Mikanic

Last updated

Mikanic
Origin Cape Town, South Africa
Genres Rock
Years active 2003 – Present
Labels Unsigned
Associated acts Sons of Trout
Website http://www.mikanic.com/
Members Mike Rennie
Nick Turner
Yasuhito Sasaki
Shirzad Khusrokhan
Alex Beckmann

Mikanic is a South African rock group.

History

Mikanic was formed in 2003, with Michael Rennie on violin and vocals and Nick Turner on acoustic guitar and vocals. Both musicians were already well known on the South African music scene having founded Sons of Trout. With Sons of Trout they headlined every major music festival in the country and toured extensively, releasing four albums and opening for a number of international artists.[ citation needed ]

In 2004 Mikanic released its first album, Swimming with the Women. The album crossed musical boundaries, established Mikanic's characteristic sound, and provided the springboard for their departure to the USA. Now based in New York, Mikanic's line-up features musicians from Japan (Yasuhito Sasaki on lead guitar), India (Shirzad Khusrokhan on bass) and the USA (Alex Beckmann on drums).

Mikanic's music spans genres with influences ranging from rock, reggae and African to hip-hop and jazz. Lyrically powerful, relevant, humorous and energetic, the music has a wide appeal. With shows that feature virtuosic musicianship, funky grooves and catchy tunes, Mikanic has quickly become one of New York's hottest live acts.

Reggae Music genre from Jamaica

Reggae is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s.The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, "Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use the word "reggae", effectively naming the genre and introducing it to a global audience. While sometimes used in a broad sense to refer to most types of popular Jamaican dance music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that was strongly influenced by traditional mento as well as American jazz and rhythm and blues, especially the New Orleans R&B practiced by Fats Domino and Allen Toussaint, and evolved out of the earlier genres ska and rocksteady. Reggae usually relates news, social gossip, and political comment. Reggae spread into a commercialized jazz field, being known first as ‘Rudie Blues’, then ‘Ska’, later ‘Blue Beat’, and ‘Rock Steady’. It is instantly recognizable from the counterpoint between the bass and drum downbeat, and the offbeat rhythm section. The immediate origins of reggae were in ska and rocksteady; from the latter, reggae took over the use of the bass as a percussion instrument.

Hip hop music music genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping

Hip hop music, also called hip-hop or rap music, is a music genre developed in the United States by inner-city African Americans in the late 1970s which consists of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted. It developed as part of hip hop culture, a subculture defined by four key stylistic elements: MCing/rapping, DJing/scratching with turntables, break dancing, and graffiti writing. Other elements include sampling beats or bass lines from records, and rhythmic beatboxing. While often used to refer solely to rapping, "hip hop" more properly denotes the practice of the entire subculture. The term hip hop music is sometimes used synonymously with the term rap music, though rapping is not a required component of hip hop music; the genre may also incorporate other elements of hip hop culture, including DJing, turntablism, scratching, beatboxing, and instrumental tracks.

Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, United States, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and developed from roots in blues and ragtime. Jazz is seen by many as "America's classical music". Since the 1920s Jazz Age, jazz has become recognized as a major form of musical expression. It then emerged in the form of independent traditional and popular musical styles, all linked by the common bonds of African-American and European-American musical parentage with a performance orientation. Jazz is characterized by swing and blue notes, call and response vocals, polyrhythms and improvisation. Jazz has roots in West African cultural and musical expression, and in African-American music traditions including blues and ragtime, as well as European military band music. Intellectuals around the world have hailed jazz as "one of America's original art forms".

In June 2005, upon returning from tours in the UK and South Africa, Mikanic released a second album, The Subway Tracks, showcasing the diversity and the instant appeal of their sound. Mikanic also toured Japan with great success. Among other shows, the band played sold-out concerts at Sweet Basil and Mandala in Tokyo and at Olive Hall in Takamatsu, collaborating with some of Japan's biggest stars, and appearing live on radio and TV.

Mikanic has played many of New York City's legendary venues including CBGB's, Ace of Clubs and The Knitting Factory. They have also performed at the UN, Lincoln Center and at 9/11 memorial services held at Ground Zero in 2004 and 2005.

Discography

Albums

Singles

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