Artist Spotlight: Mlungisi ‘Manqonqo’ Buthelezi

Mlungisi “Manqonqo” Buthelezi is a 21 year old Musician born and bred in Zwelitsha, Adams Mission in Kwa Zulu-Natal. From the age of 10 it was clear that the boy would one day be a star.  His passion for music grew in music school groups during his childhood. He later got used to writing his own songs and producing his own music.

For the past four years, Manqonqo took his music to the next level when he started performing at professional staged. This made him realize that music was not just a hobby but a gift and a calling for him and he needed to share it with the rest of the world.

This is when he and his team worked on a song that has now reached +2.6 Million views on YouTube, titled Eyadini. Even though the song speaks of a specific venue of entertainment in Durban, it’s a representation of all places of entertainment.

Manqonqo is now the main topic throughout the whole country for his amazing hit track titled “Eyadini”. What’s more inspiring about Manqonqo’s story is that in his upcoming album he worked with young people around his age. Majority of the tracks on the album was produced by 19 year old Mlondi “Airic” Ngubane.

Manqonqo says he is inspired by local music heads like DJ Tira & DJ Cleo.

2POINT1 To Drops ‘BATHO BANA’

One of South Africa best upcoming duo from Welkom, a township in the Free State Province, 2point1 Music was started in 2009 by two guys who are based in Welkom named Moeketsi “Sheke” Rathebe and Prince “Priga” Baloyi, The versatile duo was inspired by the likes of Black Motion and Vatkuk & Mahoota to produce Music and work together.

The 2 have been working as individuals prior 2009 however because their sounds was complementing each other they decided to name themselves 2Point1 Music which then means “ We are two yet we represent one sound of music” that is how the name came about.

2point1 produces commercial House as their primary focus however because of their versatile they also produce afro house and AmaPiano. The duo first big release was in 2013, a song called Senya which had over 250 000 YouTube views, the song penetrated areas like Lesotho, Botswana and received a good attraction in South Africa.

In our Journey of Music we were then signed in 2017 by Lowkey Records which is in a Joint Venture with Universal Music, and this where we worked with Prince Kaybee as a lable CEO, because of this JV Priga and Sheke managed to release two singles, first one being an Amapiano track called Docha and this where we worked with a vocalist named Butana he is also based in Welkom.

The Song was released in 2018 and we later released the Music which has 20 000 views on YouTube and the song received support from South Africans and in other neighbouring countries like Lesotho and Botswana. Docha became part of Universal Music South Africa compilation released in December 2018 title “ITS NOT A PARTY WITHOUT US”

We also had the pleasure of working with DJ Tira and Naakmusiq in our latest single titled “Don’t Say”, the song was also released under Universal Music in JV with Lowkey Records, We are still working on shooting the Music Video for this song, Don’t say was release on the 15 March 2019,

The crew managed to produce hit song titled “Oga Please” that is getting an international airplay and also produced a song called Love Me by Mp Unit ft. Miss P that is also getting a high Music Video Rotation on SABC, MTV Base and Channel O

Goals and Objectives:

2point1 Music believes that they have what it takes to make it into the mainstream of the industry and also receive the recognition as one of the best duo in South Africa that produces music.

Priga and Sheke desires to accumulate as much awards as possible so that they can grow their brand and they believe they can make it once given an opportunity to work with a mainstream Record label.

The last goal is to sign with the hard working Record Label in South Africa. The group’s objective is to be committed and put more effort and extra time to release quality songs in their Music Production.

Brand Presence

2point1 has a good footprint in their province of Free State, Gauteng and Northwest, they are currently working hard to secure good following from other provinces, On social platforms we are also growing our numbers through our hard work, we are currently on 11k Facebook following, Twitter 2,3k and Instagram 1,3k

In conclusion 2point1 Music thanks all fans who have been loyal and committed to demand more music from them. Their dream is to see their brand big.  

5 ways to shop sustainably online

We’re all becoming more accustomed to shopping ethically and putting the environment at the forefront when it comes to fashion. This is even apparent for the big high street and online names, with ASOS recently revealing 34% of all fibres used in its brands come from sustainable sources, for example.

When shopping online, there are a few tips and tricks to keep in mind in order to embrace sustainability as much as you can. For starters, shopping online may be more environmentally friendly in itself, as you’re not using carbon emissions to get to a shop.

Avoid impulse buying

One of the great perks about shopping online is that you can avoid impulse buying much easier than you can in a shop, which is a big plus when it comes to shopping ethically. Buying less means reduced levels of landfill, after all.

If you’re shopping online, try to choose items you know you’ll use often. Go for items and colours which suit your skin tone and body shape, for example.

Another luxury of online shopping is that you can take time to think about what you’re buying, as opposed to feeling rushed in a shop where you have limited time.

Explore second-hand

Second-hand outlets are a great way to embrace sustainable shopping, and this applies to online shopping, too.

Sites such as eBay, Amazon, DePop, and online vintage and charity shops are a great way to purchase second-hand items and reduce your carbon footprint (with more affordable items, too). After all, what better place to grab a bargain? Oxfam online, for example, has a vast selection for both men and women.

Easily find sustainable brands

Shopping online means you have more time to find brands which pride themselves on sustainability. It’s also easier than trekking around the shops on foot.

When you know which brands you want to buy from, look on their info pages to check their ethical credentials (again, much easier to do than in a shop) to make sure you’ll be buying from somewhere you agree with.

Do your research

Conduct research prior to buying anything online to find brands which align with your own personal values.

After all, there are so many out there, and sometimes it can feel like a bit of a minefield. In your quest to find truly sustainable brands, research can be your guide.

Use social media

There’s no denying social media is a powerful tool, and you can use it to your advantage when looking for the best ethical deals online.

Instagram is the perfect way to find new brands based on their sustainability factor. Use hashtags to help you – #SustainableFashion, for example, has over three million hits, and pulls up numerous brands and bloggers for inspiration.

Dr Thokozani Mhlambi set to revive music compositions from yesteryear in contemporary 21st century style

Dr Thokozani Mhlambi (PHD, Music) is on a mission to ‘resurrect’ the musical craft of African intellectuals from as early as the 19^thcentury. The three month long archive and digital campaign will eventually culminate into a live exhibition concert -will honor, celebrate and revive the sounds of revered intellectuals such as John & Nokutela Dube.

The Early African Intellectuals as Composers music project  is a historical undertaking that seeks to ‘wake up’ the African to his ancient music composition and intellectual excellence; as well as raise awareness of and educate about the birth and journey that has been travelled by compositions of the past while finding a place for them to be recognized and enjoyed in contemporary Africa.

Africans (and South Africans in particular) will learn about and indulge in the revived sounds of Ntsikana, Enoch Sontoga, Tiyo Soga and lesser known woman composer Nokutela Dube, first wife of John Dube. These compositions are among those that will be performed by Dr Mhlambi, who plays the cello and voice, and an ensemble consisting of strings, UKZN Music School opera students and award-winning jazz pianist Lonwabo Mafani, a student at the UCT’s College of Music.

 ‘ We are currently busy with auditions for the final cast and I am very pleased with the progress that we have made with the songs which we had to retrieve from the archives of various arts and culture institutions- some of which are named after the intellectual greats whom I humbly hope this project will fittingly honour and do justice to their composition excellence.’ Said Dr Thokozani Mhlambi who was awarded the National Research Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow in Innovation in 2017- one of the few to be given to someone in the artistic disciplines.

‘I believe that more than ever we ought to celebrate and honor African excellence across all spheres. I am grateful and very excited to be counted amongst those pioneering this recognition and celebration of African excellence in the arts sector. This is a legacy project which I hope will inspire future generations and aspirant composers. It is poised to disrupt the arts industry.’ Dr Mhlambi continued.

The Early African Intellectuals as Composers music project will be launched to media and industry on 15 May 2019 at the Urban Futures Centre, at the Durban University of Technology (DUT).

The series culminates in a major exhibition concert. The Durban edition of the exhibition concert will be held in July at the Killie Campbell Africana Library & Museum in Morningside. The Cape Town edition takes places in September.

The project is supported by the following partners: the National Arts Council, the Mazisi Kunene Museum (who are currently hosting Mhlambi as an Artist-in-Residency), Durban Music School, Afropolitan Explosiv, Urban Futures Centre at DUT and the Killie Campbell Africana Library, a part of UKZN