Hemisfar (CD)

Long awaited release of a mysterious album recorded over 13 years ago in the frost bitten county of Hälsingland in northern Sweden.

"After a hot summer in the desolate South African 'Karoo' desert, I boarded a flight to Sweden. The idea was to compose and record an album of Afrikaans songs, capturing the heat, intensity and magic of rural life in the 'Kouebokkeveld', land of mythical creatures, tragedy, and shamanistic folk dances.

However, Hemisfär was conceived in the silent, frozen landscape of the Swedish countryside, and very soon the heat and intensity became distilled by the quiet sparseness of a dark Nordic winter.
'Vastrap' rhythms, string arrangements using African tuning. Cape carnival trumpet were all dissected under the magnifying glass of Scandinavian minimilism.

In attempting to recreate the warmth and sensuality of Cape Afrikaans songs, we stumbled upon something entirely new and unexpectedly beautiful. Something simultaneously warm and cool, light and dark.

The result is a music that is timeless, beautiful and unique - a curve in the line between the hemispheres."

Alex van Heerden

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alex van heerden - vocals, trumpet, programming
derek gripper - viola, string arrangements
magnus johansson - electric piano, engineering
kate ehrhardt - vocals

artwork: jacqui stecher
original photo: inge prins
mix: manne von ahn öberg and pete davis
produced by magnus johansson

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Hemisfeer
Die erotika van die Karoo, dit huiwer op die fyndraai, op die punt voor orgasme.
Die musiek van Afrikaners wie vasgevang is in die ekstatiese onsekerheid van ´n oomblik tussen verlede en toekoms - Boesmanne met laptops, fractal-boere
Die musiek het gereis vanaf die Kouebokkeveld, (´n land van fynbos, meerminne en mes-steek) tot in ´n ander hemisfeer - die abstraksie van Skandinawie.
´n Stil, dooie sneeu-landskap in die Sweedse woude was die vergrootglas waardeer ons teruggegekyk het na die Suidelike punt van Afrika...ons het vioole gespeel dat hulle soos Boesman-ghoeras klink, lirieke gesing wat ons in die aande laat astral-travel het Baviaanshoek toe, opnames gemaak van stream-of-consciousness klavier en Kaapseklopse-trompet.
En toe Stockholm toe, stad van dansmusiek, elektronika en futuristic pop waar Hemisfeer 'ethnic electronic pop' geword het.
En toe terug huistoe - meer as net ´n nuwe 'benchmark' vir Afrikaanse musiek - 'n nuwe manier om 'Afrikaanswees' te ervaar.