Pioneer Unit

Munks Concept Stores & We Love Music Presents…
Ben Sharpa
Archetypes
DJ KGB
DJ Niffty
Tha Cutt
+ Last Days Fam

Cool Runnings / 4th Street / Mellville

6th December 2008 / 9pm - Late

R30

Check out the brand new video for Get Down by Rattex, featuring Kritsi Ye’Spaza.

Artist: Rattex feat. Kritsi Ye’Spaza
Track: Get Down
Producer: Dplanet
Album: Bread and Butter
Release year: 2008
Record label: Pioneer Unit

Director: Anne-Sophie Leens / Nick Potgieter
Editor, Post & Grading: Apartment Studios
Producer: Apartment Studios
Hair & Make Up: Claudia De Gouveia
Stylist - Girls: Lisa De Klerk
Stylist - Boys: Apartment Studios
Clothing: Butan Wear & FOC

Thanks to Kopano and Zinzi (dancers), Brad at Propaganda Studios, Sean at Cinegate and Emma Carpenter.
©2008. Pioneer Unit Records.

That’s how we rrrrrrrrroll!!

The Sharpaganda Theory: Lesson 1 12” vinyl is shipping worldwide today!

Own a piece of hip hop history with this limited edition 12” vinyl. With production by Milanese, Dplanet and DJ Sibot, beautiful photography and artwork by Apartment Studios and the sickest lyrical delivery on this, or any other planet, even if you don’t own a record player you need to cop this!

Visit the Jarring Effects Sharpaganda website to order you copy today!!

That’s how we rrrrrrrroll!!

Just a little something to spice up your Friday. Ben recorded this track with Kingpinn back in 2002, shortly before his untimely death. The original version was never officially released although it did appear on the bootleg of B. Sharpa that circulated in 2007.

This remix uses elements from the original track, but I’ve added synths, some extra drums and bass. Check it out…

Live a Little ‘08 - Ben Sharpa Ft. Kingpinn - MP3 - (7.25MB)

Live a Little ‘08 - Ben Sharpa Ft. Kingpinn - ZIP - (6.89MB)

Check out the Kingpinn page on Zimvibes.com

That’s how we rrrrrrrrrrroll!!

Tumi: How did you come up with your name what does it mean?

Ben: I mean I’ve always been sharper and that’s how I came up with the name…

Ben Sharpa talks to Tumi Tlhoaele at Rage.co.za

The Ben Sharpa 12” vinyl, The Sharpaganda Theory: Lesson 1 is coming out on 17th November! This limited edition 6-track EP, which is being released by French label Jarring Effects, includes an instrumental of Off the Rails and an acappella of Hegemony.

For our French-speaking friends…

Figure incontournable du Hip Hop Sud-Africain, Ben Sharpa ne vous est pas inconnu si vous avez suivi l’ouverture amorcée par Jarring Effects vers l’Afrique du Sud (Sibot, Playdoe, Fuck’N’Rad…). Déjà présent sur le coffret Cape Town Beats sorti en 2007, le titre Into The Black a vite fait parler de lui, acclamé par bon nombre de radios indépendantes (France, Canada, UK, Allemagne, Hollande, Belgique). Il est également remarqué par l’animatrice de la BBC1, Mary Anne Hobbs, bénéficiant alors d’une visibilité inespérée sur les ondes Anglo-Saxonnes.

Sur ce brillant premier maxi composé de quatre titres, une instru et une acappella, Ben s’est entouré de producteurs renommés tels que l’anglais Milanese (Warp / Planet Mu) ainsi que les sud-africains Sibot (Playdoe, Real Estate Agents / Jarring Effects) et Dplanet (Pioneer Unit). Un terrain de jeu accidenté qui colle à merveille à l’univers et au flow de ce rappeur surdoué. Le chaînon manquant entre Hip Hop US et Grime UK.

Précommande exclusive en vinyl 12” et numérique sur cd1d dans les jours à venir.

……………………………………………………………………………….

What that basically says is that the 12” is dope and you can pre-order it at cd1d.

That’s how we rrrrrrrrroll!!

We are proud to announce that we have completed a deal with Driemanskap.

Hailing from Gugulethu, Cape Town, Driemanskap is a 4-man crew made up of members El Nino, Ma-B, Redondo and Dla. Together they form the vanguard of the new generation of proudly South African Hip Hop artists who understand that Hip Hop, more than any other musical art form, is about addressing important issues and representing where you’re from. Driemanskap are one of the pioneers of the Spaza movement, representing Cape Town with a rhyme style that combines their mother tongue, isiXhosa, with English and Cape Flats slang.

Driemanskap are always on the grind. While work on their debut album continues, they have released 2 mixtapes, Battle of Gugulethu Vol 1 and Battle of Gugulethu Vol 2. Their street anthem Go and Ask (Hamb’ubuza) also features on Planetary Assault, and Intwenje features on the October/ November edition of Hype magazine’s Hype Sessions CD. Driemanskap created the sound track for the Precious talk show on SABC 2 and Itsho Into was used in the international movie Sizwe.

We believe this is an historic moment for Pioneer Unit Records and South African music as a whole. Our mission has always been to give a platform to real African Hip Hop that is at home anywhere in the world - it doesn’t get more real than Driemanskap.

We plan to release Driemanskap’s long-awaited full debut album, Igqibhukile Inyongo, in the first quarter of 2009. Expect a lot of new material before then though.

Driemanskap’s full biography

Driemanskap on Myspace

El Nino in the video for Ama Vuvuzela

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That’s how we rrrrrrrrrrroll!!

Thanks to everyone who braved the weather and came through to the launch party at Carfax last week - we had a great time!

I should never have put lightning on the flyer - the weather had been perfect all week up until 2 hours before the show when the lightning came for real, along with torrential rain!

Anyway, a little bit of rain can’t stop the Unit doing our thing. Check the photos…

Rattex sets it off (click for larger image).

Carfax crowd (click for larger image).

Rah pon di mic (click for larger image).

Rockin’ the crowd (click for larger image).

Fly ladies in attendance (click for larger image).

The Scooter (click for larger image).

KONFAB and Otis hold down hosting duties (click for larger image).

Ben Sharpa takes to the stage (click for larger image).

Sharpa rocks the crowd (click for larger image).

I seen it! (click for larger image).

The crowd watch Sharpa (click for larger image).

Sharpa (click for larger image).

Hymphatic Thabs receives his unofficial award for Best Lyricist of the Year from KONFAB (click for larger image).

Sharpa being interviewed by Proverb for Headrush (click for larger image).

Rattex being interviewed by Proverb for Headrush (click for larger image).

Check out the full set of photos on Flickr

That’s how we rrrrrrrrrrrroll!!