A Paarl singer has started a new collaboration called Bruin Man Funk, named after a Daily Voice headline published nine years ago.
When the Daily Voice interviewed Ameen Levy, aka Rapping Donkey, in 2012, he spoke about how he wanted to bring “bruin man funk” to the world.
At the time he was releasing his album, Dis lekker, dis nice – a mix of Kaapse Ghoema and Boland vibe – and was being interviewed by an American television crew that was broadcasting in Detroit, USA.
Ameen, 67, who has been in the music industry for over three decades, said the Americans loved his sound.
Now he and seven friends are collaborating on a new album, and decided to call themselves Bruin Man Funk vannie Kaap.
The band – Ameen, Ronnie Apollis, Aubrey Aries, Rico White, Wilfred Aploon, Willa Brown, Theo Watt and guest artist Salmon Smith – are currently working on a new album.
“When the Voice published my story in 2012, the headline was Bruin Man Funk,” he recalls.
“I still have that article today, and when us guys met up just over a month ago, I decided that this was the name we must use because we’ve been making music for years.
“Bruin Man Funk is mos eg en opreg. There’s no politics, it’s about our culture.
“These guys are the cream of the local crop and we are recording our biggest hits over the past 30 years.
“One of the songs we are giving a make-over is Skurumba, which is definitely going to get people’s feet moving. We’re also doing a new version of Mahala Jive.”
He adds: “Theo Watt, the former lead singer of The Rockets, has also joined us.”
They are currently working at the Mitchells Plain studio of Aubrey Aries, former bass player of Bloodshed and Vannie Kaap.
Ronnie Apollis from Worcester says he’s very excited about the new project.
“We are going to create music to honour the people of the Cape,” he says.
A release date for the new album has not been set yet.