Speaker 1: It is thirteen minutes to three o'clock. Now, if you
Speaker 1: are a lover of music, you're in for a treat.
Speaker 1: Multi award winning artist, composer and producer man Dec d'antis's
Speaker 1: returning to the stage at this time. He's bringing something
Speaker 1: really special. Known for his electrifying performances and unique fusion
Speaker 1: of jazz, Western, classical, and African sounds, and you c
Speaker 1: is taking things to a whole new level level next weekend,
Speaker 1: two nights only, only two nights, Mandyci will be performing
Speaker 1: with the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra and a spectacular concert
Speaker 1: titled Symphonic Celebration. And it's all happening at the Artscape.
Speaker 1: And that is the eleventh and twelfth of July. Man Dec,
Speaker 1: good to have you with us this afternoon.
Speaker 2: Thank you so much for having me. Good afternoon.
Speaker 1: How did this incredible collaboration with the Cape Town Philharmonic
Speaker 1: Orchestra come about?
Speaker 2: How it was always coming? You know, it's always hard
Speaker 2: to put this together. We needed to be ready with
Speaker 2: the music, you know, because it's a to arrange it
Speaker 2: and in this manner takes some time. But also they
Speaker 2: needed to be ready with time and just being keen
Speaker 2: and doing it. It's something that I've always wanted to do.
Speaker 2: It's always hard to work with orchestras, and because they're busy,
Speaker 2: and they're expensive and all of those things. But after
Speaker 2: we spoke to them, actually they came to us at
Speaker 2: the time when when we're thinking of going to them,
Speaker 2: you know, as these things always happen, and and and
Speaker 2: and so now we're here and walk away from from
Speaker 2: it happening.
Speaker 1: And it's called symphonic Celebration, which sparks an awful lot
Speaker 1: in one what does that name mean to you personally
Speaker 1: and musically?
Speaker 2: It really is a celebration of where we started, you know,
Speaker 2: in the in a lot of people who know our
Speaker 2: music know that we started playing for fifty people, sixty people,
Speaker 2: you know, even thirty people instead of playing in small
Speaker 2: venues around Cave Town. And we've own around the country
Speaker 2: with people supporting us and loving the music and what
Speaker 2: we were bringing. And so this especially with the two albums,
Speaker 2: previous albums, So Mancha and Dwaka, you know, we've been
Speaker 2: walking the journey with the audiences and and and in
Speaker 2: these nights we celebrating that, you know, to say, look,
Speaker 2: look where we are. You know, a sort of a
Speaker 2: look mom I made it type moment.
Speaker 1: Wow Wow, How how has it felt hearing your music
Speaker 1: reimagined with a with a sixty five piece symphony behind you?
Speaker 2: It is it is spec petular, you know, more than me.
Speaker 2: The the core band that I play with, which is
Speaker 2: five or six people, and and each and every one
Speaker 2: of them called me and they said, wow, We've never
Speaker 2: thought and I was. I was happy because they were
Speaker 2: impressed even more, you know, I just got scared and
Speaker 2: I got chills in my in my spine when when
Speaker 2: I heard it, and and even now I'm looking at
Speaker 2: the music and thinking, how did we get here? You know,
Speaker 2: I used to look at this music and written for
Speaker 2: five five piece and now it's written for sixty two
Speaker 2: piece orchestra, you know, full on orchestra, and and and
Speaker 2: everyone is involved. You know, it's really really, really really
Speaker 2: written for the orchestra. It's not like the orchestra is
Speaker 2: is just an edit, aren't. Yes, Yes, we've reimagined. Yes,
Speaker 2: we've reimagined the music. So what's going to be interesting
Speaker 2: for me is seeing the audiences and listening to it
Speaker 2: like like they're listening to it for the first time.
Speaker 2: You know, there's things that they will gravitate to ards,
Speaker 2: but there's things that were really new to them, you know,
Speaker 2: in terms of how the music has been put on you.
Speaker 1: It's going to be remarkable, as you say, to have
Speaker 1: for you as a performer and as a composer to
Speaker 1: to hear that, and for audiences as well. But what
Speaker 1: exactly can audience is expect on the night without giving
Speaker 1: too much away, are they going to be hearing newial?
Speaker 1: Can they also look forward to some favorites from from Somandra?
Speaker 1: What what can I look forward to?
Speaker 2: No, definitely, definitely favorites from some Mandra and Taka, because
Speaker 2: it's it's about that. It's about the celebration of those
Speaker 2: two albums. But also we are moving forward very I
Speaker 2: think this is the year where wed we add the
Speaker 2: next chapter, which is in Cambu. Lula will be going
Speaker 2: in the studio very soon after these concerts, and so
Speaker 2: we will there'll be a sneak preview of that as well,
Speaker 2: which which is also exciting. You know, to hear these
Speaker 2: songs that have not really been released and played in
Speaker 2: this in in this manner is actually a tough task.
Speaker 2: I was like, no, we made them because now the
Speaker 2: audiences might expect them like this. You know. I was
Speaker 2: just like, you know what, you only live once. Let's
Speaker 2: do it, you know, let's just play them. So it's
Speaker 2: it's going to be that it's a celebration of the
Speaker 2: two albums. But we need to look forward. Now.
Speaker 1: Talk to me a little bit. You say that you're
Speaker 1: going to be going back in to the studio. I
Speaker 1: imagine that must require two very different mindsets to move
Speaker 1: between live performance, particularly a performance like this, which is
Speaker 1: so vast to the intimacy and intricacy of studio.
Speaker 2: Thank you so much for that question. Oh I'm so
Speaker 2: happy to ask you that, because that is exactly what
Speaker 2: I've been going through for the past three months. Literally,
Speaker 2: I have to divide my day into two, so two
Speaker 2: when at nine o'clock, from nine o'clock to two o'clock,
Speaker 2: it's that the symphony works. And then from two o'clock
Speaker 2: I forget about it and I go into this. I
Speaker 2: got into this, and then I write all these songs
Speaker 2: that I've written so far, and there's about eighteen twenty
Speaker 2: three of them, and I go no. Unit twelve, at
Speaker 2: least eleven of them, and then and then that happens,
Speaker 2: and then it's just you know, and then and then
Speaker 2: I have to go, no, remember why you were the songs?
Speaker 2: Why did you write the songs? You're not part of
Speaker 2: the songs. You didn't compose the songs. You were given
Speaker 2: the songs. Sure, you know, there for a reason, and
Speaker 2: they have a certain message. Stop putting yourself in the center,
Speaker 2: you know, and so and so all of that intense
Speaker 2: emotional work that is required for you to be honest,
Speaker 2: you know, in the in the music is what I've
Speaker 2: been doing on the other side, and also having to
Speaker 2: learn this music for and so, yeah, it's a very
Speaker 2: interesting time.
Speaker 1: That's fascinating to me that you say that these aren't
Speaker 1: your songs and that they're gifted to you. And I
Speaker 1: think what you almost become the conduit, the vessel, right,
Speaker 1: And I think that is that is that it's incredibly humble,
Speaker 1: but it's an incredibly beautiful way of viewing it. And so,
Speaker 1: going back to the Philharmonic, I wonder, how how do
Speaker 1: you release music to a collective that began with the individual?
Speaker 1: Is there a do you just have to get to
Speaker 1: a point where you say I give it to you.
Speaker 2: You have to It's like it's you know what they
Speaker 2: say when you're when you're running, they say, look look down,
Speaker 2: don't don't look back, you know, just concentrate on each
Speaker 2: and on one step at a time. And that's what
Speaker 2: I do. I I believe that I'm I'm diligent enough,
Speaker 2: and I work hard, and I try my best to
Speaker 2: listen to the messages that come and portray them as
Speaker 2: best at that as I can. And so I don't
Speaker 2: worry about how, you know, the other things happen, because
Speaker 2: I think that all of those things are in the process.
Speaker 2: How the audiences receive the music is based on how
Speaker 2: honest I am in delivering it, you know, and how
Speaker 2: you know, how hard we work as a collective, you know,
Speaker 2: in order for us to be ready, you know, on
Speaker 2: stage when we when seven o'clock or seven thirty hits,
Speaker 2: everyone is ready and they know they're there at least
Speaker 2: their parts, you know, and and and every and and
Speaker 2: then the magic happens in between that I am.
Speaker 1: So looking forward to coming and seeing the Magic Hatter. Folks,
Speaker 1: make sure that you get your tickets. Please web tickets
Speaker 1: for Mandy ci Dante's Symphonic Celebration, happening eleventh and twelfth
Speaker 1: of July. As I say, web tickets is where you
Speaker 1: need to head. It's been an absolute pleasure to have
Speaker 1: you on the show and thank you so much for
Speaker 1: your time this afternoon.
Speaker 2: Thank you so much, thank you, thank you.