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AGITPROP

by Kalahari Surfers

/
1.
Ambush Street ( W.Sony ) I understand we carry the can for the government man with his head in the sand We pushed him up the hill with his fingers in the till the Sunday morning paper trail he tried to kill the toxic spill but failed and was nailed but was he black mailed? The ministers wife sits for life in Lamborghini seats and suits she controls the mining rights while he controls the the human rights Tender irregularities with a mistress Make the headlines overnight with a deal for the broadcast rights Disturbing the peace Disturbing the police it’s hard to beat the Jo’burg heat when knocking down doors in ambush street we are discreet in Jo’burg heat when breaking the law in ambush street Disturbing the peace Disturbing the police One morning I walk past the suburban dog on Highland Road he looks at me and barks and reconnects with the electric fence lights come on in upstairs rooms I move along and feel as if I have committed some sort of a crime a crime - in time - we will all be victims of crime ----------//----------- Kalahari Surfers p&c_free_state_music_publishing
2.
Human Wrongs (Chernobyl 25th Anniversary) W.Sony Radiation is good for you The soldiers joked At the roadblock Chewing on bread Made from Ukrainian wheat Facing the sun Warm rays As they pose For a photograph She’s another tourist Fine powdered dust On the piano On the children’s toys In the groundwater In the stillness of the lake ch------ To be a human right Or to be a human wrong We move into the light And then we are gone And the charges against them will not be withdrawn Wormwood they believe all the green grass was burned and the trees turned red in the prophecy of the fallen star from the heavens a great mountain of fire burns like a lantern on the rivers and the sea and the angel says “woe to the inhabiters of the earth” To be a human right Or to be a human wrong We move into the light And then we are gone And the Charges Against them will not be withdrawn Her camera comes loose Falls down the stairs Where the families had rushed No time to pack Orders to leave and the soldiers never smiled at the roadblocks wearing gas masks a third part of the sun was covered by the clouds ----------//-----------
3.
----------------------------------- BROTHER LEADER ( W.Sony ) ---------------------------------- I think I’m going to hang onto power For 49 years 6 months and 3 hours Got an army and a desert full of oil A handful of friends that pretend to be loyal Fought my brother in a civil war Sent him away to a distant shore Like Romulus and Remus There’s nothing between us We keep it in the family They’re pulling me down Burning bridges through the telephone Lost support when I searched their homes Took the TV and the Mercedes Benz Now they’re marching in the street with their friends Killed my brother in a civil war Sent his children to a distant shore Like Romulus and Remus There’s nothing between us We keep it in the family But they’re pulling me down ------//------ Vocals: Juliana Venter Zouk & Bass Clarinet: Nic Paton Drums : Washington Spears p&c_free_state_music_publishing
4.
The Lost Soul of Dr Basson ( W.Sony ) ------------------------------------------ What's going on with Dr Basson I heard his soul had gone. Decided to move on. Left his body. Like a prisoner, thrown from a plane, into clouds of cocaine, ecstasy and chemical rain The condemned soul wonders through the hallways knocking on every door trying to find a way out. Looking through the files, playing back the dreams of 1982 Barbara, with wire on her teeth, says she can’t forget him. He repaired her broken heart as her marriage fell apart. The soul searching man, suspended from his post, threw bones in an empty home. The surgeon Generals friend The condemned soul wanders through the hallways, knocking on every door,trying to find a way out Looking through the files, playing back the dreams of 1983 ----------//----------- Kalahari Surfers p&c_free_state_music_publishing ____________ notes: Dr Wouter Basson has been one of the most tricky characters to emerge from the Apartheid sewer. A cardiologist and former head of the country's secret chemical and biological warfare project, Project Coast, he has managed to evade prosecution for a wide range of attacks, murders and assassinations against members of anti-apartheid movements. In 1982, Basson is alleged to have arranged the killing of 200 SWAPO prisoners. Basson also conducted innumerable ethically questionable experiments vis-a-vis possible applications of psychedelic drugs as Incapacitants or agents for biological warfare and through a number of front companies was allegedly involved with genetic engineering and the development of chemical and biological pathogens. He faced 67 charges, including drug possession, drug trafficking, fraud, embezzlement, theft, 229 murders and conspiracy to murder. After a 30-month trial was outrageously granted amnesty and continues to practice heart surgery in Cape Town today. see: William Finnegan.2001.The Poison-Keeper. New Yorker. https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2001/01/15/the-poison-keeper. Secrets and Lies: Wouter Basson and South Africa's Chemical and Biological Warfare Programme Gould & Marlene Burger, Struik Publishers, 2002 ISBN 9781868723416
5.
Che Guevara and the Voodoo Boys ( W.Sony ) ________________________ they're wearing a crown of vine leaves an eagles claw tail of buffalo makes them invisible powerful magic protects them from snakes and lightning bullets to water Che Guevara and the Voodoo Boys Laurent Kabila for a moment stands poised Waiting for the River to take him away they're wearing Rosary beads and a shower hose dirty feathers a mongoose skin they spit on rocks to make them explode eat your heart out then reload Che Guevara and the Voodoo Boys Laurent Kabila for a moment stands poised Waiting for the River to take him away ______________________________
6.
Hostile Take Over ( W.Sony ) I’m trapped between the Devil and the deep blue sea And Its a long long road to eternity Heaven can wait behind security gates I’ll take a short cut through purgatory It’s getting late Twenty five past two In the afternoon and the heat beats down So move over I’m coming through In my Landrover You’d better move over this is a hostile take over -:-:- Ten thousand pension funds have gone down the drain while I backwash my pool in the pouring rain My partner’s on a plane Heading for the Ukraine He took my wife And my Kruger gold chain -:-:- Twenty five past two In the afternoon Its not too late So move over I’m coming through In my Landrover You’d better move over this is a hostile take over look left look right hopes fade fade for finding survivors So look out I’m coming through In my Landrover You’d better move over this is a hostile take over ----------//----------- Kalahari Surfers p&c_free_state_music_publishing
7.
Close to Tears ( W.Sony ) __________________________ Crocodile bones ’ n scales ‘n teeth Dried up river bed Burn’t sticks ‘n sundried bricks Yellow eye in a cloudless sky You can see the heat gauge moving up into the red And I’m close to tears It hasn’t rained for years Close to tears Feeling the years since we last lived here Last night I dreamt I was drifting Down a slowly moving river The banks were built up mountains Of scrap metal from the war Children playing in a rusted armoured car I wake up in a sweat and you are lying against the wall Close to tears I know there are things we need to talk about Feeling the years since we last lived Here Close to tears can’t understand these metaphors close to tears and the little mouths open wide to swallow his future ambition ----------//----------- p&c_free_state_music_publishing Juliana Venter - backing vocals Mhlanga Roxx - bass guitar Die Wors Broers - percussion
8.
The Last Tourist( W.Sony ) ------------------------------ Trackers dream of vehicles migrating to the south through swamps and double bedrooms overlooking a river mouth How to survive the flood plains predator becomes prey viewing hides the waterholes armed guards will lead the way _ Horns clash Shadow play comfortably submerged The last tourist disappears beneath the dust Trampled by the herd Faint signs of their presence a rumour of a kill Champagne breakfast pangolin experience the thrill Sunset over nothingness the subtle hues that change We’ll pick you up at 3 o clock and Take you to the driving range _ Horns clash Shadow play comfortably submerged The last tourist disappears beneath the dust Trampled by the herd ---//--- Julianna Venter sang backing vocals
9.
Wings of a Stingray (Warrick Sony) -------------------- wing tips touch the water flying ducks to the slaughter bird flu across the lake across the ocean they hesitate here's to our feathered friends who're losing out on dividends Lets eat in Town beneath my eiderdown Foie gras pâté wings of a stingray bang your plate for Chairman Mao keep the sparrows in the air for now keep them flying till they drop protect your country and your crop cough into your gloves then shake the outstretched hand of every delegate Lets eat in Town beneath my eiderdown Foie gras pâté wings of a stingray
10.
11.
Black South Easter (Warrick Sony) Little children playing in the street Make believe criminals shooting at police You can feel the morning heat as it beats down on childhood dreams Corrugated iron won’t protect them from the storm Won’t protect them from extended families When the Black Southeaster blows everyone who lives here knows It takes the town by storm She was a little late for work Waited half an hour for the train to come She thinks of families and friends Left behind to the armies of the north Corrugated iron won’t protect them from the storm Won’t protect them from extended families When the Black Southeaster blows everyone who lives here knows It takes the town by storm Everything we need will be free Houses food electricity A land of happiness and sun Who cares where the money's coming from Corrugated iron won’t protect you from the storm Won’t protect you from extended families When the Black Southeaster blows everyone who lives here knows It takes the town by storm ----------//----------- Kalahari Surfers Vocals: Juliana Venter Zouk: Nick Paton ___________________________________ p&c_free_state_music_publishing
12.
-------------------------- The Curse of the Birds (words by Nadia Davids for the Baxter production “Cissie”) ------------------------ The wind is black The sea is grey The colours gone The houses sway The trees grow crooked The churches sigh We all march to the beat of goodbye. This is a place of so many shades Faces I love Brown baby haze Can’t think of when the law was more crazed But something’s happening in the legal maze I didn’t see the yellow machine I didn’t know that houses could scream What would you have done? The lady with the words. Who could have stopped the curse of the birds? One day we’ll speak of you but not today One day we’ll know your name What will we say? One day your voice/ your coat/ /your shape/your words Will all be familiar But for now You’re stranger than fiction Are you a stranger in fiction? I didn’t know that houses could scream I didn’t know that land could weep What would you have done? The lady with the words. Who could have stopped the curse of the birds? The steps are gone and the voices are quiet the earth is loud in the midst of silence the curse of the birds? ----------//----------- Kalahari Surfers p&c_free_state_music_publishing backing vocals: Sarah Jane Mary Hills
13.
______________________ Actual Size ( W.Sony ) _____________________ The actual size of the burden of love Relates to our powers above The actual size of the shadows we cast Are only measured in days gone past Soft light burns morning dew I see you reflected in the swimming pool Standing near the lemon tree Scattering seeds like years flowing Tears growing in the corners of your eyes its been a shock surprise we realize here comes the rain I want to hold you like superglue And learn to love you the way you want me to Protect you from the mountain of debt By chanting words from ancient Tibet Morning glory chokes the Argentinian exotic tree Humming birds suck nectar through the purple flowers tiny stamen Pollination (we are told ) is difficult when days are cold Slam the gate on interest rates We’ll grow our own And replicate The love we had before The actual size of ……….. Basket case in tireless haste I face the queue and automate In pastures green in pictures pasted perfectly on plastic cartons Motorcades of parent bodies move across my field of vision Amber light I take the gap and dash across the parking lot To see you sitting with the sun in your hair _____________________________________ p&c_free_state_music_publishing backing vocals: Sarah Jane Mary Hills p&c_free_state_music_publishing
14.
__________________________ Hide the Electricity( W.Sony ) ---------------------------------- I’m standing on top and now I’m below the world looks the same the South is too slow got to pick up the pace to push things through we’re working all day but there’s too much to do leave me a message and I’ll get back...I’ll get back to you Ch : I am the equator with a world between gears I’ll hide the electricity for a thousand years I have seen your boys loved their simplicity keep them from noise hide the electricity it’ll burn them up the race to infinity we hurtle through space imagined divinity we’re spinning together but we’re worlds apart some left behind never get to the start ch Ill clear out the ocean ‘n set the fishes free let calmness descend for eternity move the clouds away let me see your land everything's gone its buried in the sand ---------------------- p&c_free_state_music_publishing
15.
Caroline’s Circle ( W.Sony ) _________________________ The circle above her head is made of painted light it begins and never ends, her friends descend then comprehend her drawings in the sand she takes a candle in her hand melts wax into the thread puts rice upon your head instead of Oil of Saint John We met her on a summers eve When the nine oaken spindles Made a revolution from the east Caroline’s Circle joining hands reaching out to us She understands The stones are painted white And blackened sticks are laid in rows New fire is made with leaves of maize and bells are gently rung The food is placed in tiny boats and carried to the shore Hymns are sung to the setting sun and our troubles float away With the Oil of Saint John We met her on a summers eve When the nine oaken spindles Made a revolution from the east Caroline’s Circle joining hands reaching out to us She understands _________________________ p&c_free_state_music_publishing
16.
------------------------------------------- Blue Light Brigade (Festival of Fights) ( W.Sony ) ------------------------------------------- lyric: Blue light Brigade not another cavalcade to knock you off your bike as they jump a red light or beat you to the ground like a dog to the sound of the sirens and the violence unleashed when you express your outrage _______ Found sound: crowd singing “dubula ibhunu” ( kill the boers / farmers ) leader ANC Youth League singing the same TV presenter: what are you so nervous of (shoot to kill) Youth League spokesman: fuck you man (shoot to kill) say again (shoot to kill) I said fuck you (shoot to kill) what are you so nervous of (shoot to kill) fuck off ok …what is your problem (shoot to kill) what are you so nervous of (shoot to kill) I've got no problem I just want to speak with… aaah fuck you (shoot to kill) fuck off_____ Blue light Brigade not another cavalcade to knock you off your bike as they jump a red light or beat you to the ground like a dog to the sound of the sirens and the violence unleashed when you express your outrage TV presenter: what are you so nervous of (shoot to kill) Floyd Shivambo- then ANC Youth League spokesman: fuck you man (shoot to kill) say again (shoot to kill) I said fuck you (shoot to kill) what are you so nervous of (shoot to kill) fuck off ok …what is your problem (shoot to kill) what are you so nervous of (shoot to kill) I've got no problem I just want to speak with… aaah fuck you (shoot to kill) fuck off (shoot to kill…killer) mshini wami (bring me my machine gun) sung by the countries President dubula ibhunu (kill the farmers ) sung by a crowd dubula ibhunu (kill the boers/farmers ) the sirens and the violence unleashed when you express your outrage of the sirens and the violence unleashed when you express your outrage of etc ________________________________
17.
18.
Black South Easter (Warrick Sony) Little children playing in the street Make believe criminals shooting at police You can feel the morning heat as it beats down on childhood dreams Corrugated iron won’t protect them from the storm Won’t protect them from extended families When the Black Southeaster blows everyone who lives here knows It takes the town by storm She was a little late for work Waited half an hour for the train to come She thinks of families and friends Left behind to the armies of the north Corrugated iron won’t protect them from the storm Won’t protect them from extended families When the Black Southeaster blows everyone who lives here knows It takes the town by storm Everything we need will be free Houses food electricity A land of happiness and sun Who cares where the money's coming from Corrugated iron won’t protect you from the storm Won’t protect you from extended families When the Black Southeaster blows everyone who lives here knows It takes the town by storm ----------//----------- Kalahari Surfers Vocals: Juliana Venter Zouk: Nick Paton

about

AGITPROP: propaganda; especially : political propaganda promulgated chiefly in literature, drama, music, or art. Russian, ultimately from agitatsiya agitation + propaganda. The term originated in Soviet Russia (the future USSR), as a shortened form of отдел агитации и пропаганды (otdel agitatsii i propagandy), i.e., Department for Agitation and Propaganda, which was part of the Central and regional committees of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. The department was later renamed Ideological Department. First Known Use: 1935

This album has been an attempt to integrate my earlier more political songwriting work with the instrumental dub inspired electronica of the late 1990s. It has taken a little over a year to write and record these songs and most of the lyrics were written whilst commuting to and from the city on the train whilst working at Milestone Studios. My concerts in the USSR and East Berlin in the late 1980s formed a sort of hauntological aura through which I saw, with some alarm, the rhetoric of the Zuma victory and the Trojan Horse role of the communist party in 2009. Inspiration and feelings coming straight from the consequent mess of political leadership and the moral collapse of the once proud ruling party.
We used to joke in the 1980s about Comrade Dollar (a well moneyed “communist” with expensive tastes) only to see this emerging well beyond anyone’s imagination. I feel great unease for the future when I read in the ruling party’s online magazine phrases like: “counterrevolutionary tendency”, “declassed, detached elements of the proletariat”
“The ideological third force”, “anti-majoritarian agenda”, “the liberal offensive” , “Cadre deployment and redeployment.” These are terms which belong to another era—an era which I have alluded to with my title and throughout the essay and which I think we would do well to move away from. Of course, we can feel blessed that we didn't tread the Maoist path of Zimbabwe but that's another story.
Many of the songs are personal vignettes from my book of dreams or life shaking experiences that have bumped up against the political. But, in my opinion, everything is political.

A fascination with the Chernobyl incident and consequent visual inspiration through the photography of Elena Filatova lead to the writing of track two, Human Wrongs, which coincided with the 25th Anniversary of the disaster ( 26 April 2011.) Her motor cycle trips through the ghost town and surrounding area can be seen on her blog kiddofspeed, especially the section titled Land of the Wolves.[1]
Warrick Sony (2017)


[1] Elena Filitova’s blog: www.kiddofspeed.com/chernobyl-land-of-the-wolves/

A fascination with the Chernobyl incident and consequent visual inspiration through the photography of Elena Filitova lead to the writing of track two, Human Wrongs, which coincided with the 25th Anniversary of the disaster ( 26 April 2011.) Her motor cycle trips through the ghost town and surrounding area can be seen on her blog kiddofspeed, especially the section titled Land of the Wolves.[1]

Warrick Sony (2017)


[1] Elena Filatova’s blog: www.kiddofspeed.com/chernobyl-land-of-the-wolves/
---------------------------

"you may notice some technical inadequacies in some of my performances, a hesitant beat here, a dodgy note there ,these are, of course, entirely deliberate and reproduced as evidence of my almost painful sincerity." Robert Wyatt" Robert Wyatt

Warrick Sony
___________________________

"The leaders will now enjoy the champagne, and of course they do so on your behalf through their lips." former Deputy President Kgalema Mothlanthle at the party's 100 year celebration
_____________________________
Interview with Lloyd Gedye - Mail&Gaurdian:
mg.co.za/article/2012-05-25-warwick-sony-surfing-the-zeitgeist

credits

released May 1, 2012

-------------------------------------------
recorded and produced at Milestone Studios Cape Town South Africa

* "Wings of a Stingray" was recorded live at
the Cape Town Electronic Music Festival 2012
www.ctemf.com
__________________________________


BIG THANKS TO :

Murray Anderson
Milestone Studios
Lin Biao
Graham Merrill
Juliana Venter
Nic Paton
Aleksandr Zasyadko
Michele Rowe
Sarah Jane Mary Hills
Umhlanga Roxx
Washington Spears

_____________________

YouTube links to songs on (and off) the album:
Four Pests_ www.youtube.com/watch?v=D3CwBxbf_yY
I'm Ready to Go_ www.youtube.com/watch?v=2g9T-8kEQSo
Blue Light Brigade _ www.youtube.com/watch?v=ExZN3ZYHIOA
Dr. Basson_ www.youtube.com/watch?v=uNnEMCq7fTI

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Kalahari Surfers South Africa

Warrick Sony is a South African composer, producer, musician and sound designer.
He is the founder and sole permanent member of the Kalahari Surfers. They made politically radical satirical music in 1980s South Africa.

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