Blank Space Records has announced the release of the new EP from Stephen of Kent, Future Kwaito: Volume 3. 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 1990s.
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.”
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 moulded 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.”
Grab the opportunity to purchase the new EP OUT NOW on all platforms. 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 will be available at his upcoming live show on the 13th of November, where we will see Stephen of Kent host the exclusive ‘Never Rush a Sunday’ Live Show Experience. In the first month, there will be various meet and greet sessions at Alpaca and The Royale.
STREAM EP HERE
Listen to Future Kwaito Volume I and II:
Connect with Stephen of Kent:
Youtube: Stephen of Kent
Instagram: @stephen.of.kent
Facebook: STV KNT Music
Twitter: @stephenofkent
Soundcloud: Stephen of Kent
Connect with Blank Space Records
Website: www.blankspaces.co.za
Instagram: @blankspacerecords
Facebook: Blank Space Records
Twitter: @BSRAFRICA
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