Stephen of Kent’s threequel EP 'Future Kwaito: Volume III’ will breathe new life into the revolutionary genre
Blank Space Records is excited to announce the release of the new EP from Stephen of Kent, Future Kwaito: Volume 3, which is available worldwide on all digital streaming platforms. Listen here
Future Kwaito Freestyle is a trilogy volume series, written and performed by Stephen of Kent. The series explores the sounds of the popular sound wave and the culture of Kwaito, a music genre that emerged in Soweto, South Africa, during the 1990’s.
In evolving the sound that is Future Kwaito, Stephen of Kent released 2 previous collections of the series; Volume 1 and 2. On the track, Future Kwaito Freestyle in Volume 1, Stephen of Kent powerfully declares that “the empire is about to burn to pieces”, setting the stage for his genre-shifting offering to the sonic universe.
The second installment of the series opens with a clever flip of Thebe’s ‘Groovers Prayer’ on a track titled ‘Guluva’s Prayer’. This highlights the distinct and unique experimental approach that the multidisciplinary singer-songwriter has through his music.
Kwaito is the most important music genre and cultural innovation to emerge in post-apartheid South Africa and is often described as explicitly apolitical. Quintessential in being a form of dance music, Kwaito in its most common form is music "after the struggle”.
Stephen of Kent describes his journey of discovering Kwaito from a very young age to a time when he would spend time back home in Mpumalanga. “If you had ever been to my grandmother's home in Witbank in 1999, you would know that music was a religion in that household and the head of that holy trinity was Kwaito and Hip-Hop music.”
Few EP’s or musicians have been met with such a warm reception. StarFM were the first radio station to get an exclusive first listen of this revolutionary EP and we are certain this will make a huge impact on the airwaves.
After a year of touring concerts and clubs in South Africa, Stephen of Kent will spend the next 6 months hosting performances at art galleries around South Africa.
Stephen of Kent and kwaito legend, Zwai Bala at the Future Kwaito: Volume III EP Launch
Image: RTC Studios
Kent’s first show and launch took place at The Melrose Gallery in Melrose Arch on 20 October. Hosted by Candice Modiselle and Zweli B, fans and media present were stimulated by an explosion of art, music and fashion by the local fashion house, MCHL.
Here is the list of the 7 songs on Future Kwaito: Volume III :
Track 1 Summer Of Pain Intro
Track 2 Shine Is Life
Track 3 Pressa
Track 4 Hennesy & Gospel (feat. Batundi)
Track 5 Fever
Track 6 Sorry
Track 7: Vibration
Asked what this new project means to him and the creative process, Stephen of Kent says, “With Future Kwaito, I wanted to incorporate the fashion, lifestyle, stories and ideals of an era that raised and molded me into who I am today. I wanted to mix my childhood nostalgia with a forward-looking perspective. I wanted to know what it would feel like if those early 90s sounds were made today.”
He has collaborated with MCHL to create a capsule collection called, ‘FKV3’, which will feature velour jackets, shorts in earth tones and unique poloneck t-shirts adorned with imprints of lyrics from his new EP. The capsule collection is available for purchase.