBURG - Thump, Vice Media's worldwide electronic music and culture channel, screened the South African documentary about music in three separate parts – leading up to the screening of the full documentary Future Sounds of Mzansi for audiences all over the world.
Produced by Black Major, with support from Red Bull – among other brands – Future Sounds of Mzansi is a cult documentary that explores the past, present and future of the South African electronic music scene and its multiple genres, presented through the eyes of internationally-acclaimed musician Spoek Mathambo and filmmaker Lebogang Rasethaba.
The film, which was made in the country and focuses on it, too, will be broadcast to two million unique visitors and translated into six international languages for the enjoyment of foreign music fans from around the globe.
“Electronic music is a staple of South African popular culture,” said Nthato Mokgata, who is better known by his musical alias, Spoek Mathambo.
“The electronic music scene reflects the country’s shifting cultural landscape 20 years into democracy, so Future Sounds of Mzansi isn’t just a film about music, it’s a film about a country in transition.”
The film was premiered at the Durban International Film Festival last year and has since toured the world and given the worldwide audience a brief introduction to little-known genre’s of music that have been established in South Africa.
“When it comes to Africa, I think a lot of portrayals are quite dark and pessimistic, so I wanted to focus on a really vibrant and creative energy,” Mathambo explained.
“I wanted to portray South African youth energy – the raw creativity, the highly technical intelligence, and the beautiful vibrancy, as well as the struggle, madness, drama and frustrations.”
The full documentary will be available to watch and embed for a limited time from 10 June.
