NEW ALBUMS
BLK JKS
Abantu/ Before Humans GLITTERBEAT 8/10
Back to the future with belated prequel.
By Louis Pattison
BLK JKS: (l-r) Molefi Makananise, Tebogo Seitei, Tshepang Ramoba, Mpumelelo Mcata
BRETT RUBIN
BANDS like BLK JKS don’t come along often, especially in places like Johannesburg. There was no South African indie rock scene to speak of when the group emerged from the city’s Spruitview district in the mid-2000s, and their distinctive sound –a blend of kwaito, dub and township soul fired through a prism of dissonant alternative rock – made them a hot ticket. Diplo invited them out to New York to play their first American shows. Dave Grohl called their 2009 album After Robots his favourite album of the year. They kicked off the 2010 World Cup at Soweto’s Orlando Stadium with a live collaboration with Alicia Keys. Superstardom beckoned.