THE RUDIMENTALS

Celebrated AFRICAN-SKA band The Rudimentals is a socially diverse, fun-filled act that strives to interact with people of all ages and tastes. This multi-layered musical offering is made up of 8 highly accomplished, talented and entertaining musicians, representing a blend of youth and experience.

The band thrives on the fact that its unique brand of music defies compartmentalization. They define the music they write as a "quest for the ultimate 21st century Pan African Ska party", comprising of dance-hall raps, rhythms and a skanking back beat of vintage 70's Ska, with a brew of mbaquanga riffs and jazz and blues tones.

Performance highlights include The Resonance New Years Eve Festival at Theewaterskloof, the Cape Town International Jazz Festival alongside Jazz greats such as Randy Crawford, Joe Sample, The Average White Band and Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Kirstenbosch Summer Concert series, The Cape Metropolitan, The "Sounds of the City" concert series, Cape Town City Festival of Lights, the Splashy Fen Festival, Oppikoppi, a National tour with UB40 in 2007, and many more. The band has also shared stages with some of South Africa's top headliners, including Johnny Clegg, Lucky Dube, Hip Hop Pantsula, Freshlyground, and Fuzigish.

HISTORY "In 2001 I saw an ad in the Cape Ads which read "Ska band looking for a vocalist"," says charismatic front-man Tehobo (Teboes) Maidza, 33, who performed alongside his Harare home-boys Mbira, musical legend Andy Brown and Afro-jazz man Oliver Mtukudzi, in his youth. He joined Duane Heydenreich (drums), Ettienne Harris () and Barry Clausen (bass) to form the core of The Rudimentals. Recognizing the need for a powerful horn sound, the band was led to Simon Bates (saxophone), Jody Engelbrecht (), and Ross McDonald (), all of whom were students at the UCT College of Music at the time. In 2003 the band was joined by philosopher-keyboard player Dirk Meerkotte, as well as the legendary Doc Mike Levy (a renowned Medical Practitioner and surfer who has played professionally for more than 30 years with the likes of Louis R and the Jive, Percy Sledge, and Zayne Adams, to name but a few). The latest addition to the band was in late 2004 in the form of bassist Errol Strachan, (AKA Bong), a former SA freestyle skateboard champion who has a 20 year

career in reggae and dance-hall music. In early 2008, Dirk Meerkotter left the band, and was replaced by Antonio Cencherle (aka “Tony Fingers"), who used to play keys for Verismo.

PRODUCTIONS AND RECORDINGS The first album, "More Fire" (2003) topped SA Rock Digest charts while the 1st single, "Gangsta" enjoyed extensive radio play on both national and regional radio stations (it also topped the SA MP3 charts for the most downloaded song for 7 consecutive weeks). Another single, NOH TV acquired a Bronze National Stone Award for the best directed video. This album was recently signed up by London-based label, MOONSKAWORLD, who will be promoting and distributing it in the UK, Europe and Asia. The UK based label boasts artists such as The Toasters, The Upsessions, The BiG Rhoda Dakar, and many more!

The band's second album, "Set it Proper", was self-financed and produced by trombonist, Ross McDonald, and was released in Mid 2006 to rave reviews across the country. "It is raucously rudeboy, as well as musically refined, with airy space dub sitting alongside radio-friendly SKA-pop, a flash of punk and jive hybrid which has been fashioned into a form of Afro-SKA-Jazz." (Review Quote). Two of the singles from the album, ”Radio Skaweto", and "London Sux" have been both in the #1 slot on the SA MP3 download charts for 3 months, and two videos have been produced of songs from the album.