BLK JKS’ highly anticipated full-length debut After Robots will be released September 8 on Secretly Canadian. Following the March release of their MYSTERY EP and return appearance at South by Southwest, South Africa’s BLK JKS are receiving critical praise from The New York Times, SPIN, The Wall Street Journal, The New Yorker, LA Weekly, Time Out New York, New York Daily News and Under the Radar, among others.
Amidst all this critical praise the essence of BLK JKS’ music—a collision of township blues, fringe jazz and renegade dub, heard via the lens of prog—shines through. Music from Africa has never sounded like this, as BLK JKS bring the concept of afro-futurism into a new century.
After Robots was recorded January in Bloomington, IN as BLK JKS traded a South African summer for winter in America and burrowed in for marathon recording sessions of one live take after the next. Brandon Curtis of Secret Machines returned to join the band at the controls and Hypnotic Brass Ensemble appears on several tracks with the swagger of aggressive horn stabs, but throughout After Robots is an original BLK JKS affair—a distinctly South African vision of rock’s global travel and the possibility of what it can sound like from here on out.
BLK JKS first came to the U.S. in the spring of 2008 after a chance meeting with über-producer Diplo while he was on tour in South Africa. The band’s appearance on the cover of the Fader, as well as highly acclaimed sets at South by Southwest, sparked recording sessions at New York’s famed Electric Lady studios that resulted in the MYSTERY EP. They have gone on to share stages in North America and Europe with a celebrated and disparate array of artists including Femi Kuti, Santigold, Dirty Projectors, Michael Franti and Cody Chesnutt; they have played Sasquatch and Soweto Arts Festival; and drummer Tshepang Ramoba has been celebrated by Billboard as “the best musician” at SXSW.
BLK JKS consists of childhood friends Lindani Buthelezi and Mpumi Mcata who grew up on the same block in Johannesburg’s East Rand where they taught themselves guitar. After the band’s current lineup took shape with the addition of bassist Molefi Makananise and drummer Tshepang Ramoba, both of Soweto, they embarked on a schedule of heavy touring throughout South Africa that earned them a loyal national following.
The first glimpse of the full length, “Mololatladi”(right click, save as) which literally means rainbow in Zulu, is available now as a free mp3.
BLK JKS Tour Dates
June 9 Philadelphia, PA Kungfu Necktie
June 11 Washington, DC The Black Cat
July 5 Brooklyn, NY Weeksville Heritage Center
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WatchMojo NewsletterBehind the scenes of Papa Roach’s new video for “I almost told you that I loved you”… Shocking is an understatement - Warning, this is NSFW!
For more information about Papa Roach visit www.PapaRoach.com. Metamorphosis featuring “I Almost Told You That I Loved You” is in stores now.
As music legend George Harrison is celebrated with a new star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Los Angeles, Capitol/EMI announces Harrison’s first ever career-spanning solo hits collection, Let It Roll: Songs by George Harrison. To be released June 16, the new title will feature digitally remastered tracks in deluxe packaging, including an extensive booklet featuring previously unseen and rare photos. The collection will also be available for download from all major digital service providers.
Let It Roll: Songs by George Harrison is the first release that will span his entire solo recording career, including the #1 Billboard Pop singles “My Sweet Lord,” “Isn’t It A Pity,” “Give Me Love (Give Me Peace On Earth),” and “Got My Mind Set On You.” The new title will also feature live recordings of three Harrison-penned Beatles songs, “Something,” “While My Guitar Gently Weeps,” and “Here Comes The Sun” from his 1971 all-star Concert For Bangladesh benefit at Madison Square Garden. The complete track list will soon be announced.
George Harrison is a twice-inducted member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, as a solo artist and as a member of The Beatles, and an 11-time Grammy Award winner for his recordings with The Beatles, Traveling Wilburys and as a solo artist.
Let It Roll: Songs By George Harrison Audio Streams:
“While My Guitar Gently Weeps” -
“Isn’t It A Pity” -
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