campaign is heating up,
those in solidarity with working musicians in cape town please:
SIGN to support our conditions of work
ATTEND our launch event (16.05.26 at guga'sthebe)
DONATE by buying a ticket and entering an amount
all links in the AHCOM (Ad Hoc Committee for Organising Musicians) lintktree in my bio
#musiciswork #wedontplay
SUBSISTENCE MATTERS
Our Conditions of Work includes the following provisions on subsistence:
- Water: Water must be provided onstage in lidded containers at no cost to the artist.
- Food: A meal (or budget for it) should be provided in any case where an artist is expected to spend longer than 4 hours at a venue.
- Bar Tab: Complimentary bar tabs (and their limits) must be clearly spelt out in advance – no hidden costs!
If you support these basic demands for working musicians, please sign our petition and join us at our launch event on 16 May at Guga S’thebe in Langa.
Details available through link in bio
#wedontplay #musiciswork
As part of the #wedontplay campaign, building consciousness and solidarity around Our Conditions Of Work, our friend and comrade @stanley_sibande_music said some words.
Link in my bio for all AHCOM (Ad Hoc Committee for Working Musicians) related things!
Guga'sthebe on 16 May 2026
Please sign our petition!
After over a year of organising work, discussions, meetings, and planning, we (the Ad Hoc Committee for Organising Musicians, AHCOM) are excited to announce the launch of WE DON'T PLAY! - a month-long campaign to raise awareness about the working conditions of musicians in Cape Town.
It will also mobilise support for Our Conditions Of Work – a document created by and for ourselves as musicians outlining fair work conditions for music workers. The launch will culminate at a launch event on Saturday 16 May 2026 from 12-6pm at Guga’sthebe in Langa, consisting of workshops, panel discussions and performances by some of Cape Town’s best live acts.
If you are a fellow musician in Cape Town, or someone from further afield who supports our campaign, you can do the following:
1. READ and engage with Our Conditions Of Work
2. SUPPORT by adding your signature as a fellow Cape Town-based musician or someone in solidarity with our struggle
3. ATTEND our launch on Saturday 16 May
4. SHARE the above with other people, and on social media, using the hashtags #WeDontPlay and #MusicIsWork
Linktree in my bio...
Next stop, Kimberley!
Historically the city at the centre of modern day SA, developments here from the late 19th century changed the landscape of the region.
We are very excited to make our second trip to the play at an incredible grassroots cultural festival- @awakeningsessions
If you are in the vicinity of the north cape, stiek uit!
A Semblance is an assemblage of some of of Cape Town’s most versatile and articulate musicians, led by Asher Gamedze and featuring Ru Slayen (Percussion), Rob Scott (bass), Nobuhle Ashanti (keyboards), and Keegan Steenkamp (trumpet).
They performed three tracks from their debut album, ‘A Semblance: Of Return’, which was recorded here at Concept Records and released on 27 February, 2026 on Northern Spy Records.
The band’s tight and evolving grooves are driven by Asher and Ru’s interlocking drum and conga parts, interspersed with moments of free sonic exploration. Nobuhle holds down the harmonic content on the Wurlitzer, punctuated by winding synth lines that speak both with and against Keegan’s dynamic trumpet parts, while Rob’s syncopated bass lines holds a heavy undertow that anchors the groove.
This performance offers just a taste of the imaginative sonic landscapes that await anyone who hasn’t yet had the pleasure of watching this band live.
The full session is now available on YouTube.
#biglittleconcepts #mzansimusic #livemusic #liverecording
Grateful for the time in the sun this record is getting in the midst of all the terror. Many thanks to all the writers and publications who have spent time to listen, engage it, interview me and write about the work.
Thanks @_hannahbeatrice for collating all these soundbites. Full articles available online.
ps. jury seems to be out on how many records I put out... who no know go know
Out today on Northern Spy Records: A Semblance: Of Return by Asher Gamedze. South African drummer, composer, and bandleader @one.stab gathers a close ensemble of longtime collaborators to explore a “practices of assembly” - ways of coming together, making sound, and imagining new and old modes of freedom. Based in the independent music scenes of Cape Town and rooted in Pan-Africanism and Black Consciousness, Of Return extends the political and musical commitments that have defined Gamedze’s work since Dialectic Soul (On The Corner, 2020), while opening a newly collective chapter in his practice. Grounded in local context, in collective work, in the sonic and social memory of South Africa, Of Return reaches outward, imagining solidarities that extend beyond geographic and political borders. “Emulsive Return” variant LP and CD available now via Northern Spy Records.
Join us one week from today at 12PM EST / 7PM CAT for an exclusive listening party preview of Asher Gamedze’s A Semblance: Of Return, out on Northern Spy Records on Friday February 27th. Listen to the album before its release and join us in the chat where we’ll be talking about the making of the record. RSVP via @northernspyrecs Bandcamp page 📡
