NEW PODCAST SERIES EXPLORES THE BIGGEST CATALOGUE OF AFRICAN MUSIC IN THE WORLD

FacebookXRedditPinterestEmail
Gallo Music celebrates 95 years with Gallo Vault sessions in collaboration with KONJO

“Everything that people know globally about South African music, most of it comes out of Gallo.”

Johannesburg, 31 March 2022 – A new six-part podcast series, Gallo Vault Sessions explores South Africa’s rich and complex musical history through the prism of the longest running independent recording label in Africa, Gallo Music, which houses the largest collection of African Heritage music masters in the world.

Home to some of Africa’s greatest music legends including Miriam Makeba, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Lucky Dube, Oliver Mtukudzi, Thandiswa Mazwai, Skwatta Kamp, and others; Gallo Music commissioned the podcast series as part of it 95th anniversary.

Spanning nine decades, from the 1930s to present day South Africa, the 6-part podcast series produced by culture agency KONJO explores the back stories and overlooked tapes from the Gallo Music Vault, reflecting on the ways music shapes culture, and how our culture has been shaped by music.  Accompanying each episode is a specially commissioned DJ mix inspired by the episode’s focus.

Released monthly over the next six months and featuring interviews with artists, label executives, radio veterans and thought leaders, episode one launches on 31 March on all podcast and audio streaming platforms.  The launch episode provides an overview of the founding story of one of the greatest music companies in the world and introduces all the moments to follow in the series.  A curated mix by Paul WaxOn (@waxonsa) accompanies episode one.

Gallo Vault Sessions doesn’t shy away from the difficult questions the podcast surfaces as it explores the dance between socio politics and the cultural moments in South Africa’s history – from radio censorship and race, to the cultural project of whiteness and Afrikanerdom;  from the curatorial power and cultural influence of producers and talent scouts, to beyond the cultural boycott and the global explosion of South African music; right up to the new voices that emerge once the euphoria of independence settles.

 “This is probably one of the most important explorations of South African music of recent times,” commented Gallo Music MD Simu Mukuna.  “We wanted to bring the stories behind Gallo’s 95-year legacy as South Africa’s biggest and largest independent record company to life, but as we got deeper into it, it increasingly became clear that what we were doing was bringing South Africa’s musical history to life.”

Adds series producer and researcher Zara Julius “Music is almost one of the central pillars of how we engage with one another in South Africa and this series highlights how South Africa’s political history has affected the trajectory of music in a way that I don’t think it has elsewhere”.

Celebrating the music is central to the Gallo Vault Sessions series with specially commissioned 60-minute DJ mixes accompanying each episode.  Featuring some of South Africa’s most sought-after original recordings, many of which were vinyl rare cuts, compiled by some of the most discerning selectors in the scene including Paul WaxOn and Vusi Hlatywayo and Naledi Chai /of Fly Machine Sessions and Abraham Mennen.

The series is narrated by Kineta Kunutu, and researched, produced and written by artist, researcher and DJ Zara Julius at KONJO.  Gallo Vault Sessions is presented by Gallo Music in collaboration with KONJO, in association with The Sowetan. Episode one is published on 31st of March and available on select digital streaming platforms with a new episode launched the last Thursday of the month, over the next six months.

“Gallo became the Motown Records of South Africa…Amazing catalogue,
which then started resonating to the rest of the world” Antos Stella, CEO of Content Connect Africa
Engage and follow the story on social media:

#GalloVaultSessions

Twitter: @GalloRecordsSA
Facebook: @gallorecordcompany
Instagram: @gallorecordcompany  @k.o.n.j.o

ENDS

IMAGES AND EPISODE 1 TRAILER CAN BE FOUND HERE

About the forthcoming Episodes
EPISODE 1 (31 March ’22)     An introduction to Gallo Record co.
An overview of the founding story of one of the greatest music company’s in the world, on South African soil.  Interviews: Rob Allingham, Michael Swaratle, Antos Stella, Ivor Haarburger, Sipho Sithole

EPISODE 2  (27 April ’22)
Radio, Race & Genre in South Africa
Interviews: Shado Twala, Sipho Hotstix Mabuse, Sipho Sithole, Rob Allingham, Antos Stella, Bra Mike Swaratle, & Ivor Haarburger, Accompanying DJ mix by Vusi Hlatywayo of Fly Machine Sessions

EPISODE 3 (25TH MAY ’22)
The Cultural Project of Whiteness & Afrikanerdom

EPISODE 4 (29TH JUNE ’22)
Talent Scouts & In-House Producers

EPISODE 5 (27TH JULY ’22)
South Africa Abroad / Beyond the Cultural Boycott

EPISODE 6 (24TH AUGUST ’22)
The transition years: 90s and 2000s club scenes

About Gallo Music
Gallo Record Company (GRC) is South Africa’s largest and oldest independent music label since its inception in 1926, and incorporates both Sheer Music and Bula Music into its stable. Gallo Record Company is based in Johannesburg, South Africa, and is owned by Arena Holdings Pty Ltd. The stable signs, promotes and assists artists to promote their music across Africa and internationally. Gallo boasts some of the biggest artists to have come out of the country including Lucky Dube, Dorothy Masuka, Mango Groove, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Sipho “Hotstix” Mabuse, Stimela, and Bhekumuzi Luthuli – all of which have achieved multi-platinum sales status in South Africa and numerous awards. The vast catalogue offering also includes Gallo’s rich archives poised for digitization and new offerings in the modern music age.

About Konjo
KONJO is a Pan-African creative research and cultural storytelling agency. We curate, facilitate, research and produce moments of cross-cultural creative connection within South Africa, the greater African continent and across the African diaspora, with an emphasis on the global south. At KONJO we are passionate about giving meaningful music, art and culture the nuanced discourse and invested audience it deserves. We share and generate the kind of culture in which we can see ourselves.With a large network of creatives across the diaspora, KONJO considers the ways music, art and performance possess significant archival heritage and vitality. Meaning ‘beautiful’ in Amharic, KONJO centres ‘otherwise’ narratives through the beauty of creativity that holds cross-cultural collaboration and cultural mobility at the core. We are committed to a compassionate and deliberate production of experienced-based projects across genre and medium; film, podcasting, exhibitions and events. Founded by artist Zara Julius, KONJO also happens to be a Black woman-led agency. @k.o.n.j.o konjo.co.za info@konjo.co.za

Hip Hop 411

View all posts