Share

Fokofpolisiekar's <em>Monoloog in Stereo</em> vinyl is out now and they reveal the story behind it

Cape Town - Ten years have passed since the release of Fokofpolisiekar’s acoustic EP titled Monoloog in Stereo.

Sound-wise, Monoloog in Stereo was a complete break-away from the first two Fokofpolisiekar offerings, As Jy Met Vuur Speel Sal Jy Brand (2003) and Lugsteuring (2004).

In Die Burger, 1 July 2005:

Translation: "The Afrikaans rock group Fokofpolisiekar launched their new album, Monoloog in Stereo at the Two Oceans aquarium at the V&A Waterfront last night. The six track EP, the group's third album, is a contrast to their previous two albums with more mellow and acoustic music."

The band wanted to do something different, something that could potentially create more shows. The idea was to produce an acoustic album.

"When we started writing Fokofpolisiekar material, we were very much into punk rock and old school rock. In the two years from 2003 to 2005, we started listening to a lot of different stuff from all eras. This definitely influenced us and we wanted to write better songs. The first two albums' songs were very unstructured. We wanted to write songs with more structure and better hooks." - Hunter Kennedy

"We wanted to challenge ourselves and create something different. At that stage, everything was happening at high speed and I think our musical development and the desire to push the boundaries and ourselves as writers was also pacing forward." - Francois van Coke

Monoloog In Stereo was written and pre-produced in the band’s then Bellville house’s garage. It is the same garage in which the music video for Illusie van Veiligheid was filmed.

"We would party every night until the morning hours and once everyone has awakened, we would move over to the garage and start writing. It was a difficult time. We did not have a lot of money and we felt pressured to produce something different and great. The lyric content of the tracks talk a lot about our circumstances at that stage." - Wynand Myburgh

The recording of the album was also very challenging. The band once again made the trip to freezing cold Impala Park, Boksburg, to record at JP de Stefani’s Studio. Time and budget was limited. This time around Fokofpolisiekar stayed on the studio premises in a half build flat area on top of the studio.

(Photo:Liam Lynch)

"It was difficult. Everything was covered in building dust and most of us got very sick during the recording. There was no entertainment but the Boksburg night life." - Jaco 'Snakehead' Venter

(Photo:Liam Lynch)

This was also the first time that Liam Lynch was commissioned to capture the recording process. The photographs of the sessions are on the original CD as an additional interactive feature and there is still an exhibition of the photographs in Sgt. Peppers, Long Street, Cape Town. Liam Lynch would later, in 2007, have a complete exhibition of Fokofpolisiekar photographs titled Open To Misinterpretation (named after the track from Monoloog In Stereo, Oop Vir Misinterpretasie) at Rooke Galley in Johannesburg.

(Photo:Liam Lynch)

To celebrate the decade since the release, 400 limited edition vinyl of this classic EP are available to purchase at Fokofpolisiekar’s shows or from their website.

The 10'' yellow coloured vinyls will be sold for R250 per unit.

Launch gigs:

All 6 songs from this EP and various other popular Fokofpolisiekar tracks will be performed during the 120-minute acoustic (40minutes) and electric (60 minute) set.

Date: 9 July 2015

Venue: Barnyard Theatre Cresta

Address: Cresta Shopping Centre, Randburg, Johannesburg

Tickets: R150, purchase them here

Date: 10 July 2015

Venue: Atterbury Theatre

Address: Daventry St, Pretoria

Ticket price: R150, purchase them here.

Date: 11 Julie 2015

Venue: Wolmer Bush Lounge Address: Dale Rd, Karenpark, Pretoria

Ticket price: Early bird R60 at http://bit.ly/1KAkXam

The Monoloog in Stereo vinyl will be available at shows and from Fokofpolisiekar’s website after the launch tour.

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE