Based: Johannesburg

“ Re-challenging hip hop’s five pillars MCing, DJaying, B-boying, graffiti writing and knowledge of self) into a conceptechnic performance art project that incorporates historical, political and sociological perspectives the Brother’s sound is a tradition-trouncing trans-Atlantic Afro-centric futuristically ancient fusion that jack knifes between offworld spectral dub-metal, hyperrhythmic rock psychedelia, indie-township and astro-afro-free-jazz.”
– Stacy Pan African Space Station.

The Brother Moves On is a self-proclaimed art movement from Johannesburg’s brown baby music’s live music scene. The members got tired of the idea of being a band and embraced a multi-aesthetic, multi-disciplinary concept grounded in their predecessors Kwani Experience’s catch phrase umsindo wasekhaya(the noise from home). The collective have completed three EP’s, namely; The Golden Wake + ETA + Black Tax and one full length album released on the death date of statesman Nelson Mandela and entitled A New Myth in honour of their late founder Nkululeko “Burnslow” Mthembu.

The collective are the first band to get signed as performance artists by a commercial gallery in South Africa, namely the Goodman Gallery. This has set them apart as a band and seen them present work at the annual Johannesburg and Cape Town Art Week, present their first solo exhibition and collaborate with Just-A-Band(Kenya), Hank Willis Thomas(USA), Mikhael Subotzsky(South Africa) Albert Ibokwe Khoza(South Africa), Okmalumkoolkat(South Africa) and Nolan Dennis(South Africa).

The name The Brother Moves On is a grammatical misconfiguration of The Brother Mouzone, a fictional character in the American television drama series The Wire. In their emerging stages, the movement interrogated the notion that members were each an impermanent part of the process. Hence the derivation of the name The Brothers Moves On. The band are trailblazers being the first band to complete the Southern African touring circuit named Igoda(Mozambique, Swaziland, Johannesburg, Durban, Reunion Islands) in their DIY fashion in 2014. This push has seen them grace stages in Germany opening for William Kentridge, France opening for Saul Williams, Norway opening for Hugh Masekela and being regulars in the London underground scene sharing stages with Yussef Kamaal, Shabaka Hutchings and United Vibrations.

The collective have grabbed the attention of CNN , The Telegraph UK and The Mail and Guardian and the Guardian (UK). The collective have toured Southern Africa, the European Union and the United Kingdom three times over the last four years and have had one visit to the USA travelling to LA to play the Hammer Museum. The collectives accolades so far are:
– Rolling Stone Magazines best live act (2012 and 2013),
– “Hossanna off a New Myth voted into Sunday Times “The greatest 100 South African songs” ,
– Winning the Roundhouse Rising battle of the bands UK and opening for Little Simz(UK) at Roundhouse UK ,
– Representing South Africa at the France/SA and SA/UK Seasons,
– Being voted onto The Mail and Guardian’s Top 200 Young South Africans,
– Representing the new school in Petter Ringboom’s Sheild and Spear documentary,

 

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