Name: Bonga Ntozini aka Karyendasoul
Nationality: South African
Occupation: Producer, DJ
Current release: Karyendasoul's debut album WL4OM (We Live 4 Our Music) is out via Mayonie.
Recommendations:
1. All you need to know about the music business by Donald S. Passman
2. Any painting by Nelson Makomo
3. We Live 4 Our Music by myself

If you enjoyed this Karyendasoul interview and would like to stay up to date with his music, visit him on Instagram, Facebook, Soundcloud, and twitter.  



When I listen to music, I see shapes, objects and colours. What happens in your body when you're listening? Do you listen with your eyes open or closed?

I feel one with the music. Eyes closed.

What were your very first steps in music like - and how do you rate gains made through experience versus the naiveté of those first steps?

My first steps in music were through a choir I was part of in primary school.

I would say from those first steps to now through my experience is that this music thing / industry requires a lot of hard work and mental strength.

According to scientific studies, we make our deepest and most incisive musical experiences between the ages of 13-16. What did music meant to you at that age and what’s changed since then?

Back then music was a fun exercise to listen to and make.

Now It is a profession and a source of escape and navigator through life.

Over the course of your development, what have been your most important instruments and tools and how have they shaped your perspective on music?

Music consumption and life experiences. These things have shaped my perspective in a sense that they taught me that through collaboration we can achieve greatness.

What, would you say, are the key ideas behind your approach to music and what motivates you to create?

Imagination motivates me and is the key to my approach in music.

Paul Simon said “the way that I listen to my own records is not for the chords or the lyrics - my first impression is of the overall sound.” What's your own take on that and how would you define your personal sound?

I would say that Paul is a very wise man and is absolutely correct. My first impression is how does everything relate together and if the story I meant to tell is being conveyed in the best way possible.

I would define my sound in one word - Cinematic.

Sound, song, and rhythm are all around us, from animal noises to the waves of the ocean. What, if any, are some of the most moving experiences you've had with these non-human-made sounds? In how far would you describe them as “musical”?

That’s quite a deep one. But I would say that growing up in the farms surrounded by nature and cattle, this is what allowed me to travel in my mind and find that imagination that allows me to create.

From very deep/high/loud/quiet sounds to very long/short/simple/complex compositions - are there extremes in music you feel drawn to and what response do they elicit?

Complex compositions - with these, they allow you to tell different stories and evoke different emotions. It also also allows you to constantly think out of the box as a creative.

From symphonies and traditional verse/chorus-songs to linear techno tracks and free jazz, there are myriads ways to structure a piece of music. Which approaches work best for you – and why?

My approach is to create an intro to the story I want to tell, the climax of the story, then the conclusion of the story. After this I come back to the missing pieces in the story.

This is my approach because it is how I like to enjoy stories from movies to books etc.

Could you describe your creative process on the basis of one of your pieces, live performances or albums that's particularly dear to you, please?

For this I will refer to my 2022 released single titled “Imali”.



I was in our home studio during COVID-19 lockdown and I was imagining playing an original produced record to a stadium sized crowed, my collaborator Zakes Bantwini came in the studio and without mentioning to him the idea, the music spoke to him, he got an idea for the lyrics and took it exactly where it needed to be.

Fast Forward a year later post-Covid and the song travelled the globe, did and is doing exactly what I imagined it to do and more such as my very first platinum plaque and award nominations.

Sometimes, science and art converge in unexpected ways. Do you conduct “experiments” or make use of scientific insights when you're making music?

Apart from electronic music being an experimental exercise, there is no scientific insights that go into my creative process.

How does the way you make music reflect the way you live your life? Can we learn lessons about life by understanding music on a deeper level?

The discipline required when making music professionally from studio sessions, interviews, media, PR, being on time etc has allowed me to have discipline in my personal life.

We can definitely learn life lessons by understanding music on a deeper level because vocalists and rappers are always teaching us life lessons through their skill with words. We are still learning from Miriam Makeba teachings till this day.

Do you feel as though writing or performing a piece of music is inherently different from something like making a great cup of coffee? What do you express through music that you couldn't or wouldn't in more 'mundane' tasks?

There’s definitely a huge difference there. Vulnerability - it could never be expressed through mundane tasks.

Every time I listen to "Albedo 0.39" by Vangelis, I choke up. But the lyrics are made up of nothing but numbers and values. Do you, too, have a song or piece of music that affects you in a way that you can't explain?

“Osama” by Zakes Bantwini & Kasango, which I had a privilege of being a part of is that one for me.



That song does not have lyrics or a language per se. But the entire world connects to it the same way, a level of spirituality that can not be put into words.

If you could make a wish for the future – what are developments in music you would like to see and hear?

In my space of Afro House / Tech, the music is now travelling the world, but there are very few of African artists creating the music travelling the world and connecting with their audiences.

I wish to see more and more of them out there on stages like tomorrowland, Ultra, Ibiza etc.