EVENT: MTN Bushfire Announces 2016 Lineup

One of Swaziland’s biggest festivals, MTN Bushfire just announced the line upfor its Ten Year Anniversary edition of the festival that will be taking place from May 27th – 29th 2016. 

Songboy Blues

Acts already announced by MTN Bushfire include Mali’s internationally acclaimed world-music stars Songhoy Blues , South Africa’s Bombshelter Beast featuring Pitch Black Afro and Mafikizolo, , Pablo Nouvelle, a filmmaker and musician from Switzerland and Living Room – made up of Manu Delago, an Austrian percussionist and composer, best known as Bjork’s hang drummer and saxophonist and clarinet player Pepe Auer.

South African artists also confirmed include cutting edge acts such as Native Young, Nomadic Orchestra, Felix Laband, and Toby2Shoes with acts from Swaziland including Bholoja, Nomzamo Zaza Dlamini & Fanaza.

Also confirmed for the MTN Bushfire main stage is Estère, whose mixture of bass, synth, drums, guitar, vocal harmonies, keyboard, whistles, claps, kazoo, desk tapping has been dubbed Electric Blue Witch Hop. Hailing from New Zealand, Estère has performed at festivals across the globe and opened for artists including Erykah Badu, Morcheeba, Baths, Ikonika and KT Tunstal.

Also confirmed for the 2016 lineup is 27 year-old Canadian singer Cold Specks whose 2012 debut album, ‘I Predict a Graceful Expulsion!’ was hailed as a masterful and wholly original debut, and was shortlisted for a Juno award and Polaris Prize.  In a style described as “doom-soul” Cold Specks has worked on Moby’s album ‘Innocents’ and was invited to play with Joni Mitchell at the singer’s 70th birthday, alongside the likes of Herbie Hancock.

 DJ Dawee is a Reggae/Dancehall, Soca, Tropical Bass & Afrobeats DJ & MC from the Berlin-based sound system and label SWS. Dawee will bring to MTN Bushfire the wickedest tunes from the Caribbean with newly emerging music genres from around the globe (Moombahton, Tropical Bass) in a creative and danceable way.

The Rudimentals

Another exciting announcement is the confirmation of South Africa ska legends The Rudimentals. Setting the standard for ska/ reggae / African beats in Southern Africa for over 14 years, The Rudimentals’ 13 piece line-up includes; a three-piece brass section with a trombonist, trumpet and saxophonist; a five-piece vocal section with two international male fashion model MC’s from New York and Jamaica, a Zimbabwean-born ‘toasting’ MC and a rotating roster of up-and-coming backing vocalists; a keyboard player; an electronic and beats synth-player; a drummer first blooded in the metal scene; a bass player and guitar player.