Sludge Underground Podcast

EP335: Marcel has a chat with veteran artist Garry McCluskey on his experiences in the South African music scene from the 80s until present.  Explore our exclusive merch store for unique and high-quality items inspired by our podcast! From stylish t-shirts to snug beanies, there’s something for every listener. Show your support and grab your favourite merch today! Support the show Help us continue...

EP334: Sony/ATV recording artist Gino Lee sheds some light on his work as a producer in Hollywood, his music video cameos for the likes of Mary J Blige, Owl City, and Jessie J, and what those experiences taught him. We'll also be touching on his studio River Road Records, and some of the music industry tips he passes onto his students, with the main focus being on reach vs engagement, and mor...

EP333: Join in as Marcel chats with Sash about the history of the Waken Metal battle in SA and how she came into running it along with the challenges that it poses.  Explore our exclusive merch store for unique and high-quality items inspired by our podcast! From stylish t-shirts to snug beanies, there’s something for every listener. Show your support and grab your favourite merch today! Support t...

EP332: Katia De Vallier, an occasional entertainer, showjumper, and associate actuary by trade, is on the show to shed some light on her recent vocal injury and what her recovery has been like, the secret behind one of her most successful music videos, how she has benefited from working with a publicist, whether Joburg really is the Hollywood of South Africa or not, and much more. Explore our excl...

Marcel has a chat with up and coming pop artist Daniel J Dunn about his upcoming debut single and experiences getting involved in the SA music scene. Explore our exclusive merch store for unique and high-quality items inspired by our podcast! From stylish t-shirts to snug beanies, there’s something for every listener. Show your support and grab your favourite merch today! Support the show Help us...

EP330: Downtown-owned Sheer Publishing is Africa's largest independent music publisher and longstanding advocate for creators' rights across Africa. Join us as we chat to the MD, Thando Makhunga about what music publishing is and why it's vital for an artist/band's success. Explore our exclusive merch store for unique and high-quality items inspired by our podcast! From stylish...

EP329: Marcel has a chat With Aidan Fraser about his journey as an artist and joining up with Just Music.  Listen Here:  https://open.spotify.com/artist/2SNp368DTWkgfo7sM1RqMx Explore our exclusive merch store for unique and high-quality items inspired by our podcast! From stylish t-shirts to snug beanies, there’s something for every listener. Show your support and grab your favourite merch today!...

EP328: Striking a chord that resonates deep within, Nicholas Joubert is the epitome of a Renaissance man in today's eclectic entertainment landscape. Join us as we get an exclusive look into the life of this artist extraordinaire, who not only spins magic with his melodies but also thrives under the academic cap and turns heads on the runway. Nicholas peels back the curtain to reveal the mast...

EP327: Paul Gioia of Joburg band All This For Nothing  joins Marcel Smuts on this episode. In this super chilled interview, Paul discusses the band forming in 1998 and how his hand injury triggered a 10 year hiatus. He and Marcel also reminisce on the MTV and MySpace days, and listening to CDs in-store before purchasing them. From funny stories about countless hours of smithing in Skyrim to Paul o...

PosterBoy's bassist Keagan joins us on #SludgeUnderground and dives into the band's origins, what it takes to play at Splashy Fen, and the misconception about the Durban music scene. Hear about why their original drummer Josh left, and the dynamics of cycling different drummers  until they settled on David Kerr. He also shares some band etiquette that helps you land consistent gigs, addr...

EP325: Join in on a discussion about everything ranging from music theory, film scoring and A.I and how to make the best of the tools out there.  Listen Here  https://open.spotify.com/artist/32sIYcqIVAbg6nV8ARSGHo Explore our exclusive merch store for unique and high-quality items inspired by our podcast! From stylish t-shirts to snug beanies, there’s something for every listener. Show your suppor...

EP324: Join Marcel as he welcomes South African drummer Josh to #SludgeUnderground. In this episode, Josh dives deep into his run in Durban, from his time playing drums in PosterBoy  to playing in projects like PWP and Houseplants. Josh opens up about Durban's struggles and how they've driven him to leaving the city for Cape Town. Reflecting on the amount of talented bands SA has as a co...

The Color Blew dropped some absolute gems of information on navigating the industry and releasing music. Join in as we chat about the importance of lyric videos, single releases, and the importance of a publisher Listen here: https://open.spotify.com/track/1OXQqXkx0Nz3lheIrL5YWP Explore our exclusive merch store for unique and high-quality items inspired by our podcast! From stylish t-shirts to sn...

EP322: In this uncensored Sludge Underground interview, #AlphaVMr031 opens up about what went down behind the scenes at Maleningi Records, shares his stance on Durban artists and their lack of professionalism. He also candidly discusses his stint in prison, growing up in the LA inspired, narcotic engulfed hood of Sydenham, in Durban, the power and importance of carrying yourself as a brand, Sydenh...

EP321: Join in as the boys chat about how the band started, coming out of their shells and making a name for themselves throughout the SA music scene.  Listen Here:  https://open.spotify.com/artist/2AZChLWU9RDlSkGGszB271 Explore our exclusive merch store for unique and high-quality items inspired by our podcast! From stylish t-shirts to snug beanies, there’s something for every listener. Show your...

EP320: Durban musician and choreographer; Mandé chats about the Durban music scene, his latest single, collaborators & more Explore our exclusive merch store for unique and high-quality items inspired by our podcast! From stylish t-shirts to snug beanies, there’s something for every listener. Show your support and grab your favourite merch today! Support the show Help us continue making great...

EP319: Tian Nienaber returns for his second appearance on the show. Join in as he chats about his journey since his last visit and the struggles artist go through in the music industry.  Listen Here:  https://open.spotify.com/artist/3nVhBs9i3aMlljbb6pOUpf Explore our exclusive merch store for unique and high-quality items inspired by our podcast! From stylish t-shirts to snug beanies, there’s some...

EP318: Its been 5 years since Sons Of Shem were last on the show and a great deal has changed! Catch up on the most recent history of one of Durban's oldest and most influential bands.  Listen Here:  https://open.spotify.com/artist/5aoPhCXONriKjqQrOE06Qy Explore our exclusive merch store for unique and high-quality items inspired by our podcast! From stylish t-shirts to snug beanies, there’s...

EP317: Should you be prioritising streams or engagement?  How do you get your music on series, ads and tv shows? Should you drop a full length album or singles? We have all this and more on our latest episode ft American artists living in South Africa, Andrew Jed, who has found the secret to amassing over 75k Spotify streams. Explore our exclusive merch store for unique and high-quality items insp...

EP316: We're chopping it up with We Kill Cowboys' frontwoman, Alex Muller this week. We're touching on her band and their upcoming EP called The Rage, their experience working with a label (Mongrel Records), what the Cape Town music scene could improve on, figuring out social media as artists, getting consistent streams, and more. Check out their latest single 'Earth Demon&apos...

EP315: Marcel has a chat with Lyricist, Producer, and conceptualist, Stephen Gawking about his journey into making music.   Explore our exclusive merch store for unique and high-quality items inspired by our podcast! From stylish t-shirts to snug beanies, there’s something for every listener. Show your support and grab your favourite merch today! Support the show Help us continue making great cont...

EP314: From the welcoming arms of Durban, South Africa, we were thrilled to sit down with the first lady of Durban Hip-Hop, Lex LaFoy. We kicked off the session reflecting on Lex’s intriguing childhood, growing up with a pastor grandfather and a mother with a deep love for Hip-Hop. Her early exposure to this contrasting mix of influences laid the groundwork for her unique artistic persona. As she...

EP313: Meet Aphi Tenza, a Durban artist that Marcel stumbled into. Join in as she talks about the move to New York, her beginnings in music, and managing expectations of a large social media audience. Her Music: https://open.spotify.com/artist/2rflLAMeq3JIO70e6D4ldg   Explore our exclusive merch store for unique and high-quality items inspired by our podcast! From stylish t-shirts to snug beanies,...

EP312: Has your playlist hit a stale patch? What if you could discover an unsigned band with a unique sound that's garnering thousands of streams? Join us in a candid chat with UK band, Paint Me in Colour. We're pulling back the curtain on their journey, starting with their impressive streaming stats, followed by their surprising insights on how online success doesn't necessarily eq...

EP311: Marcel has a chat with one of the newest bands to join the Durban scene. From humble origins to discovering their sound the Punk rock lads are here to make a statement and do it loud.  Be sure to listen to their debut single dropping on the 15th of sept.  Explore our exclusive merch store for unique and high-quality items inspired by our podcast! From stylish t-shirts to snug beanies, there...