Zorena Jantze
THERE is nothing more evocative than experiencing a live concert by Big Ben.
Over the past weekend, the musician treated fans to his first performance from his most recent album, 102.
Known for his zest in creating original sounds that seem to bounce right off the escarpments of Herero land, the artist explains that this album is different from the rest.
“In the past I would try to sound a particular way. In this particular album you would find songs people would not expect from me, ranging from pop, dance and contemporary, however, my signature remains,” the artist explained.
The album features songs such as Give me the Night, which forms part of one of the contemporary songs, as well asVakuru, which is a traditional spiritual song.
“It is derived from my people, the Himba’s and Herero’s. We have a particular sound and a rhythm, we do chants that gets people in to a trance, and the instrumental sound is derived from traditional and spiritual music,” Big Ben said.
He further stated that there are commercial jazz songs, such as Kavava, which is a song taken from a necessary rhyme, to love songs such as Kasi Love.
“It is a guy saying I can’t take you out to the Cape Town Fish Market, but I can take you for kapana and vetcakes. It’s not a kasi song with a romantic twist, it’s just a romantic song,” the artist explains.
Big Ben further stated that this is his 7th studio album.
“I do not release an album every year. For me it’s important to make music last. We should not just be producing good studio albums, but it is important to hold the crowd during performances. If CD sales do not do well, live performances always help,” Big Ben said.
Sharing the inspiration behind his music, Ben Big noted that in a world where we are bombarded by ideas, faiths and modern ways of life, it’s important to maintain our traditions and cultures.
“We are spiritual beings, and I don’t believe we should just take on any spiritual movement. If you can take it off like a shirt, then it’s not significant.I would like to rediscover my spiritual roots. The albums takes one through a soundscape from southern, east, west and central Africa as it borrows from various distinct genres and styles from the continent, “ he added.
He further stated that the album name 102 (One Oh Two) is a continuation from his award winning album, Back to the Basics, which was, in his own words “An introduction to The Basics 101” followed by “The Basics 102”.
The rarest occurrence on the album is the collaboration with two distinct musicians on two different songs. Etjo Kangumine from the Ethnix fame appears on a song Mbaurua, which is about a person stuck between doing the right thing and fighting for own interests.
Big Ben also invited Namibia rapper, Skrypt, on the song, KanNieDood, meaning ‘immortal’ in Afrikaans.
