What does it take for a young, unknown African act to win a global audience? Many artists have asked this question, and tried all kinds of strategies and gimmicks to gain attention, but for young group “The Soul Servers” and the production team at One Wish Entertainment the answer has been simple – just make appealing music.
The talented lead singers, Zanele Goqo and Motlalepule Thabane, two young women from Soweto, are unassuming and shy – a far cry from the self-obsessed egomania of so many would-be artists who just want attention and stardom. The production team of Floyd Nceba Sizani and George Lusenga know well the difficulties and challenges of finding success in their industry, and like the vocalists, seem to be motivated by a genuine love of music.
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| Floyd Nceba Sizani - PRODUCER |
It’s no secret that South Africans are a tough crowd, and the Soul Servers cannot yet claim to be household name. But in the short time since the release of their debut album, “Nice and Easy,” a surprising amount of international attention has come their way.
First, two tracks off the album - track 9 (“Ziyabuya Emzansi”) and later track 2 (Nice and Easy) were released as single by Universal Music, Canada, and both hit the charts, receiving airplay on six radio stations in Montreal, Toronto, Ottawa and Vancouver. The videos have been playing on TV channels such as BPM TV, Planet Africa and others.
Then “Ziyabuya Emzansi” was also remixed by ace Toronto DJ and producer Phil Marwood - known for his House, Minimal and Deep Grooves work, as well as his collaborations with hip-hop artists.
Soon after, the album was heard by French producer Pierre Jaubert, aka Berjot, best known for discovering the pioneering Lafayette Afro-Rock Band in the 1970s. Jaubert was so impressed with Zanele’s and Motlalepule’s vocal abilities that he immediately decided to collaborate with them on his next album (soon to be released).
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| George Lusenga-OWNER |
The album producers are Floyd Nceba Sizani (a.ka. Da Great) and George Lusenga, working under the banner of “One Wish Entertainment.” Floyd was born in Pimville, Soweto and grew up in Winterveldt North of Pretoria. His first musical inspiration was his father, who used to sing to him and even recorded songs for him on a small tape recorder. Later his own vocal talents were discovered when he joined his school choir. As a teenager in the mid-90s, Floyd teamed up with Wiseman Shongwe one of the members of the well known Pretoria Gospel group Exodus and, as the “Wise Guys”, they performed numerous live shows around Pretoria, winning the first round of the 1995 Shell Road to fame talent search. Inspired by the newly-emerging Kwaito sound, Floyd started making demos and submitting them to various record companies, gaining the attention of Mack Mashabane who was then with Creative Kingdom. The group changed its name to Abolova (and was joined by a new member, Thabo Sebola), and released several albums including songs such as Verstaan, Phinda Mzala, Shelela and others that received a reasonable amount of airplay. The group shared the stage with B.O.P, Arthur, Revolution, Bongo Maffin and others. In 2004 he opened his own little studio and decided to concentrate on the production side of the business.
George Lusenga also hails from the Pretoria area – Mamelodi township. His musical influences are a combination of classic South African artists such as Mahlathini and the Mahotella Queens and the Soul Brothers, as well as Maskandi music American vocal acts such as the Temptations. When Floyd and George teamed up, they first started a band called One Wish, but soon after decided to focus on production and studio work, and so One Wish Entertainment was born. Their collaboration produced the Emazweni House Project CD in 2009, and now the Soul Servers. Zanele and Motlalepule were selected for their vocal skill and stage presence, from hundreds of singers at a rigorous audition in Soweto.
The positive attention the album is receiving should not really be surprising. It’s an enormously enjoyable blend of house, pop, soul, Maskandi, and other urban and traditional South African styles. It’s authentically local, thoroughly international, very catchy, and the ideal soundtrack to the start of summer. A perfect party album, it works great pumped full blast in a nightclub. But like all truly classic African music, it’s as much fun when played at home, thoroughly enjoyed by everyone from children to grandparents.
