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    BLK JKS

    THE SKINNY: BlK JKS are a band from Johannesburg, South Africa and they are not afraid to show it through their music. These guys encompass styles spanning from Mars Volta-esque fusions to jazz and dub styles while maintaining their African roots.

    WEBSITE: http://www.blkjks.com/
    MYSPACE: http://www.myspace.com/blkjks
    PURCHASE: Amazon



    So I was waiting at the local barbershop about a week ago for a standard beard/hair trim when I picked up this months issue of SPIN magazine. I sifted through five magazines before I found one that struck my fancy. As I am reading I stumble upon a band called BLK JKS (pronounced Black Jacks).  These guys are on indie label Secretly Canadian and are readily being compared to the styles of TV On The Radio and Vampire Weekend. Being a huge fan of TVOR, I gave these guys a listen as soon as I got home. Fresh hair cut and all, I was instantly seduced by their electro-funk experimentalism which is complimented by thrashy unorthodox shreds, dubb guitar, jazz technicalities, and most importantly their African ethnicity. This onslought of styles in combination with the extremely diverse vocal styles of frontman Linda Buthelezi fuse together to spawn a suprisingly progressive sound.

    BLK JKS are a foursome consisting of Linda Buthelezi (vocals), Mpumi Mcata (guitar), Molefi Makananise (bass), and Tshepang Ramoba (drums) who lays down some sick ass afro-tech beats. BLK JKS just dropped their debut album "After Robots" on September 8th and it is definitely worth a listen if you are into any sort of prog-rock and dont mind getting a taste of African culture. The production value of this album is perfect in that it emphasizes both an organic and raw sound of a band that is still just a bleep on the radar of indie music.

    "Lakeside" off of After Robots:

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