Grantchester Grind is a label/company founded by Riz Ventura of local music duo, BKOTN (Block Kids On The New) and OTI, an independant movement that has various artists under it. Together they form The Loop!! An all exclusive, monthly event that keeps people in the loop on independent artists. The Loop provides a platform for alternative artists that should be heard by the masses, it's a way of connecting, bringing you raw, authentic, and uncut music (hip hop). It's a show that aims to bring together people from different environments. The Loop features 3 artists every month. Hosted at the Lighthouse in Melville.
We spoke to one of the ambassadors (Thapelo) of the movement to find out more on the brand. Here's how it went:
RVL: Tell us a bit more about The Loop.
Basically the loop is a platform for independent artists and Riz and myself saw that there was a gap between major artists and independent artists, so we just thought of creating a platform for independent artists and try to put them on in whichever way we can. And by doing this we create a following because a lot of independent artists want to come forward and do what they have to do.
RVL: Your brand is Jo'burg, PTA and Cape Town based. How have the different responses been?
The brand is more focused on PTA and J-Sec more than it is in Cape Town. We just have people that we work with in Cape Town, uya bona... And these are the people that also put independent artists on, and the difference would be that in Jo'burg, people want to see some type of following before they can follow you; they're a bit skeptical about what people do. And then in Pretoria it's very dry; you have to convince people in some form that, I don't know how, but you just have to convince them to come to your shows. And then in Cape
Town people are always down for anything, man, people are always innovative, always moving and that's the sad story about what's happening in PTA and Jo'burg; people are not really building. But, uya bona... They're skeptical and the growth is very slow. Either than that, I feel that every place has its own politics in terms of the art - there's a lot of politics everywhere and these are things we have to work with.
RVL: What are the challenges of putting a team together?
There's only one challenge that any team goes through: Loyalty. You need to know the people that you work with, if you don't know the people that you work with then there's no continuity. You don't get those goals that you set yourself for. You guys need to be on the same page. If you don't know your people, then there's no moving forward.
RVL: What is the importance of taking risks?
It's simple man, it's very, very simple. If you're taking risks you're working towards something that's innovative. So, obviously taking risks wouldn't be a bad thing in whichever case you work in; if you're a creative then keep on taking risks; that's what we're about. I think that's the beauty of taking risks at this point. I don't see anything negative about it. Risks should be taken in order for us to move forward and grow.
RVL: What makes a successful manager?
Simple things; just be punctual, and be well organised. I mean, some of us are still learning the ropes on being punctual and doing everything according to the book. But then again, you can't do everything according to the book; every manager has different techniques.
RVL: What's the best gig you've hosted?
The best gig we hosted, yoh! As Grantchester Grind, it was The Loop, the first one. As OTI (Only The Illest) was a show we did in Centurion and there was another one that happened at UP, a while back.
RVL: What's the importance of unity?
I think unity is important because if we're working against each other then there's no growth, man. No understanding of each other.
RVL: How far do you see The Loop going?
I see The Loop going far man. Well, basically for now we're taking baby steps, uya bona... So how we see ourselves right now is devising a solid platform and people to vibe with us and to be recognised.
RVL: Where can people find you: is there a page of twitter handle?
People can find us on Twitter @TheLoopGauteng and theloopgauteng@gmail.com
© RVL Revolution Validates Life
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