Aura

AFRIKAN CHILD

‘Afrikan Child’ the 3rd album from Aura Msimang Berton is a proudly South African project.The first album “Full Experience” was done in Kingston Jamaica in 1977 at Lee ‘ Scratch’ Perry’s Black Ark Studios. It was inspired by a dream of three women, from Africa and its Diaspora, coming together in song to share their experiences, 12 brilliantly started tracks, were later sabotaged. Leaving only a 5 track collectors album released 12 years later by Blue Moon records in Paris, France .
‘Itshe’ the second take, was a product done in Bruxelles, Belgium in 2000, with Jean Paul Dispaux of Idest Communications as executive producer. Using the cream of musicians in the area, some of whom Aura had worked with over the years, she produced this one herself. This one was more like a farewell to exile and the return home, ( though she had already returned to SA since 1998). The title track was a from a Zulu folk tale, memory of her late mother (calling on her ancestors), this one had been her strength through the years, in desperate times.
The tracks line up was chosen from many songs done over many years and shows, which her friends had liked, and though the recording time was limited she was satisfied with the choices. So in another way, this was also a farewell album to friends and loved ones.
After 9 years of being back home in South Africa, Aura finally decided to go back to her love of music, after taking part in many community and cultural activities in her neighbourhood and city. It took that long because there was a lot to catch up with, to experience, to learn and understand.
‘Afrikan Child’ the title track, was written a few years ago and updated as time went on. The whole product was recorded at Base2Base Recording studios (B2B) in Yeoville, Johannesburg. Aura worked in administration and artist consultant in exchange for studio time and a video. All her recording experience to date had been with live musicians etc. and this was her first exposure to a urban street music programation studio…a challenge. She could hear all the music being done in the studio from her office, and slowly got to like some of what she heard. Two examples being the tracks done by Joah Jonelley, for a song called ‘Missing You’ and one by Milandro Mapengo for the song ‘Sly / do you feel me?’.The environment of B2B is the Times Square complex on Raleigh Street, which is a bustling hive of activity, a real little African renaissance area in the village of Yeoville. It is both a residential and commercial spot, that has residential tenants from Ethiopia, Eritrea, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and South Africa; plus businesses e.g. 3 Ethiopian, 2 Nigerian, I Malawian, 1 Zimbabwen, and 1 South African restaurants and pizza parlour. A Congo DRC and Zim bar, 2 congo DRC hair and nails Salons, a Rwandan bed &breakfast, 2 Congo DRC import / export co.’s, a telecommunications/ internet centre and of course B2B.
From this fertile ground for inspiration, came the story by a young Ethiopian refugee who grew up in Tanzania, that was the inspiration for ‘Missing You’. A friend from myspace.com, who knew me from the ‘Full Exp.’ mini album days send me 2 tracks from London. The first was used for a song that was inspired by the young men I work with in the studio, who were talking about how they had never known their fathers, conversation came about because one of them had just become a father, and was saying he’ll be a father for life, inspiring ‘Father Figure’. Second track was once used for BM’s ‘Turn your lights down low’ and we wrote ‘Magic in your eyes’ to it. ‘Kick, Punch, Pain’ is dedicated to women that refuse the victim mode, we all know at least one, who take the reigns and take care of their children and everything else, doing a great job all alone. ‘Sly / do you feel me?’ is a song full of metaphors that we leave to the listeners to figure out. ‘You’re not alone’ spiritually motivated song for a friend who lost 2 children to suicide. ‘Afrikan Child’ is my anthem to all children of African descent, it speaks for itself. ‘Jamming / One Love’ a song dedicated to the genre and the artists that made reggae music so inspirational and fun.
Now having said earlier that the studio was more for programmed sessions and she was going to take the plunge, she couldn’t hang and s.o.s’d her musician friends for help. She would love to send some big-ups to the famous brothers from ‘Tidal Waves’;
• Zakes for coming in and revving up the sound with some beautiful guitar,
• Charlie whose bass added just what was needed to make it truly rock and
• Tebogo for his serious drum vibes and changes.
• Eli Amor for his soulful guitar sounds.
• Olufemi who came in and without a word, whipped out one sax after another and blew us away with his beautiful melodies.
• Mpho who came in and shared with us the breathy sounds of the ‘lesiba’ (a Sotho traditional instrument), and last but not least
• Tunde who grounded our title track with the age old sounds of the Gan-Gan (talking drum). Thus instruments came in to round of the sound.
In the last few years Aura was very involved in cultural activism in her area, and as part of this she had open-mic sessions in the Yeoville recreational park. She decided to invite some of the youth that used to feature in these events, and they are here rapping their own lyrics to the theme of the song. I would like to introduce them here :-
• ‘You’re not alone’ features – Benny Witboi in Damara Nama (Namibia), Ziggy Balunda in French (DRC Congo),Teddy Tadessa in Swahili(Ethiopia)
• ‘Jamming /One Love’ features – Coolio Ngqondela (SA)
• ‘Kick Punch Pain’ features – Safeiya Feni (SA)
• ‘Father Figure’- Vambos Sephula, John Pop and Angola Bond (SA)
The engineers who started the tracks with their brilliant programming skills are:-
• Sakele ‘Doc’ Maputi – Jamming/One Love, You’re not alone
• Julius Dlamini, Milandro Mapengo – Kick Punch Pain
• Joah Jonelley – Missing You
• Paul ‘Preacher’ Brown – Father Figure
• Carlton McCloud (Composer) – Magic in your Eyes
• Milandro Mapengo – Afrikan Child, Sly/do you feel me?