The force, The flow, The undertow: Tidal Waves

(179 reads) Tidal Waves. Epic name. And it suits their sound – a swell and crash of roots rock reggae with a slow, seductive undertow and a spray of intense energy.

What you wouldn’t necessarily guess about the band is that they’ve fused two genres so superbly they’ve just about made a new one – an intuitive marriage of sympathetic sounds. It’s something of a surprise to colour-coded South African minds in the habit of plugging Jazz as black, Rock as white and anything in between as, well, ‘rainbow nation’ for lack of a better classification.

A recent example is MK’s Derde Avontoer in December 2008 which stretched from the West coast to the East coast and saw young (white) kids rocking out to indie bands like Foto Na Dans, New Holland, The Pretty Blue Guns and éF- éL. Every time Jakes, Sam, Charlie and Jaco took their turn on stage, titters and murmurs and shuffling feet gave away the hesitation the kids felt for ‘these (black) guys’ and their token pale face. Then, in minutes of the music beginning, everyone - and I mean everyone - forgot their fears and got jiggy widdit. Ah-weh. So what is happening in their sound that merges minds and hearts this way?

First of all, it is ours. Their blend of raw rock, roots reggae, and flavours of Maskandi and Mbaqanga give their music a signature and an essence that is quintessentially local. The fact is, of course, that it’s this sound that has helped them go global. They play regular European gigs and festivals and beat the hackneyed sounds of Freshlyground to a five-year exchange sponsorship with Europe.

Secondly, Local is lekker especially when it’s exported. Their sound goes down very well with European audiences, and inspires them to keep sharing. Lead vocalist Jakes ‘Zakes’ Wuluna goes transcontinental on the topic. “There is one thing which is very important for us as African musicians. From ancient times it’s been this way - artists from a individual continents are inspired to make their art a individual way because it has the elements of that continent. With Tidal Waves, people in Europe are crazy about us because they feel this is something new. It’s got reggae from Jamaica, and rock from the west. But they can hear that this is an African band.”

And thirdly, it’s their attitude. They’re humble, hard working, and happy souls. They’ve made challenging life choices and they carry their message with pride. Songs of global domination, the evils of an economy out of balance, spiritual insights and lekker lekker dans are run through with energy and positive intention. And with years of experience, they are equally enthusiastic about emerging talent trailing the country and what it means to the morale of the motherland.

“I was so impressed when I saw young boys like The Pretty Blue Guns [on Die Derde Avontoer]. They keep it real. For me it’s a good thing to see young South Africans who have the same vision as we do. I think that if they can keep it like that, they can motivate other young South Africans to know that they can reach their dreams.”

Surviving apartheid SA, however, has not made musical success any easier. Tidal Waves still have to work the system and struggle for every cent. “Some things have changed, but a lot of them have not. I’m an artist, and for me, it’s the same issues as in the past - it’s so hard for musicians to make it. You contrast your art with business people who just want to take money. You cannot believe - I used to earn R2, and it’s hard playing midday slots at festivals when people were still sleeping in the tent. You ask yourself, ‘Am I doing the right thing? Is this song OK?’ But from the beginning, we went straight into music.”

Moving from home towns Lichtenburg and Kerksdorp meant they could concentrate on making a career rather than a hobby out of music. Their discography is four major releases strong, and they’ve featured on compilations like Runway Music’s “Phrased Differently” (2007) alongside other proudly South African sounds like Kwani Experience, The Buckfever Underground, Moses Khumalo, Mgarimbe and BLK JKS. In addition, they’re keen on collaborations. “When we’re in Johannesburg and we work with other musicians, we approach it positively. It’s like sharpening each other. When we collaborate with another artist, there’s something that I’m going to learn. The same person is going to learn something from me.” They’ve collaborated with some strong names on the inland scene including bluesy Piet Botha (Jackhammer), Cassette (xenophobia song) and those interminably overdue dubsters, 340 ml.

And yet, like Jesus and Buddha, these Rastafarian-influenced rockers know the tricky truth of a prophet in his (or her) home town. They may be a hit in the northern reaches, but they still have a lot of work to do before they can seduce all of their South African brothers and sisters.

“Tidal Waves is so different; even though it’s known mostly by a white community in South Africa, we feel like we have to do a lot of gigs around townships. Where we come from, there aren’t gigs at all, that’s why we went to Jo’burg. We feel like we need to work hard and make a come-back to our people and say ‘here we are’. I think they will support us, they supported us before when we set off on our dream.’

And on the question of whether the Tidal Waves’ home communities will take their mix of rock and reggae to heart, they’re as positive, confident and humble as they are on stage.

“A lot of people think of rock as a white music, but it has a feeling, and if we give it to them, I think that they will like it the way we like it.”

Photo Credit: Jezebel

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