The music journey of Kapi Gantsu

GEORGE NEWS - George-born and bred musician Kapi Gantsu has turned his dream into reality: he will be releasing his full album with 14 tracks of Afropop music on Saturday 16 October.

The album was named after his grandfather, Mkhenke, who raised him in Thembalethu and gave him his last R3 500 to register for a university degree.

"The album is all about giving thanks to our grandfather," said Gantsu. George Herald chatted with the 39-year-old who is at last living his dream of producing music after spending many years working on other people's music projects.

Kapi was raised by his grandparents, Nowekeni Gantsu and Mkhenke Tom Gantsu. Kapi attended Tyholorha Primary, MM Mateza Primary and Imizamo Yethu High School in George. His grandfather was a reverend of the Bantu Church of Christ in George, where Kapi was introduced to music by aunts and uncles who practised church music.

As a child he sang the ladies alto voice and later he was lead singer in many community groups such as George Spiritual Singers, Messengers of God (male voices) and Boys of Soul (RNB). He also had the opportunity to observe a lot of jazz activity that was practised by a few elders in Phelandaba, Thembalethu.

"These individuals were expressing the family musical legacy of their parents, uncles and aunts who trained them from a young age. They would sit around the fire after all the family members have come home from work and music was the order of the day," says Kapi.

In 2002 he moved to Port Elizabeth (Gqeberha) to improve his mathematics and accounting studies in preparation for university entry. Though he faced some personal and financial challenges here, he also had more exposure to leading Christian church choirs, as students and learners came to Port Elizabeth (Gqeberha) from various countries across Africa for their tertiary studies.

They often had to sing to get money for food, says Kapi, but fortunately music was their ministry. Together with his friend Siyabonga Makhandula, whom he met in George, they went around a lot performing with their pastors and their wives.

In 2003, Kapi enrolled for a B Com degree at the University of the Western Cape, but music remained a part of his journey. He became involved in the Students Christian Organisation (SCO) on campus, and later he was part of music bands that performed both on and off campus. He and his friends did backup singing for local artists who were recording their first albums.

When he finished his studies in 2007, he relocated to Johannesburg where he went off the music scene at first. He became a little more involved in music activities again when he and his friends became co-owners of a company called Landise Records, that managed to do a few shows in Johannesburg and other parts of the country.

They also produced a few hip hop singles for artists such as Lolo Vandal.

In 2009 his young cousin from George, known as Lix Da Lion, approached him with an idea similar to Landise Records. Kapi ended up forming his own Johannesburg-based recording company, Pika Records, through which he produced Lix Da Lion songs. Pika Records caters for jazz, Afro soul, house music and others.

In 1999, Kapi was a member of the male voice group Messengers of God. From left are Simphiwe "Blacks" Toto; Siviwe "Pastor" Nqavu; Kapi Gantsu and Bulelani "Penxe" Dayimane.