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YOU caught up with Dave Scott – frontman of Sama-nominated, local electronic act The Kiffness to talk about their latest album, Soul Safari, and future plans.
How long did it take you to write Soul Safari ?
“The album was written over the last three years, but earlier this year the flood gates opened and the second half was written in the space of two weeks after returning from a much needed holiday in Vietnam.
Did you produce it?
“Yes, but I collaborated with a bunch of different vocalists (John Wantie. Most of the tracks were written & recorded at my home studio in Cape Town, but I worked in a couple different studios across the country.
What inspired the album?
“I married the love of my life last year, so the first half of the album explores the complexities of love and the lessons I’ve learnt through marriage. The second half of the album explores the challenges that come with being a white South African, and facing the demons of our shameful history.”
Why the name Soul Safari?
“A Safari as we know is an exploration of lands in search of wild and rare creatures. A Soul Safari is an exploration of what's inside you. The creatures you discover inside may be more beautiful or scary than anything you've ever seen at Kruger.”
How would you describe your musical growth on this album compared to your previous offering?
“I was not afraid to say some bold things on this album. I feel like I reached a stage in my career where I was playing things too safe and I needed to step outside of my comfort zone and address topics in my music that I was too afraid to address in the past.
"The love & support that my wife provides is incredible - because even if I did something completely outrageous and my career fell apart, I would still have her - and that's all that really matters to me.”
The album features quite a few collaborations - how did you choose them?
“All of the collabs I do have kind of happened organically. I got to watch BCUC a few times and was blown away by their performance. We got along well backstage and so that was that.
"The collab with Josh Wantie happened because I had just finished performing on Expresso and while I was on my way to the car I bumped into Josh on the streets. We knew each other from a Christian Summer Camp a few years ago. With You Say You Love Me I found Tawanna Shaunte's acapella YouTube video completely by chance and it fit perfectly into a track I was working on.”
What can we look forward to from The Kiffness in the future?
“We're putting up a bunch of interesting content across our social platforms around Soul Safari and we’re already working on a new single for early next year. But right now we're focusing on putting together an incredible show for Vic Falls Carnival and Kirstenbosch and a bunch of other shows across the country.
