Doing It Best for His Art’s Zake

By Therese Owen , 27 Jul 2011

Zakes BantwiniThe idea was to highlight the two biggest stars in South Africa at the moment – Professor and Zakes Bantwini. The synchronicity is perfect. Both Durban artists, both riding the crest of popularity, both very talented.

But when the country’s biggest kwaito artist didn’t bother turning up for the interview twice in a row, I kinda just went with Bantwini.

We met at uShaka Marine World on a sunny Durban winter’s day. Bantwini was filming his day-in-the-life-of for Mzansi Insider. It was weirdly voyeuristic having the camera as part of our interview. But, then again, Bantwini is an in-demand superstar.

On discovering Professor was MIA, Bantwini immediately went into record company exec mode.

“I manage artists,” he said. “I know how to do this.”

Suddenly, he was not the dopey artist. He had authority and leadership.

After a few phone calls to managers, friends and brothers, there was no sign of Professor.

Bantwini’s ability to put plans into action comes from the fact that he owns his own record company, Mayonie Productions. He was the first to sign L’Vovo Derrango and his stable now includes four new artists as well as DJ Cndara.

“There are very few artists in this country who will sacrifice money for their art.”

He is also wrapping up a BMus at UKZN and is now being flown around the world performing his house music as well as playing a myriad of gigs in South Africa.

So where does he find the time to do all of this, which is more than what most artists do in a lifetime? It doesn’t seem to bother him. It appears he just goes ahead and does it. He lives life.

Bantwini’s album, Love, Light and Music, produced largely by Black Coffee, embodies who he is as an artist. He describes his music appropriately as Fela Kuti meets James Brown. The album’s already enjoyed three massive hits – Bum Bum, Clap Your Hands and Wasting My Time.

But it is in his live performance where Bantwini really shows his true star quality. Not only is he a great singer, he’s an awesome dancer, too, and, unlike so many performers, he doesn’t grab his crotch. He also doesn’t ask the audience to throw their hands in the air. And he does scream: “Can you feeeeel it?”

Bantwini is anything but clichéd.

“I am a pioneer of house music in that I am not that guy, that DJ behind a desk. I am a house performer. I plan more of a show. I want to do costume changes, use props.

“There are very few artists in this country who will sacrifice money for their art. We must start taking our craft seriously. I have no option in that department.

“This is all I have, my music. I studied music. I studied dance. I put all my energy into this.”

He has his own way of dancing and word in the dance world is that he is an absolute perfectionist when it comes to his craft.

A dancer at the debacle that was the Samas this year said Bantwini was strict and specific about the dancers and their moves. He did not leave the choreography to the producers. The reality is that between Bantwini and Professor, they were the highlight of what was one of the tackiest Samas in the past decade.

His videos, too, are highly stylised and original. Not for him a bunch of chicks dancing around a swimming pool. In Clap Your Hands he substitutes himself and Black Coffee with a some funky kids who do a great job dancing and mimicking the stars.

His talent is also beginning to reach international shores, largely through his performances at the Miami Music Conference.

“Although I was not nominated, I performed at the House Awards. From that gig and others, I was booked in France, Portugal, Canada, the UK, Namibia and Angola.

“In South Africa in one weekend I can play Soweto, then a mayoral event in Mpumalanga and then a soccer game. At each event my language has to change. You cannot speak at a mayoral event the same as you do at a soccer game.”

Again, a rarity. Most musicians never think of adjusting their performance pitch to suit a specific gig. Bantwini puts thought into all aspects of his career.

His visual style is one of collared shirts, jackets and dark glasses on stage. Yet unlike other artists who think it’s cool to wear sunglasses at night, Bantwini doesn’t look like a total tjop.

Bantwini is too cool to ever look like a total tjop.

His tracks are also taking on a life of their own through the art of remixing. From the international house icon Franck Rodgers to our very own Culoe de Song, everyone wants a piece of his music to remix.

And Bantwini is happy about it. Because of this he only plans to release his follow-up album in September next year.

“One day I would like to go into government. I would like to be the director-general of arts and culture, not just an MEC. A director-general is more hands-on. I want to change the system from within.

“This music industry is a banana industry. Besides The Parlotones, who else is making real money? Who else is receiving investment from the business sector?”

That he would do a great job as a DG of Arts and Culture is no doubt. He has vision – and plenty of it.

But for now, Mr Bantwini, can we just enjoy your world class talent as an artist, a singer, a dancer and everything else in between?

Share or Book Mark: