RIKU LATTI LEADS AFRIKAANS MUSIC INTO THE 21st CENTURY
SA ROCK DIGEST 2/18/2001
Paul Drosdzol
Riku Latti has delivered a double-barrelled message of intent to Afrikaans music and it's called 'n Pleister Vir My Nerwe, an album destined to change the boundaries and perceptions of the genre.
But Riku is no revolutionary, he does not wantonly destroy to completely re-build; he takes tradition and bends it to his purpose, making it more modern, forward-looking and infinitely more cool.
On this double CD Riku has laid a lot of colourful cards on the table - a veritable running flush of introspective ballads, rockers and (the joker?) a funky hip-hop manifesto - a slice of local thuglife that reveals his gangsta of a heart. One suspects, even with such a strong hand, that Riku still has a couple of aces up his sleeve in reserve.
Variety and versatility sprawl across this double album, a bright cavalcade of styles and attitudes that keep the listener entranced.
"Ek voel die woorde in jou longe le tussen asem and nikotien" ... a lyrical line full of longing and regret that glistens from the rocking, melodic and atmospheric 'Pakpoort', one of 'n Pleister Vir My Nerwe's standout tracks and a clear candidate for radio play.
The songwriting is strong throughout, but what illuminates and animates the words and instrumental playing is the crisp and modern production, crafted by Riku and Peter Auret. The use of studio techniques and technology gives the album a clean, cutting-edge feel that distances it from most of the music in the Afrikaans genre.
'n Pleister Vir My Nerwe is an important album, one which sets standards and shifts parameters. It's a work that most of Riku's peers will have great difficulty in surpassing, or even, I suspect, in matching.
Op 'n Pleister vir my nerwe - die hoof CD - is 14 snitte (plus een versteekte snit) van energieke Afrikaanse pop/rock. Riku beskou Beck en Sting as twee van sy grootste guru's; moontlik sal ander aanhangers van die twee ook 'n Pleister geniet.
Die CD bevat 13 Riku Lätti originals (behalwe ene wat so bietjie Karen Zoid in het), met gaskunstenaars soos:
Steve Hofmeyr (beter bekend as Bruce Beyers deur die ouer garde)
Laurika Rauch (my oom se motor is 'n ou masjien...)
Liela Groenewald (Zim, zim, zim, zim...)
Paul Riekert (Battery 9: kiss the machine; Joos Tonteldoos en die Dwarstrekkers)
Musikante:
Riku Lätti - stem, kitare en klawers
Peter Auret - tromme, slaangoed en klawers
Cesaré Cassarino - kitaar en baskitaar
Rory Gaddin - kitare
Jonathan Crossley - kitare
Tracklisting:
anders
deesdae
medisynemens
oorlogtyd
op die maan - Luister: MP3
osama bin laden
smoorverlief - Luister: MP3
soms
staar
superman
My Amerika
waar is jy
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