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ARTIST
TITLE
End Beginnings
FORMAT
CD

LABEL
CATALOG #
RER LRSCD1 RER LRSCD1
GENRE
RELEASE DATE
2/26/2007

1993 release. "Born in 1965 in Johannesburg, South Africa, Lesego Rampolokeng is a product of his time. Whereas in the West this would have made him one of the last bastions of the baby-boomer era, in Soweto it made him an oral poet -- one that took part in the struggle against Apartheid, sometimes at the risk of life and limb. On this disk his dub and rap-inspired poetry is musically backed by Wreck Sony's Kalahari Surfers who, while offering an amazing musical presence, do not overshadow or crowd Lesego's voice or intentions. What we have are some pretty in-your-face assertions by one of the country's most talented activists which, while scathingly radical for their time and place, lose little over the ensuing changes in political climate. As a performance and a documentation of unconditional honesty, the words are as strongly projected and meaningful today as they were then: 'They spoke in the gun and rifle tone, And I answered in the language of stone.' As for the Kalahari Surfers' part, the musical restraint is commendable, but never far from the forefront are an abundance of experimental tendencies. Traces of musique concrete move from foreground to background to make space for the voice. Simpler methods are applied overall when compared to the other Surfers' albums with respect to rhythm and complexity, but this is a necessity inasmuch as the main focus here and the words and sentiments of someone who suffered the pain and anguish of Apartheid firsthand."