Sound sculptor BJ Engelbrecht on making art that is perceived by all senses
BJ Engelbrecht talks about the childhood influences that led to his mode of being, and the arts community in which he thrives.
The InArt interviews explore culture by asking creatives about their life in the arts, and which artists in other media stimulate them. We spoke to Johannesburg-based researcher and sound sculptor BJ Engelbrecht.
When did you first identify as a creative artist?
I don't recall a sudden moment of realisation, rather it was a gradual process of discovery. That being said, I was always drawn to the arts. I have vivid memories from childhood of constantly drawing and am fortunate to have grown up in a home surrounded by a wide variety of music.
There are two formative influences from my youth that I think had a major influence on me and my artistic life. The first, being a teenager in the 1990s, was hip-hop, specifically graffiti and deejaying. Everything from tearing out the back pages from The Source magazine, to second- and third-generation tape copies, from that memorable bench in what was then Van der Bijl Square, to late-night trains and the colours black and chrome. I can still smell the Black Label and beedis. The hip-hop community of the Nineties had a major impression on my worldview.
The second major influence was being a black portfolio art kid in school. Of course, the Johannesburg Art Gallery, the Michaelis Art Library and the Johannesburg Biennale were invaluable to me, but I was also extremely lucky to have had accomplished mentors and goal-directed friends.
Which branch of art most stimulates you?
I don't find much in the art world stimulating. If you've been at it for as long as I have, at some point you'll discover that it is simply work. Yes, part of the work necessitates frequent moments of discovery, which are satisfying, and I have the opportunity to be part of a community that consists of some of the most talented, intelligent and interesting people in the country, and that's rewarding, but I don't necessarily feel like this is unusually stimulating.
Which artists have inspired you, and why?
Again, it's not about inspiration. It's about a mode of being in the world and attending to it in a way that is critical of one's experience. Some of these experiences might include the artwork of others, and it's vital to have a strong understanding and vast knowledge of the work of others, but I think that you'd be somewhat failing if this is where you primarily seek inspiration.
What to you is art's most important function?
There is a plurality of purposes, one of which is not to have a purpose at all. What is most necessary, given our context, is to be politically engaged.
Local creatives who excite you?
I'm not excited by a particular artist, but rather the youngsters in general – explorative, technologically-inclined and likely tuned into states of affairs in the world in ways that I will never be.
Which artistic work do you return to again and again, and why?
GZA's Liquid Swords. It was the first album I bought. It captures something sonically that speaks to my experience of the city, but also it's the genius.
What do you think of the AI revolution?
I don't think it's a revolution but more of an evolution. It's certainly receiving a lot of attention, partially because of its now unprecedented ubiquity and sometimes undeserved controversy.
Although I am not an expert by any means, in the arts it's a tool among many. There are artists for whom AI is a medium and they specifically build models as a form of art, some of which are critical of the means of their creation. These artists often get criticised for being in support of the technocracy when they are, in fact, aimed at calling the complex array of serious issues surrounding AI to light. So there is this oscillation between AI being a force for enslavement or liberation.
It is also a question of creativity and what makes up consciousness. I feel like the consensus is that not enough is yet known about human thinking and feeling, or perhaps our approach to understanding consciousness needs to be approached differently. Debates aside, in my practice I still prefer brushstrokes over keystrokes.
Any project you're unveiling or wrapping up?
I'm wrapping up my postdoctoral fellowship at Wits University and continuing to work with Jurgen Meekel and Jill Richards as a member of the experimental music and sound art collective Playgroup. I have a continued collaboration with the architectural minds from Tshwane University of Technology and an exhibition is in the works for later this year. DM
Mick Raubenheimer is a freelance arts writer.
This story first appeared in our weekly Daily Maverick 168 newspaper, which is available countrywide for R35.
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14 hours ago
- Daily Maverick
Sound sculptor BJ Engelbrecht on making art that is perceived by all senses
BJ Engelbrecht talks about the childhood influences that led to his mode of being, and the arts community in which he thrives. The InArt interviews explore culture by asking creatives about their life in the arts, and which artists in other media stimulate them. We spoke to Johannesburg-based researcher and sound sculptor BJ Engelbrecht. When did you first identify as a creative artist? I don't recall a sudden moment of realisation, rather it was a gradual process of discovery. That being said, I was always drawn to the arts. I have vivid memories from childhood of constantly drawing and am fortunate to have grown up in a home surrounded by a wide variety of music. There are two formative influences from my youth that I think had a major influence on me and my artistic life. The first, being a teenager in the 1990s, was hip-hop, specifically graffiti and deejaying. Everything from tearing out the back pages from The Source magazine, to second- and third-generation tape copies, from that memorable bench in what was then Van der Bijl Square, to late-night trains and the colours black and chrome. I can still smell the Black Label and beedis. The hip-hop community of the Nineties had a major impression on my worldview. The second major influence was being a black portfolio art kid in school. Of course, the Johannesburg Art Gallery, the Michaelis Art Library and the Johannesburg Biennale were invaluable to me, but I was also extremely lucky to have had accomplished mentors and goal-directed friends. Which branch of art most stimulates you? I don't find much in the art world stimulating. If you've been at it for as long as I have, at some point you'll discover that it is simply work. Yes, part of the work necessitates frequent moments of discovery, which are satisfying, and I have the opportunity to be part of a community that consists of some of the most talented, intelligent and interesting people in the country, and that's rewarding, but I don't necessarily feel like this is unusually stimulating. Which artists have inspired you, and why? Again, it's not about inspiration. It's about a mode of being in the world and attending to it in a way that is critical of one's experience. Some of these experiences might include the artwork of others, and it's vital to have a strong understanding and vast knowledge of the work of others, but I think that you'd be somewhat failing if this is where you primarily seek inspiration. What to you is art's most important function? There is a plurality of purposes, one of which is not to have a purpose at all. What is most necessary, given our context, is to be politically engaged. Local creatives who excite you? I'm not excited by a particular artist, but rather the youngsters in general – explorative, technologically-inclined and likely tuned into states of affairs in the world in ways that I will never be. Which artistic work do you return to again and again, and why? GZA's Liquid Swords. It was the first album I bought. It captures something sonically that speaks to my experience of the city, but also it's the genius. What do you think of the AI revolution? I don't think it's a revolution but more of an evolution. It's certainly receiving a lot of attention, partially because of its now unprecedented ubiquity and sometimes undeserved controversy. Although I am not an expert by any means, in the arts it's a tool among many. There are artists for whom AI is a medium and they specifically build models as a form of art, some of which are critical of the means of their creation. These artists often get criticised for being in support of the technocracy when they are, in fact, aimed at calling the complex array of serious issues surrounding AI to light. So there is this oscillation between AI being a force for enslavement or liberation. It is also a question of creativity and what makes up consciousness. I feel like the consensus is that not enough is yet known about human thinking and feeling, or perhaps our approach to understanding consciousness needs to be approached differently. Debates aside, in my practice I still prefer brushstrokes over keystrokes. Any project you're unveiling or wrapping up? I'm wrapping up my postdoctoral fellowship at Wits University and continuing to work with Jurgen Meekel and Jill Richards as a member of the experimental music and sound art collective Playgroup. I have a continued collaboration with the architectural minds from Tshwane University of Technology and an exhibition is in the works for later this year. DM Mick Raubenheimer is a freelance arts writer. This story first appeared in our weekly Daily Maverick 168 newspaper, which is available countrywide for R35.
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Louis Moholo-Moholo performing at The Orbit in Johannesburg on 25 May 2017. Photo by Siphiwe Mhlambi. Free jazz flowed through the streets of Langa when visiting the Moholo family home. Outside in the courtyard facing the street, Louis Tebogo Moholo-Moholo and his late wife Ma Mpumi would sit with visitors armed with a sound system and a speaker blasting some of the wildest avant-garde music at high volumes. People walking in the street would come in to greet, while children were in and out of the yard, often being handed sweets. The drummer — revolutionary, mentor and friend to many — died on the morning of Friday 13 June at the age of 85, sending sadness echoing throughout the jazz world. Bra Louis, or Bra Tebz as he was often fondly referred to, was one of the greatest musicians in the world. He lived with energy; a vibrant and fiery spirit that never stopped fighting for freedom and for uplifting the people of South Africa. Those lucky enough to watch him perform over seven decades witnessed an intense passion that embodied freedom in every way. 'Yes baby, no baby!' he would often shout while playing, which audiences would shout back. He was also very stylish with his Fedora hats and cool T-shirts (some of which he painted himself). 'We love you, we love you, you don't have to love us, but we love you!' was another famous saying. These signature chants were known worldwide, as Moholo's reach was far beyond what we might imagine. He lived and breathed music, in every possible way. Louis Moholo-Moholo performing at Guga S'thebe in his community of Langa in 2018. Photo: Terence Visagie. The Blue Notes 'That band was made in heaven,' is what Moholo would say when talking about The Blue Notes, one of the finest bands in South African history, the members of which all died in exile. He was the last remaining one. Moholo was born on 10 March 1940 in Langa, Cape Town. The street where the family lived was home to several musicians, including the great Christopher 'Columbus' Ngcukana. Langa is one of the oldest townships in the country, which bred many great artists, such as Brenda Fassie. He started playing drums as a child, after being inspired by marching bands, and later joined the Young Rhythm Chordettes. Moholo was mentored by musicians like Cups Nkanuka, who also lived in Langa and took many musicians in the 1950s under his wing. Apartheid laws oppressed black musicians, and in That same year, he left South Africa with The Blue Notes, made up of bassist Johnny Dyani, trumpeter Mongezi Feza, pianist Chris McGregor, and saxophonists Nikele Moyake and Dudu Pukwana. The band was invited to play at the Antibes Festival in France and what was initially a temporary departure became permanent exile. They moved to Zürich in Switzerland and played at the Club Africana, assisted by Abdullah Ibrahim and Sathima Bea Benjamin. The Blue Notes playing at the Antibes Festival in France in 1964, after first leaving South Africa. The band then moved to London, after an invitation to appear at Ronnie Scott's. They were hugely influential on the British jazz scene. The The Blue Notes embodied an attitude of revolution — it showed through their music and the way they lived. Moholo later continued with Brotherhood of Breath (led by Chris McGregor), and was the bandleader of The Dedication Orchestra, Viva La Black and 4 Blokes. In her biography, influential Swiss free jazz pianist Irène Schweizer —who died last year — describes at length Moholo's influence on her. She met him at Club Africana in 1964, when the Blue Notes landed in Zürich, and performed with him throughout his life. In the book, Moholo is quoted as saying on arriving in Zürich, 'We gave the audience the satisfaction of that high-level music, because this band was made in heaven. So unlucky that they all died; it's like I have been fired from the band and I think maybe they're having a big, big show in heaven!' A life well lived Life in exile was tough, with setbacks such as surviving without a passport or having a drumkit lost. But Moholo had a champion spirit and kept playing through the struggle. He has played on hundreds of records — the true figure is not known. Every time we sat together to listen to music, he would pull out a new album that he had recorded with someone somewhere in the world. Throughout his career, he played with celebrated musicians of the free jazz world like Cecil Taylor, Archie Shepp, Keith Tippett, Wadada Leo Smith, Evan Parker, Stan Tracey, Alexander Hawkins, Irène Schweizer, Enrico Rava, Roswell Rudd, Peter Brötzmann, Derek Bailey, John Tchicai, Saadet Türköz and more. In October 1969, jam session with Frank Zappa, Philly Joe Jones, Earl Freeman, Louis Moholo-Moholo, Johnny Dyani, Grachan Moncur and Archie Shepp at the Festival Actuel in Amougies, Belgium. Photo: Jacques Bisceglia (Supplied by family). A programme for the UK's Bracknell Festival from 1979 quotes British music journalist Steve Lake saying, 'Louis draws rhythms out of nowhere, brings a sense of cohesion and righteous logic to the most uncompromising free blowing, even while stoking the excitement to almost unbelievable plateaux of intensity. His intuitive balance — between control and intensity — is very rare: most drummers possess either one quality or the other.' Moholo played mostly in the UK, but also all over Europe, and even lived in Argentina. A friend in Italy, Riccardo Bergerone, describes that once, while on tour with Viva La Black in 1989 in Turin, Moholo had a heart attack on stage. He had health issues over the years but was not one to dwell on serious things. In September 2005, he returned to South Africa with Ma Mpumi, and though the couple could live in an upmarket suburb in Cape Town, they missed Langa and opted to return. It was through visits to his home that we cemented a friendship that would last for his remaining years. He loved drinking rooibos tea and had a penchant for sweet things like chocolate cake and peanut butter. Ma Mpumi and Louis Moholo-Moholo at a performance. Photo: Supplied by the family. One of the most captivating things about watching Moholo on stage was how he did not care who musicians were or how old you were, as long as you could play. 'Play, man! Play!' he would sometimes urge younger band members, insisting that they give everything they had to the music — a defiant spirit dedicated to the sound. In 2019, Moholo played one of his last gigs at Guga S'thebe in Langa. For many years after, he struggled to walk and could no longer play, but in his head, he was always composing or singing, and always listening. In times when he was bed-ridden, we would gather, just like in the courtyard but now in his bedroom, where he would listen to many albums — very loudly. Musicians from all over the world would come to visit him. On his playlist often were free jazz tunes, and repeatedly music by Abbey Lincoln, in particular the songs They Call it Jazz, Skylark and Through the Years (composed by Bheki Mseleku). And often, accompanied by a spliff of sorts, Moholo would sing and croon the words. It is impossible to capture Moholo's life in one article — he lived large and beautifully — and will be remembered by all who knew him. UK musician Shabaka Hutchings says: 'We've lost a giant of creative music in the passing of Louis Moholo-Moholo, one of those elders who have lived a life in service of sound and energy and feeling…I learnt so much from this man that it's difficult to fully articulate the lessons passed down…I remember the last tour we did with him, supporting him as he walked onto stage whispering, 'Yes baby, no baby, yes baby, no baby,' as he hyped us all into that subtle dance we were preparing to engage.' Shabaka Hutchings, Louis Moholo-Moholo, Tumi Mogorosi and Siyabonga Mthembu performing with Shabaka and the Ancestors in 2017, Photo: Eitan Prince. For his contributions to music, he received several awards including a What happened to the Blue Notes in the end? Moyake had returned to South Africa in 1965, and died a year later. Feza died in London in 1975 (at only 30 years old), and the remaining band members recorded the tribute album, Blue Notes for Mongezi. Dyani died in 1986 in Berlin, Germany, and another tribute album was made titled Blue Notes for Johnny. McGregor died in 1990 and a month later, Pukwana. For all his bandmates, Moholo released an album, For the Blue Notes, in 2014. Now with his death as the final note, we can honour his life, music, humour and long-standing influence as Blue Notes for Louis Moholo-Moholo. Bra Louis's death is a massive loss for us but there is comfort in knowing that he is reunited with his family, Ma Mpumi and his beautiful band — all of whom he loved so much. ____________ **Louis Moholo-Moholo's funeral will be held on 28 June 2025.
