Warrick Sony
Encyclopedia
Warrick Sony is a South African composer, producer, sonic artist, performer and sound designer, who has worked for two decades on a multitude of films, documentaries, art events, theatre, dance, and project albums. He was born Warrick Swinney in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, in 1958.
He is the founder and sole member of the Kalahari Surfers
, solo recording projects working from Shifty Studios (Johannesburg
) in the mid-1980s. Known for five albums of politically radical musical song/satire banned for possession in South Africa, the Kalahari Surfers' work was released exclusively through the London-based Recommended Records
. During this time the Surfers toured Europe with English session musicians and played concerts in East Berlin
, Moscow, Riga
and Leningrad
.
Warrick has produced albums for Sony, BMG, Recommended, M.E.L.T. 2000, African Dope, Microdot, and Shifty Records
and worked running the Shifty Music label at BMG (Africa) for two years in the mid-1990s, mostly concentrating on developing and promoting foreign African music in South Africa. He engineered the Brian Eno
workshops at the Baxter Theatre.
Under the name Trans-Sky produced “Killing Time (CD)” and "Heaven To Touch " (E.P) with Brendan Jury and toured South Africa opening the Massive Attack
tour.
Now based in Cape Town
at Milestone Studios, Warrick has released four albums through African Dope and Microdot Records, and been involved in various art and music and DJ events in the city, including Faultlines, Soft Serve, Vortex, and Mother City Queer Party. He plays at He is currently in a creative partnership with Murray Anderson doing mostly commercials and film scores and music for theatre.
International performances include the 2005 Wiesen Festival in Austria.
Composing and performance at the opening of “Turbulence” with Dizu PLaatjies at the South African art Exhibition in Salzburg – Red Bull Hangar 7 event. March 2007
As a specialist sound designer he has worked on feature films like the Mangler, directed by Tobe Hooper., SMS Sugar Man dir Aryan Kaganof,the Shadowed Mind dir Cedric Sundstrom and multi media theatre productions such as William Kentridge
's Ubu and the Truth Commission
, Faustus in Africa and Handspring Puppet‘s “Tall Horse” and “The Chimp Project” , Akin Omotoso’s "Jesus and the Giant", Aryan Kaganof's "SMS Sugarman" as well as Museum installations like the San Rock Art Museum and contributions for the Dada South exhibition at the Cape Town National Gallery.
In 2007 he co- arranged material for "The Triptic" a CD Polish metal band "Sweetnoise" working closely with Piotr "Glaca" Mohamed
He has been invited as a guest lecturer to Rhodes University in South Africa, running post-graduate masters classes in audio post-production and sound design and was invited to present a performance for Unyazi: International Electronic Music Symposium at Wits University Johannesburg as well as the Unyasi 2008 "Fear of the Unknown".
He performed with Victor Gama and Dizu Plaatjies in "Makakata Musique" and "Turn to Traveller" at Grahamstown National Arts Festival July 2009.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/christopics/sets/72157621425459423/ and contributed sound design to a number of Baxter Theatre productions including "Cissie" directed by Nadia Davids, Sister Breyani directed by Lara Bye and "I am my-own wife" directed by Janice Honeyman
A 2010 Kalahari Surfers album One Party State has been released through MicrodotRecords material of which was toured with the African Soul Rebels tour of UK 2010 alongside Oumou Sangaré & Orchestre Poly-Rythmo De Cotonou organized by Music Beyond Mainstream.
He recently composed music for the feature film "Jozi" a comedy directed by Craig Fremont produced by Thom Pictures.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/christopics/sets/72157621425459423/
http://puremagnetik.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=157:selector&catid=81:artist-kits&Itemid=177
alongside Oumou Sangaré & Orchestre Poly-Rythmo De Cotonou organized by Music Beyond Mainstream
He is the founder and sole member of the Kalahari Surfers
Kalahari Surfers
The Kalahari Surfers is the moniker of South African composer and musician Warrick Sony. It began as a solo recording project in the early 1980s to subvert the total media and propaganda onslaught of P. W. Botha’s Apartheid South Africa...
, solo recording projects working from Shifty Studios (Johannesburg
Johannesburg
Johannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...
) in the mid-1980s. Known for five albums of politically radical musical song/satire banned for possession in South Africa, the Kalahari Surfers' work was released exclusively through the London-based Recommended Records
Recommended Records
Recommended Records is a British independent record label and distribution network founded by Chris Cutler in March 1978. RēR features largely "Rock in Opposition" and related music, but it also distributes selected music released on other independent labels.In 1982 Cutler established November...
. During this time the Surfers toured Europe with English session musicians and played concerts in East Berlin
East Berlin
East Berlin was the name given to the eastern part of Berlin between 1949 and 1990. It consisted of the Soviet sector of Berlin that was established in 1945. The American, British and French sectors became West Berlin, a part strongly associated with West Germany but a free city...
, Moscow, Riga
Riga
Riga is the capital and largest city of Latvia. With 702,891 inhabitants Riga is the largest city of the Baltic states, one of the largest cities in Northern Europe and home to more than one third of Latvia's population. The city is an important seaport and a major industrial, commercial,...
and Leningrad
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
.
Warrick has produced albums for Sony, BMG, Recommended, M.E.L.T. 2000, African Dope, Microdot, and Shifty Records
Shifty Records
Founded by Lloyd Ross and Ivan Kadey, Shifty Records was a South African anti-apartheid record label which existed for over a decade beginning 1982...
and worked running the Shifty Music label at BMG (Africa) for two years in the mid-1990s, mostly concentrating on developing and promoting foreign African music in South Africa. He engineered the Brian Eno
Brian Eno
Brian Peter George St. John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno , commonly known as Brian Eno or simply as Eno , is an English musician, composer, record producer, singer and visual artist, known as one of the principal innovators of ambient music.Eno studied at Colchester Institute art school in Essex,...
workshops at the Baxter Theatre.
Under the name Trans-Sky produced “Killing Time (CD)” and "Heaven To Touch " (E.P) with Brendan Jury and toured South Africa opening the Massive Attack
Massive Attack
Massive Attack are an English DJ and trip hop duo from Bristol, England consisting of Robert "3D" Del Naja and Grant "Daddy G" Marshall. Working with co-producers, as well as various session musicians and guest vocalists, they make records and tour live. The duo are considered to be of the trip...
tour.
Now based in Cape Town
Cape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
at Milestone Studios, Warrick has released four albums through African Dope and Microdot Records, and been involved in various art and music and DJ events in the city, including Faultlines, Soft Serve, Vortex, and Mother City Queer Party. He plays at He is currently in a creative partnership with Murray Anderson doing mostly commercials and film scores and music for theatre.
International performances include the 2005 Wiesen Festival in Austria.
Composing and performance at the opening of “Turbulence” with Dizu PLaatjies at the South African art Exhibition in Salzburg – Red Bull Hangar 7 event. March 2007
As a specialist sound designer he has worked on feature films like the Mangler, directed by Tobe Hooper., SMS Sugar Man dir Aryan Kaganof,the Shadowed Mind dir Cedric Sundstrom and multi media theatre productions such as William Kentridge
William Kentridge
William Kentridge is a South African artist best known for his prints, drawings, and animated films. These are constructed by filming a drawing, making erasures and changes, and filming it again. He continues this process meticulously, giving each change to the drawing a quarter of a second to two...
's Ubu and the Truth Commission
Ubu and the Truth Commission
Ubu and the Truth Commission is a South African play by Jane Taylor first performed under the directorship of William Kentridge at The Laboratory in Johannesburg's Market Theatre on May 26, 1997....
, Faustus in Africa and Handspring Puppet‘s “Tall Horse” and “The Chimp Project” , Akin Omotoso’s "Jesus and the Giant", Aryan Kaganof's "SMS Sugarman" as well as Museum installations like the San Rock Art Museum and contributions for the Dada South exhibition at the Cape Town National Gallery.
In 2007 he co- arranged material for "The Triptic" a CD Polish metal band "Sweetnoise" working closely with Piotr "Glaca" Mohamed
He has been invited as a guest lecturer to Rhodes University in South Africa, running post-graduate masters classes in audio post-production and sound design and was invited to present a performance for Unyazi: International Electronic Music Symposium at Wits University Johannesburg as well as the Unyasi 2008 "Fear of the Unknown".
He performed with Victor Gama and Dizu Plaatjies in "Makakata Musique" and "Turn to Traveller" at Grahamstown National Arts Festival July 2009.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/christopics/sets/72157621425459423/ and contributed sound design to a number of Baxter Theatre productions including "Cissie" directed by Nadia Davids, Sister Breyani directed by Lara Bye and "I am my-own wife" directed by Janice Honeyman
A 2010 Kalahari Surfers album One Party State has been released through MicrodotRecords material of which was toured with the African Soul Rebels tour of UK 2010 alongside Oumou Sangaré & Orchestre Poly-Rythmo De Cotonou organized by Music Beyond Mainstream.
He recently composed music for the feature film "Jozi" a comedy directed by Craig Fremont produced by Thom Pictures.
List of Collaborative Work
- Compositions and sound design for William Kentridge's theatre productions Faustus in Africa and Ubu and the Truth Commission
- Compositions and/or sound design with South African artists:
- Malcolm Payne on Faultlines,
- Tracy Rose - "Last Supper"
- Rodney Place
- "Couch Dancing" exhibition
- "World Service" for Adelaide Arts Festival
- Brett MurrayBrett MurrayBrett Murray is a South African artist mostly known for his steel and mixed media wall sculptures. He was born in Pretoria, South Africa...
- gave permission for the "Muti Media" cover which includes the Short Pants sculpture - sound design for Lerato Shadi’s “Hema” shown at Michael Stevenson http://www.michaelstevenson.com/contemporary/exhibitions/shadi/index.htm
- Compositions and sound design for Handspring Puppet‘s theatre productions “Tall Horse” and “The Chimp Project”
- music for "Ochre and Water:Himba chronicles from the land of Kaoko" for Doxa Productions
- An album with Sowetan poet Lesego Rampolokeng, including a series of concerts in Brazil.
- Co-producing and composing with Louis Mhlanga notably the African Axemen album and Musiki Ye Afrika
- Turntabla, an electro-dub project with ex-OrbThe OrbThroughout 1989, the Orb, along with Martin Glover, developed the musical genre of ambient house through the use of a diverse array of samples and recordings. The culmination of its musical work came toward the end of the year when the group recorded a session for John Peel on BBC Radio 1...
members Greg HunterGreg HunterGreg Hunter is a British composer and sound engineer. He attended Goldsmiths, University of London. He is known for his work with The Orb and with producer Youth in their collaboration to form Dub Trees, and as a composer of electronic / world music...
and Kris WestonKris WestonKris Weston is a British electronic musician, record producer and remixer best known for his work as a member of The Orb.... - Co-composed music (with Murray Anderson) for John BoormanJohn BoormanJohn Boorman is a British filmmaker who is a long time resident of Ireland and is best known for his feature films such as Point Blank, Deliverance, Zardoz, Excalibur, The Emerald Forest, Hope and Glory, The General and The Tailor of Panama.-Early life:Boorman was born in Shepperton, Surrey,...
In My CountryIn My CountryIn My Country is a 2004 English-language film directed by John Boorman, starring Samuel L. Jackson and Juliette Binoche. The screenplay, written by Ann Peacock, was based on Antjie Krog's memoir Country of My Skull.... - Co-composed music (with Murray Anderson) for "Home Affairs" dir Minky Schlessinger
- Co-composed music (with Murray Anderson) forMadiba: The Life and Times of Nelson Mandela Canadian Broadcasting documentary awarded the Gemini AwardGemini AwardThe Gemini Awards are annual television broadcasting industry awards in Canada.First awarded in 1986, the Geminis celebrate the achievements of TV members of the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television. Essentially, it presents awards for the best television productions in Canada. Awards are...
for best music. - Co-composing music with Murray Anderson for the Museum of Rock Art and "Origins" the film series from this
- Co-composed music (with Murray Anderson) for Lalela film music library http://www.lalela.com/
- composed music, sound design and final mix for "Zimbabwe"feature film directed by Darryl Roodt.
- composed music, sound design and final mix for "End of the Road" TV feature dir Greg Latter
- composed music, sound design and final mix for "Ugugu No Andile" (Romeo & Juliet) TV six part series dir Minky Schlesinger
- Live performance at the Armchair Theatre with Felix Leband
- composed music, sound design and final mix for Akin Omotoso’s "Jesus and the Giant"
- sound design and final mix for Aryan KaganofAryan KaganofAryan Kaganof is a South African film maker, novelist, poet and fine artist. In 1999 he changed his name to Aryan Kaganof.-Filmography:...
's "SMS Sugarman" - sound design for "Dreamtime" dir Brett BaileyBrett BaileyBrett Bailey is a playwright, designer, play director, festival curator and the artistic director of the group . He is the curator of South Africa’s only public arts festival, Infecting the City, in Cape Town, South Africa...
- sound design for "Cissie"http://www.cissietheplay.com/ dir Nadia DavidsNadia DavidsNadia Davids is an award-winning South African writer—she has been described as one of the country's "most talented up and coming writers". Her work has been published, produced and performed in Southern Africa, Europe and the United States. She was awarded the Rosalie van der Gught Ward for new...
- sound design for "I Am My Own Wife" The Baxter Theatre Directed by Janice Honeyman
- sound design for "Sister Breyani" The Baxter Theatre Directed by Lara Bye
- composed music, sound design and final mix for "Jacobs Cross"TV series for The Bomb Shelter
- composed music, sound design and final mix for "SIRI" Kenyan TV series for Alison Production
- composed music for "The Scribes of Timbuktu" dir Guy Spiller
- co- arranged material for (2007) The Triptic by Polish metal band "Sweetnoise" with Piotr "Glaca" Mohamed
- performed with Victor Gama and Dizu Plaatjies in "Makakata Musique" and "Turn to Traveller" at Grahamstown National Arts Festival July 2009. Musical Futurista
http://www.flickr.com/photos/christopics/sets/72157621425459423/
- final mix and sound design for "The Silver Fez" dir Lloyd Ross
- designed Kalahari Surfers drum modules for PureMagnetik for the Ableton Live music software
http://puremagnetik.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=157:selector&catid=81:artist-kits&Itemid=177
- composed music for "One Party State " Kalahari Surfers release through Microdot
- Toured Kalahari Surfers group with the African Soul Rebels tour of UK 2010
alongside Oumou Sangaré & Orchestre Poly-Rythmo De Cotonou organized by Music Beyond Mainstream