All posts by Tune Me What?

S08E15 – 2020 Hindsight!

Leon and Brett spend New Year’s Even in lockdown on opposite sides of the world, indulging in ‘kakpraat’ and playing some great South African music, in this double-length episode to mark the end of 2020.

This episode features:

  • Bright Bule
  • Dog Detachment
  • Falling Mirror
  • Jesse Clegg
  • Jim Neversink
  • Jimmy Dludlu
  • The Kerels
  • Khula Sikubeke
  • Lionel Bastos
  • Lucky Dube
  • Madala Kunene & Max Laser
  • Mahlathini & The Mahotella Queens
  • Mango Groove
  • Big Voice Jack Lerole
  • Mesh Potato
  • Nate Maingard
  • One Large Banana
  • Rabbitt
  • Thomas Masuka
  • Truly Fully Hey Shoo Wow Band

We really appreciate your feedback. We’re always open to suggestions and even requests! If you’re a South African musician living or touring internationally, do let us know about your concerts, album releases or tours – we’d love to give you a punt on the show.

Our email address is yesno@tunemewhat.com But most importantly, if you enjoy the show, tell your friends about Tune Me What?! You can find us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/TuneMeWhat

S08E14 – Just Jazz!

Brett & Leon dip into a pile of newly-acquired CDs and feature some of the best in South African jazz music in between their usual chatter.

This episode features

  • Don Laka
  • Abdullah Ibrahim
  • Winston Mankunku Ngozi
  • Morris Goldberg
  • Erika Lundi
  • Basil Coetzee
  • Adam Glasser
  • Hugh Masekela
  • African Jazz Pioneers

We really appreciate your feedback. We’re always open to suggestions and even requests! If you’re a South African musician living or touring internationally, do let us know about your concerts, album releases or tours – we’d love to give you a punt on the show.

Our email address is yesno@tunemewhat.com But most importantly, if you enjoy the show, tell your friends about Tune Me What?! You can find us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/TuneMeWhat

S08E13 – The Listeners’ Pick of the 80s


Listeners to the series of mixtapes we produced with our friends at Cutting Grooves voted for their favourite South African songs from the Capital Radio 604 charts. Brett & Leon review these choices with the usual banter and ‘kakpraat’, and over an hour of the best of SA music for the 1980s.

This episode features:

  • The Springbok Hits Session Band
  • Juluka
  • Bright Blue
  • Sipho ‘Hotstix’ Mabuse
  • eVoid
  • Petit Cheval
  • Edi Niederlander

We really appreciate your feedback. We’re always open to suggestions and even requests! If you’re a South African musician living or touring internationally, do let us know about your concerts, album releases or tours – we’d love to give you a punt on the show.

Our email address is yesno@tunemewhat.com But most importantly, if you enjoy the show, tell your friends about Tune Me What?! You can find us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/TuneMeWhat

S08E12 – This Time It’s Personal!

Maybe it’s the lockdown, maybe it’s the heatwave in the US and UK, but Brett & Leon – on either sides of the Atlantic – are feeling in a nostalgic mood, so they go back to their roots as long-haired students at Rhodes University in Grahamstown in the late 1980s, to play some records and chat about the times, and the music and musicians they encountered. There’s also a very special shout out to the “old man” that taught Leon how to play a walking baseline and inspired Brett’s first real song. Happy Birthday Barry Sweetman!

This episode features:

  • The Sighs of Monsters
  • Barry Sweetman
  • Larry Strelitz
  • Mini Dial
  • The Leather Omnibus
  • Chris Letcher
  • The Jazzanians
  • Zim Ngqawana
  • Darius Brubeck
  • Johannes Kerkorrel
  • Koos Kombuis
  • Bernoldus Niemand

Check out our 1989 interviews with Zim, and the Voelvry guys…. and of course, the story of the Rhodes University Big Band!

We really appreciate your feedback. We’re always open to suggestions and even requests! If you’re a South African musician living or touring internationally, do let us know about your concerts, album releases or tours – we’d love to give you a punt on the show.

Our email address is yesno@tunemewhat.com But most importantly, if you enjoy the show, tell your friends about Tune Me What?! You can find us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/TuneMeWhat

S08E11 – Bliksem It’s The Beatles

The Beatles drummer Ringo Starr turned 80 this month and to mark this Brett & Leon have dug out some of the best cover versions of Beatles songs performed by South African artists. The fact that today’s show features musics from such a diverse range of artists from the 60s to the present day shows just how great the Beatles influence was in South Africa. So join us for a show packed full of interesting music, trivia and small-talk.

This show features

  • Miriam Makeba
  • Assagai
  • Dr Victor & The Rasta Rebels
  • Seether
  • Hotline
  • Margaret Singana
  • Voodoo Child
  • Johnny Kongos & The G-Men
  • The Drive
  • The Flames
  • The Attractions
  • Hawk
  • Selkii

Find out more about Selkii and her band Begley Woods and check out her performance on the USA edition of The Voice.

We really appreciate your feedback. We’re always open to suggestions and even requests! If you’re a South African musician living or touring internationally, do let us know about your concerts, album releases or tours – we’d love to give you a punt on the show.

Our email address is yesno@tunemewhat.com But most importantly, if you enjoy the show, tell your friends about Tune Me What?! You can find us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/TuneMeWhat

S08E10 – Vrystaat!

Leon & Brett hit the virtual highway again and head down to the Free State to explore some of the music connected to and that has come out of one of South Africa’s latest provinces, known mostly to them as “that long stretch of road between Johannesburg and Grahamstown.

There is also news about a new fundraising initiative by Shifty Records for its alumni who have fallen on hard times, like the great Simba Morri.

For more information, visit Shifty’s GoFundMe Page. In addition, all proceeds from the sale of Simba Morri’s music on Bandcamp will go directly to the fund. Shifty have released a brand new live album, which is also now available!

Now, in today’s episode we feature:

  • Simba Morri
  • DJ Cleo
  • Valiant Swart
  • Koos Kombuis
  • Johannes Kerkorrel
  • Abdullah Ibrahim
  • Kalahari Surfers
  • Robin Auld
  • David Kramer
  • Refentse
  • Slikour

Here’s some Simba Morri playing live at the Shifty Birthda celebrations in 2014 to get you in the mood. Also, check out the Simba Morri MIxtape we produced in association with Cutting Grooves, which features an array of Shifty and 3rd Ear Music artists!

We really appreciate your feedback. We’re always open to suggestions and even requests! If you’re a South African musician living or touring internationally, do let us know about your concerts, album releases or tours – we’d love to give you a punt on the show.

Our email address is yesno@tunemewhat.com But most importantly, if you enjoy the show, tell your friends about Tune Me What?! You can find us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/TuneMeWhat

S08E09 – Talking Music Power!

On this extended episode of TMW?, Brett and Leon plays a great selection of South African tunes that charted on the iconic independent radio station, Capital 604, during the 1980s, and also speak to Craig Johnston, the director and producer of a new documentary about the radio station.

In this episode we feature:

  • Steve Kekana
  • Lesley Rae Dowling
  • Crocodile Harris
  • Ballyhoo
  • Via Africa
  • Ella Mental
  • Sipho Mabuse
  • David Kramer
  • Jonathan Butler
  • Neil Solomon
  • Johnny Clegg & Savuka

Check out Music Power: The Story of Capital 604 on Vimeo PPV:

MUSIC POWER: The Story of Capital 604 from Craig J. Johnston on Vimeo.

It is also available on Amazon Prime.

We really appreciate your feedback. We’re always open to suggestions and even requests! If you’re a South African musician living or touring internationally, do let us know about your concerts, album releases or tours – we’d love to give you a punt on the show.

Our email address is yesno@tunemewhat.com But most importantly, if you enjoy the show, tell your friends about Tune Me What?! You can find us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/TuneMeWhat

Introducing Mixtapes ZA

Today sees the launch of Mixtapes ZA – a website dedicated to listening to and documenting South African music while celebrating the mix tape format with its distinctive allure, its ability to immerse us in a specific listening experience. It is a joint initiative of Tune Me What? and Cutting Grooves and explores South African music through various mix tape themes.

We’re very excited to be part of this fresh initiative to preserve some of South Africa’s musical heritage.

Check out the the website,  follow it on Facebook, and subscribe to the Mixcloud feed for even more great South African music.

S08E08 – New Library Acquisitions (Part 2)

Leon & Brett have a pile of new CDs to add to their extensive library of South African music. This episode is the second in a two-parter in which they check out some of the great new library acquisitions, which range from jazz to classical, rock to reggae, but it’s all great South African music!

In this episode we feature:

  • Max Hurrel
  • Selaelo Selota
  • Amampondo
  • Renee Reznek
  • The Rishile Gumboot Band
  • Ras Dumisani & Afrikhaya Band
  • Springbok Nude Girls
  • Ge Korsten

Check out The Kiffness’s video for Zol!

We really appreciate your feedback. We’re always open to suggestions and even requests! If you’re a South African musician living or touring internationally, do let us know about your concerts, album releases or tours – we’d love to give you a punt on the show.

Our email address is yesno@tunemewhat.com But most importantly, if you enjoy the show, tell your friends about Tune Me What?! You can find us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/TuneMeWhat

S08E07 – New Library Acquisitions (Part 1)

Leon & Brett have a pile of new CDs to add to their extensive library of South African music. This episode is the first in a two-parter in which they check out some of the great new library acquisitions, which range form jazz to hip-hop, power-pop to reggae-vibes, but it’s all great South African music!

In this show we feature

  • The Bottom Of The Barrel Blues Band
  • Not The Midnight Mass
  • Selaelo Selota
  • Tweak
  • The Original Evergreen
  • Lesego Rampolokeng with the Kalahari Surfers
  • Ipi Ntombi
  • Coda
  • Mr Pietersen & The Guys
  • Ras Dumisani & Afrikhaya Band

Check out the video for “Lockdown Blues” and to find out how you can support contemporary musicians in South Africa, please contact the Cape Town Music Academy at info@ctma.co.za.

We really appreciate your feedback. We’re always open to suggestions and even requests! If you’re a South African musician living or touring internationally, do let us know about your concerts, album releases or tours – we’d love to give you a punt on the show.

Our email address is yesno@tunemewhat.com But most importantly, if you enjoy the show, tell your friends about Tune Me What?! You can find us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/TuneMeWhat