Mixing n Blending in the Mother City

Well done on the EP guys. It has a proudly afrocentric sound. How do you think this sound will translate in an international environment?

Thank you, well we have all grown up on electronic music from the international scene, so I think that there is part of that international sound in anything we will do. Sometimes the hardest part is forgetting that and bringing in the local flavours. So hopefully we have found a nice balance in the EP that will give the international market something they can relate to, but at the same time be exposed to local South African sounds.

With acts like Die Antwoord and SpoekMathambo spreading different African cultural sounds to the rest of the world, do you feel there is a current hunger for SA's unique musical favour?

Yes, I think since the FIFA World Cup there has been a new interest from the international market in South Africa, which includes its music. It just so happened that local musicians were making really good cutting-edge music and, from that, came a new-found respect for South African music; it has given us the opportunity to make music in a very South African way and still make waves internationally.

Can you tell us about the recording process?

Well we first got together with SFR and wrote the title track, Mother City. Once we had an outline we approached the groups Ruffest and Chronic Clan, and asked if they would like to do vocals on it. They were super keen so the track was sent to them to write lyrics over and then we all got together at SFR's flat and shoved a mike in the living room and got the guys to lay down what they had come up with. From there, we worked on the arrangement and, once we were happy, we got them back and into Heypapalegend Studios to do the official takes and, from there, we were left to finish it off - the rest of the process gets very nerdy so we'll spare you that.

What was it like working with SFR?

We have been mates for many years and it's not our first time working together. We are always bouncing tracks back and forth for comment and advice, so we already trusted each other greatly. So when it came to doing the EP together, the process flowed easily. As always you have minor tiffs over certain parts, but that's the nature of collaborating; because music is very personal, one learns to take comments constructively and not fly off the handle at the slightest bit of criticism, in the end we all do want the same thing.

The EP was recorded in June last year; why the long wait till release?

Ha, well initially we just wrote the title track, Mother City, and from that got interest from an American label, and they were wondering if we had anything more in the same genre. So, essentially, the first couple of months were just spent on the one track as we had no idea we would be doing a full EP. From then, the remaining tracks also took a couple of months to complete - and then we waited. Labels didn't come through and only after all of that did we finally decide that it was more important to get the music out to the fans than hold onto it waiting for some label to um and ah.

What was it like performing in Reunion Island and Europe? What was the response like?

Reunion Island has always been good to us, the response was amazing. I know SFR has had the same feedback from gigs in Europe too. Often the international market is much more open to different genres, which has helped us a lot.

What was it like transitioning from a DJ duo to a full live band?

It's been a great experience, the performance feels a lot more live and in the moment, and the nerves are there to prove it. Luckily, the band members we brought in are very well versed in playing with a band live so it helped us get into it too, as well as being able to place our trust in them to bring a great performance.

What is like working in a group that consists of so many musician and guest artists? Who calls the shots or is it more of a collaborative effort?

It's been amazing; we have always been into collaborating and feel we are much better off because of it. By having new and talented people around, one learns so much more. We have never been the type to say "this is what we want you to do", it has always been about letting them bring their own flavour to the table and it shows because of it. After all, we are no singers, so let them be the judge of a good vocal and this goes for any type of musician we work with.

If Mix n Blend could be characterised as an animal what animal would that be and why?
Well we did have ourselves as monkeys on our first album cover, but I would say, if you could call them animals, we would be a bunch of muppets. Silly people who love music and love having fun, and we want the people listening to our stuff to do the same.

What's next for Mix n Blend?

We have a couple more EPs and singles in the pipeline, which we will be releasing slowly through to next year. And then, only recently, has there been talk of starting the second full-length album early next year. If you have ever had to do a full-length album, you'll realise that this is a scary prospect, but we feel the time is right now. We are looking to make use of all the talented friends we have made over the years and bring a full collaborative album, something that we like to pride ourselves in - making music together!

Download the "Mother City" EP at https://soundcloud.com/mixnblend/sets/mother-city-e-p for free.

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