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Nakhane Touré

Nakhane Touré

Nakhane Touré has been played on NTS shows including Piano In The City , with We Dance Again first played on 4 November 2015.

Nakhane Touré (born Nakhane Mahlakahlaka, 1988) is a South African musician, singer and songwriter. His musical style spans over songs rooted in African indigenous music and indie rock.

Touré, who is a native speaker of Xhosa, was born Nakhane Mahlakahlaka in Alice, a small town in the Eastern Cape; his artistic name was chosen in reverence to Ali Farka Touré. He grew up predominantly in Port Elizabeth before relocating to Johannesburg at age 15.

While his friends listened to Top 40 pop songs on the radio, he spent his time discovering and loving the music that his parents listened to. These include Marvin Gaye, The O'Jays, Paul Simon and choral music. He often sang in choirs his family (from his mother's side) were members of, intensifying his love for harmony and later vocal multi-tracking.

It wasn't until the age of 19 that he took up the guitar after hearing Radiohead's 'In Rainbows' . He had previously played the trombone and steel drums in school bands and orchestras, after losing patience with the piano, which he would later play (albeit in a rudimental fashion). It was also at this point in his life that he began to appreciate folk music and rock bands.

While not losing his love for 60s and 70s soul music, his love for 'guitar music' and 70’s avant-grade fusion jazz grew, discovering bands and artists such as: Radiohead, Joni Mitchell, Nina Simone, Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, Pharoah Sanders, The Velvet Underground, Iron & Wine and Nick Drake. But on top of those international bands (if not at the core) was the appreciation for brilliant African musicians such as Simphiwe Dana, Ali Farka Touré, Miriam Makeba, Baaba Maal, Fela Kuti and Thandiswa Mazwai.

Touré made his recording debut in 2013 with a series of releases produced by Matthew Fink/Just Music and recorded at the Sting Music Studio. His first release was the EP Abraham which contained three songs written by Touré and covers of The Cure's Just Like Heaven and a parody rendition of Radiohead's Optimistic. It was given four stars out of five by Rolling Stone, which praised the lyrics and remarking that "As an EP, Abraham is the beginning of an autobiography that swells with a kind of universal biography."

Then followed the single Christopher (2013: Just Music), a teaser single for the album. The Mail & Guardian described his voice as "Jeff Buckley meets Thom Yorke" and detected influences from Billie Myers, Billy Joel and Barry Manilow.

A hallmark of Tourés lyrics is a highly personal tone, combining strong biblical code while, at the same time, detailing the lures and conflicts of love and sexuality. According to Touré "The Bible is sexy…there is so much to draw from and exploit" Tourés vocals ranges from high pitch falsetto reminiscent of a prepubescent girl to the tenor voice of a sexually repressed choir boy.

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Nakhane Touré

Nakhane Touré has been played on NTS shows including Piano In The City , with We Dance Again first played on 4 November 2015.

Nakhane Touré (born Nakhane Mahlakahlaka, 1988) is a South African musician, singer and songwriter. His musical style spans over songs rooted in African indigenous music and indie rock.

Touré, who is a native speaker of Xhosa, was born Nakhane Mahlakahlaka in Alice, a small town in the Eastern Cape; his artistic name was chosen in reverence to Ali Farka Touré. He grew up predominantly in Port Elizabeth before relocating to Johannesburg at age 15.

While his friends listened to Top 40 pop songs on the radio, he spent his time discovering and loving the music that his parents listened to. These include Marvin Gaye, The O'Jays, Paul Simon and choral music. He often sang in choirs his family (from his mother's side) were members of, intensifying his love for harmony and later vocal multi-tracking.

It wasn't until the age of 19 that he took up the guitar after hearing Radiohead's 'In Rainbows' . He had previously played the trombone and steel drums in school bands and orchestras, after losing patience with the piano, which he would later play (albeit in a rudimental fashion). It was also at this point in his life that he began to appreciate folk music and rock bands.

While not losing his love for 60s and 70s soul music, his love for 'guitar music' and 70’s avant-grade fusion jazz grew, discovering bands and artists such as: Radiohead, Joni Mitchell, Nina Simone, Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, Pharoah Sanders, The Velvet Underground, Iron & Wine and Nick Drake. But on top of those international bands (if not at the core) was the appreciation for brilliant African musicians such as Simphiwe Dana, Ali Farka Touré, Miriam Makeba, Baaba Maal, Fela Kuti and Thandiswa Mazwai.

Touré made his recording debut in 2013 with a series of releases produced by Matthew Fink/Just Music and recorded at the Sting Music Studio. His first release was the EP Abraham which contained three songs written by Touré and covers of The Cure's Just Like Heaven and a parody rendition of Radiohead's Optimistic. It was given four stars out of five by Rolling Stone, which praised the lyrics and remarking that "As an EP, Abraham is the beginning of an autobiography that swells with a kind of universal biography."

Then followed the single Christopher (2013: Just Music), a teaser single for the album. The Mail & Guardian described his voice as "Jeff Buckley meets Thom Yorke" and detected influences from Billie Myers, Billy Joel and Barry Manilow.

A hallmark of Tourés lyrics is a highly personal tone, combining strong biblical code while, at the same time, detailing the lures and conflicts of love and sexuality. According to Touré "The Bible is sexy…there is so much to draw from and exploit" Tourés vocals ranges from high pitch falsetto reminiscent of a prepubescent girl to the tenor voice of a sexually repressed choir boy.

Original source Last.fm

Tracks featured on

Most played tracks

We Dance Again
Black Coffee, Nakhane Touré
Soulistic Music2015