Riky Rick, DJ Black Coffee and AKA join the line-up for this year's Red Bull Music Academy Weekender

21 July 2016 - 11:00 By TMG Entertainment
subscribe Just R20 for the first month. Support independent journalism by subscribing to our digital news package.
Subscribe now
Image: AKA via Instagram

Having travelled the world for nearly 20 years and collaborated with more than 1 500 musical luminaries, the Red Bull Music Academy Weekender (RBMAW) comes to South Africa – and Africa – for the very first time.

Taking place from 1 until 4 September, the South African RBMA Weekender will host no less than 60 acts from across the country, continent and world, covering a range of genres from hip-hop and ragga to electronica and house music.  

  •  

The lineup will play across six iconic music venues in and around downtown Johannesburg, including Bassline, 1 Fox, And Club, Kitcheners, Carfaxx, Great Dane and Zone 6. Each event, from day to night, will offer a mix of sounds and festival-goers can expect to be taken on different musical journeys over the four days.

The festival is set to begin on Thursday at  Bassline in Newtown, to host the RBMA Weekender’s reggae night, featuring African Storm Sound System with Admiral and Jahseed and special guests.

On Friday night, the party moves to And Club, Kitchener’s, Carfaxx and Great Dane. All centrally located and close to each other, festival-goers can move easily between venues and stages for over eight hours of non-stop music.

  •  

The pinnacle of the RBMA Weekender programme takes place Saturday night on 3 September at 1 Fox in downtown Joburg, where New Zealand natives and global sensations Fat Freddy’s Drop will headline. Fat Freddy’s Drop are a seven-piece band from Wellington whose musical style has been characterised as any combination of dub, reggae, soul, jazz, rhythm and blues, and techno. AKA, Nigeria’s Patoranking, Christian Tiger School andJullian Gomes, among others, are set to keep the crowds humming the whole night.

On Sunday, the RBMA Weekender moves to Zone 6 in Soweto, where audiences can look forward to live performances from Black Coffee, Culoe De Song, Riky Rick, Oskido, King Bruce, and Mafia Boyz.

Chopper Reeds, aka Scott Towers, of Fat Freddy’s Drop says he and the band are excited to be playing in South Africa for the first time.

"Fans can look forward to some Fat Freddy’s Drop classics as this'll be the first time we've performed them in South Africa. And some box fresh vibes as we'll be fighting fit after a four-week European tour just prior to the RBMA Weekender," said Chopper Reeds in a statement.

While in the country, the band also plans to see the sights and hook up with some of the local heavyweights like Black Coffee.

subscribe Just R20 for the first month. Support independent journalism by subscribing to our digital news package.
Subscribe now