KENZHERO, KID FONQUE & MARIA McCLOY PRESENT TONGHT FT ZAKI IBRAHIM LIVE
4 FEBRUARY AT AND , 39 GWI GWI MRWEBI STREET, NEWTOWN , 9PM
TONGHT kicking off on the 4th of February 2016 will see Jozi clubgoers feasting on a new party recipe. Canadian South African sci-fi soul songstress, Zaki Ibrahim, will headline the first installation of this party series curated by acclaimed DJs, radio personalities and party promoters, Kenzhero and Kid Fonque, who have joined forces with urban culture specialist, publicist and designer, Maria McCloy. This party will take place at And in Newtown six times throughout 2017.
The collabo between this like-minded trio has been a long time coming.
“This concept called TONGHT was conceived out of the constant chats we have had throughout time,” explains Kenzhero, who mixes on Kaya FM every Saturday night from 9 – 10. “In the late 90’s, I used to frequent a spot called 206, down Louis Botha in Johannesburg. It was a cross-cultural meeting place and the music seemed to cater for the outcasts – or rather the alternatives.” It was there that he met Kid Fonque. “He was playing at 206 already, while I was buying vinyl and had started playing friends parties. The first party I played with Kid Fonque was my first professional gig, so it remained a highlight and I am glad over the years we have crossed paths through other people’s events and at events that we host ourselves where we invite each other to spin at. Our styles are complimentary, a true testimony of the school of DJ’ing we come from which is about staying true and unique.”
Kid Fonque explains why this collaboration has finally happened. “Kenzhero and I pretty much started DJ’ing at the same time with the same circle of people, he was always hip-hop and I was always a bit all over in terms of the music I played,” says the presenter of 5FM’s 5 to 7pm Sunday show, Selective Styles. “We have grown up together over the years – and so have the people who used to watch us when we started. Although we keep DJ’ing every weekend, the crew who started with us are older and find it difficult to get down where we play as the crowd is younger so they stay away from the current party scene. A few peeps mentioned this to Kenzhero and I so we thought, ‘let’s do this!’”
One of those people is Maria, who has been attending parties in Jozi since the mid 90’s and 2000’s when she was part of ground-breaking entities Black Rage Productions, Outrageous Records and www.rage.co.za. Says Kid Fonque: “She has been coming to our events over the years and when we’d bump into her out of late she’d always say, ‘Come on guys, do a grown and sexy party for people like us… I’m tired of partying with campus kids, but I still want to go out, have fun, meet great people and hear amazing music – out of a hot sound system…’ So after finding our dope venue, And, we approached her to join us. We felt she was the perfect partner because of her knowledge of the scene and her PR expertise.”
For the first edition of TONGHT, Kenzhero and Kid Fonque will bring their distinct DJ flava to the decks, but partygoers can look forward to live acts and guest DJs from across the sound spectrum at each event. “Zaki Ibrahim is based in Canada, but is currently in Cape Town. She has not performed in Jozi for three years so we thought she would be a great way to kick-start our party. Her vocals feature on several South African deep house anthems and she has built a loyal following, spanning continents and crossing genres effortlessly over the past decade,” says Maria of the globally distinguished singer/songwriter/choreographer and producer, known for making music and art ahead of its time. She has co-written, shared stages and collaborated with the likes of Erykah Badu, Saul Williams, the U.K. based Hyperdub family, Young Fathers, and the Roots, to name only a few.
Since the release of her 2006 EP Shӧ (Iqra In Orange) and 2008’s Eclectica (Episodes In Purple) and her first full-length album, Every Opposite, in 2012, Zaki has given the world snippets of her artistic prowess. Zaki has been lauded for her innovation and creative vision in her collaborations: The track Sunrise, produced by DJ Kent/Remixed by Culoe De Song and Do the Thing Right, produced by Alister Johnson (Dj Catalist) and remixed by Dj Simbad, Nick Holder and Spoek Mathambo. Most recently, the four-track Red Bull release – Orbit, EP and Sci-fi performance art exhibition signals the onset of Zaki’s next musical narrative. Zaki’s second-full length album is set for global release in March 2017, with music and visuals that seamlessly combine influences, bringing minds and bodies together in unassuming and organic ways.
Orbit – https://m.soundcloud.com/red-bull-studio-ct/sets/orbit-a-postcoital-prequel-ep
Do the Thing Right – https://m.soundcloud.com/zaki-leaks/zaki-ibrahim-do-the-thing-right
Though Kid Fonque curates a party called #2SidesOfThe Beat at Kitcheners Carvery once a month and Kenzhero is part of the Obrigado party collective and hosts Party Songs For Girls monthly at Great Dane, though they’ve spun at each others events, working together to create a fresh property is something new and needed in Jozi says Kenzhero. “As our audience evolved, it seemed like our original audience had been forgotten. We thought that doing this event would rekindle the love and loyalty of this audience, while merging the new one we are growing with. So, you can sense that the music we will be presenting will be anywhere from where we started to showing our growth today – and the future.”
Tickets R100 at door and at https://www.quicket.co.za/events/25140-tonght-presents-zaki-ibrahim-with-kenzhero-kid-fonque/#/
