New Release from DjZEE - Infinity
More details will follow shortly.

 NEW  -   OUT NOW

Music With No Name Vol.4:
Global Africa  by Monde Mkhizwana
Dan Mampone & Mabi Thobejane:
Melodi- from Gospel to Kwaito ! 

 M.E.L.T. 2000 releases a carefully selected choice of World Music-, Jazz-, Remixes, Electronica and Acoustic recordings of artists from the UK, Brazil, Cuba but mainly from Africa, Works by Jazz-, traditional and Worl Music artists from Cameroon, Namibia and the regions and tribes of South Africa like the Xhosas from the Transkei, the Zulus from KwaZulu Natal and the Pedis from the North of South Africa. With the forthcoming soccer world cup taking place in South Africa in 2010 many of our traditional artists experience a renewed interest in the culture of this beautiful country. MELT 2000 have been very active recording many famous South African artists  since the democratic changes in 1994. The site features well known names like BBC Jazz award winner Byron Wallen, Miles Davis protege and percussionist  Airto Moreira, Brazilian diva Flora Purim, Jose Neto, Fourth World and Changuito from Cuba, From Africa and especially South Africa we present drummer Brice Wassy from Cameroon, From South Africa comes the ambassador of traditional African music  Pops Mohamed, the late Jazz piano genius Moses Taiwa Molelekwa and late bass player Sipho Gumede.   The Zulu land brings us the the King of the Zulu guitar, Madala Kunene with his Swiss collaborator Max Laesser, the extraorodinary bass player Bernard Mndaweni who also works with  female Zulu vocalist and Kora award winner Busi Mhlongo, The Xhosa tribe is represented by the first ever traditional  marimba and percussion group Amampondo, Madosini, Mantombi and Lungiswa. Master African drummer Mabi Thobejane  works closely with Juno Reactor, bansuri flute player Deepak Ram now lives in the USA and Gubi's indigenous Bushmen of the Kalahari family originates from Botswana and now live in Namibia because of unsurmountable borders !  More recent recordings and documentary and live music filming of new and exciting artists include L.A.P. (Live African Percussion), Castro B., Vivid Afrika, McCoy Mrubata, Greg Georgiades, Ashish Joshi, Della Tamin, Thabang Tabane,  Johnny Fourie, Carlo Mombelli, Ernest Mothle & Ntombe Thongo's African Band.

ELECTRIC MELT, our sub Electronica label, is undertaking several new projects in conjunction with local South African and European remixers to be released under the Music With No Name series. these projects feature names like Greg Hunter, Kalahari Surfers, Monde Mkhizwana, Square Window, Alien Soap Opera, Eyedentity, Smith & Mighty, Roni Size, Henrik Schwarz, Soothsayers, Maga Bo, Teba Shumba, Jung Collective a.o.

NEW  -   Find Melt artists on YouTube

AVAILABLE FOR DIGITAL DOWNLOAD EXCLUSIVELY@ AFRODESIA MP3 

ELECTRIC MELT - ELECTRIC DOWNLOAD Vol.1

FOURTH WORLD - NO GAP

Kalahari Surfers collaboration with Greg Hunter featuring tracks with Brendan Jury, Busi Mhlongo and Madala Kunene look out for a mid 2009 release date.

THE KALAHARI SURFERS EPIC COLABADVENTURE - Read the article here

FOURTH WORLD - NO GAP   

Release mid 2009                                                                         

In our daily life we are often confronted with the term GENERATION GAP loosely used to describe differences between us parents and our kids. When I started working with Flora and Airto in 1993 they introduced their daughter Diana and her now husband Krishna Booker. During the years of recording with the 4 of them this so called generation gap transpired often over trivial matters or when the wisdom of the parents or the common sense of the younger generation got completely ignored.However when in the studio everything was forgiven and forgotten and the creative juices would flow immediately amidst the speckles of colorful sparks and the fairies of musical creation would dance amongst them all filling every empty space with joy and laughter. This compilation is a reflection of my journey with the 4 and to show that there was and is indeed NO GAP in their music - a fine compilation and musical journey through a decade of amazing live music and remixes previously released on albums no longer available from your CD shops !

Robert Trunz

 MELT IN YOUR SOUL

by Mick Raubenheimer
Founded by producer Robert Trunz, and born in the spirit of collaboration, MELT2000 was seeded by the musical meeting between (international icons of Brazilian Jazz) Airto Moreira & Flora Purim, and SA Jazzbo’s Sipho Gumede, Pops Mohamed and Moses Taiwa Molelekwa.
Trunz was inspired by the ease and beauty with which the two musical worlds interacted, and decided to create a label which would explpore and nourish interaction between local and international music. Using his international contacts Trunz facilitated 94’s Outernational Meltdown sessions, a musical exchange between Brazil, SA and the UK.
These sessions would profoundly effect local music, both directly and indirectly. The epiphany of these sessions was the fusion of local Jazz with England’s thriving dance scene, then mostly Jungle and Drum & Bass. Melt music, with its wide-eyed exploration between styles (while always respecting the sources), was soon inspiring a generation of young musos and producers.
2005 saw the beginning of a slew of new MELT releases, most notable DVD’s of performances by the likes of Busi Mhlongo, Madala Kunene, Greg Georgiades and Carlo Mombelli. This year sees the releas of the third instalment of the aptly named (ahem) Music with no Name series.
In keeping with the temp of contemporary, the original blend of predominantly Drum & Bass-fused Jazz that comprised volumes 1 and 2, has been updated to today’s plethora of electronic manipulation: originals by Kunene, Mhlongo and others sent out and remixed by the disparate likes of Germany’s Henrick Schwartz and the UK’s Adam Hurst and John Kennedy.
 

by Mick Raubenheimer

Godfather of local electronic Warrick Sony aka The Kalahari Surfers, needs no introduction. Following his musical rebirth in 2000, Sony has gifted us with his epiphanic masterpiece Akasic Record (2000), all mystery and dreamy elegance, followed by the more upbeat, bass-driven Muti media (2003) and the excellent Panga management (2007); this in addition to 2003’s trance outing through Microdot Records, Conspiracy of Silence.
While all this was going on, a great unreleased collaboration was coming to life in the shadows. Sony gives us a peak into the makings of what sounds to be a magnificent beast.. As he upt it: “ex-ORB Greg Hunter and Kris Weston vs. me and Brendan Jury. Unlimited budget nd never finished now. 2continents, self-flagellation, yoga and the beach!”
Warrick’s low-down: “MELT200’s Robert Trunz) suggested a collaboration (between Trans. Sky.Sky, comprising Warrick Sony and Brendan Jury, and ) his favorite producer Greg Hunter, who at that point was finishing off his Alien Soap Opera project and decided to swop frezzing London for a particularly fantastic Cape Town summer.  Turntabla began in the summer of 1998 at what was then Shifty Studios in camp Street, cape Town. Greg fell in love with a Berimbau I bought when I was in Brazil, and worked on it day and night until he was shit fucken hot. Brendan did string stuff on his viola and processed viola. We were jamming with piano, tabla, viola, veena, berimbau, mridangam, turntables, udu pots… We even went out and bought an old Wurlitzer church organ for the bass pedals – I’ve never had so much fun in a recording. I think we all did.”
Following the initial swell of inspiration the project was dormant for two years, with Hunter and Weston back in the UK and other key conspirator Brendan Jury moving to Joburg.. “Greg returned in 2000 and we finished the album at Milestone studios, bowing all their main studio speakers in the process. This wa s very productive period and the album shifted from the very synthesized sound to the more organic;; Greg taking control and shaping performances from myself, Madala Kunene and a string quartet for 2 of the tracks.
“The album lay around for decade until Robert Trunz asked me if I wouldn’t mind doing some of my own mixes – a sort of remix of an album that never was. I returned to the album, found amazing performances (to replace some uncleared samples) that we had done ourselves, and some great Madala Kunene Guitar… and so I worked three quarters of the Album.” With Greg Hunter asn Warrick Sony as inter-successive heads of this decade-spun priject, and all the heady, exotic ingredients in the mix, I can’t wait to wrap my ears around this one! ‘Turntabla: a Kalahari Surfers remix of a Greg Hunter album (that never was) out (almost) now!

VIBRATIONS FROM THE MOTHERLAND is a celebration of Africa, an aknowledgement of the Dark Continent’s huge influence on western music & rhythms. The MELT 2000 label works tirelessly to promote the cause of South African musicians, artists, its people & their struggle. Nanny Tango has invited some of the coolest producers in western jazz, electro & funk genres to remix stand-out MELT recordings under a simple directive – ‘respect the original artists and make western ears & dance floors pay attention’.

The latest album from Juno Reactor is entitled Gods & Monsters and if you are at all serious about your music then this is one album that should be added to your collection... IMMEDIATELY!  

Busi Mhlongo "Urban Zulu" Live

Exactly one decade later the MELT video archives reveal some amazing footage of Busi Mhlongo’s launch concerts in Nantes (France) and the Roskilde Festival (Denmark). The DVD and CD contain live songs from her original album "Urban Zulu", performed only the way the diva of African pop possibly can - rare footage of the explosive power of Busi at her peak.

MELT 2000 - RECORD STORE OF THE YEAR AWARD

We are commonly known as a niche music label that is dedicated to release some of the finest music of lesser known artists. However in times when TOP 10 commercial music dominate our record stores and digital downloads make the distribution of music a much less personal and exiting way of shopping there are exceptions where staff is still eager to pass on their in depth knowledge and we have singled out two stores that we feel fit that category best.

CAPE TOWN, South Africa
AFRICAN MUSIC STORE
Address: 134 Long St., Cape Town, South Africa
Phone: 021 - 426-0857                
( +27 21 426 0857 )
 
JOHANNESBURG, South Africa
PLUM CD
The Rosebank Mall Rosebank
Johannesburg South Africa
Phone: 011 - 788 55 88      
(+27 11 7885588)  

LOOKING FOR RARE COLLECTORS ITEMS

B&W MUSIC, MELT2000 or BLUEROOM RELEASED CD'S and Vinyl EP & LP's?
before going to ebay check us ! We still have some of the original pressings stretching back to the founding days of the label -   This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it