The Brother Moves On
feat. Chelsea Carmichael
“$/He Who Feeds You… Owns You”
The Brother Moves On, a poly-stylistic ensemble from Johannesburg, share music from a fresh new album released on British reedist Shabaka Hutchings’ imprint Native Rebel. Joining them for this special performance is British reedist and label mate Chelsea Carmichael.
The Brother Moves On feat. Chelsea Carmichael
© Courtesy of the artist
Past Dates
European premiere
The Brother Moves On: “$/He Who Feeds You… Owns You”
feat. Chelsea Carmichael
(ZA, GB)
Starting as a Johannesburg, South Africa performance art troupe back 2009, the Brother Moves On (a smudged play on the name of a character from the TV show “The Wire”) shifted under the leadership of co-founder Siyabonga Mthembu, into a passionate polyglot music ensemble. The group collided many concurrent stripes of modern African music like malombo and Xhosa funk with rock, gospel, electronic dance music, and jazz, weaving them into a seamless hybrid held together by the leader’s powerful voice. A reconfigured, sharpened version of the band appeared on last year’s album “Tolika Mtoliki”, but we can expect to hear brand new music as they have been in the studio after signing a deal with Shabaka Hutching’s new label Native Rebel. For this Berlin debut the group honours its open-ended, communal aesthetic by performing with guest saxophonist Chelsea Carmichael (SEED Ensemble), a polyglot London artist also working with Hutchings. Her debut album is rooted in husky tenor blowing and murky reverb, but her playing slaloms through a colliding landscape of funk, bebop, soul and Caribbean grooves.
Line-up
Siyabonga Mthembu vocals
Simphiwe Tshabalala drums
Ayanda Zalekile double bass
Zelizwe Mthembu guitar
Mthunzi Mvubu flute
Muhammad Dawjee alto saxophone
Chelsea Carmichael tenor saxophone