BLK JKS

South African band BLK JKS melts down a wide array of bold styles into a decidedly indie rock format, incorporating elements of prog, highlife, reggae, and electronic texture into songs that sound akin to Mars Volta or TV on the Radio. After riding out the late 2000s and the beginning of the 2010s in a storm of activity and positive buzz, the band underwent lineup changes, and some members focused on various side projects for a ten-year period. In May of 2021, BLK JKS returned with sophomore album Abantu/Before Humans. BLK JKS was founded in 2000 in Johannesburg, South Africa. The original line-up was comprised of guitarists Lindani Buthelezi and Mpumi Mcata, who grew up together in Johannesburg's East Rand, and Soweto natives Molefi Makananise (bass) and Tshepang Ramoba (drums). After a self-released eponymous EP in 2006, BLK JKS made their international recording debut in 2007 with a limited-edition 10" vinyl release of the single "Lakeside." In 2008 the band was befriended by Diplo during a DJ tour of South Africa, and after he spread some positive word about them, BLK JKS were offered a recording contract with Secretly Canadian, one of America's premier indie rock labels. The band made its Secretly Canadian debut in 2009 with the four-track Mystery EP, which was recorded in collaboration with producer Brandon Curtis of Secret Machines and features a new version of "Lakeside." Around this time, BLK JKS became a media favorite, appearing on the cover of the trend-setting magazine Fader, and mounted tours of both the United States and Europe, including appearances at the South by Southwest and Big Chill festivals. Not long after their debut full-length After Robots, in the summer of 2010, the band returned with their second EP Zol! Buthelezi left the band in 2012, shortly after forming new project God Sons and Daughter. Along with new members Tebogo Seitei and Hlubi Vakalisa, the remaining original members of BLK JKS continued working on music together as they pursued other projects. The band focused primarily on one-off releases for the majority of the 2010s, collaborating with South African group the Brother Moves On as well as covering Hugh Masekela's tune "The Boy's Doin' It" shortly after his death in 2018 as a tribute to the late jazz musician. The next year the band released new song "Harare," the first of several singles leading up to a new release. That album, Abantu/Before Humans, arrived in May of 2021, following BLK JKS' debut album by 12 years.
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