:: EDITORS NOTE ::

This week sees a smaller MIO edition than usual, because next weeks gonna be big. We know many of our readers are not only interested in South African music but also the process of actually making music and we're gonna be taking a look at some of the music production courses available in SA. Watch this space.

Last week we published an article on Pretoria House, and we received great feedback. This week we're taking a look at another local urban music genre that's set to make waves: Durban Kwaito Music. The sound marries the tempo and energy of House music with the lyrics and street-wise swagger of Kwaito. Big name DJs such as Black Coffee are championing the sound that was born in Durbs and is being spread throughout the nation.

Laurie Levine is a singer-songwriter who has just release the beautiful album, 'Unspoken', received much airplay for the hit, 'Up goes the gauge' and has received a SAMA nomination for her winning style. She's a musician who certainly understands the diversity of South Africa music and is the author of the recently published 'The Drumcafe's Traditional Music of South Africa'.

Speaking of diverse music, this week sees two eagerly anticipated South African albums reviewed by the MIO team. Freshly Ground's 'Ma'Cheri' is not so much a local album as it is international, and its great to have SA's best loved band back with another amazing body of work. Brikz is also back, as many might already have heard with his recent hit, 'Left Right', but can he live up to his 2005/6 hit 'Sweety Ma Baby'. Read our CD reviews to find out.

- Richard Rumney

:: COOL COMPANY NOTICES ::

KRK Studio Monitors join the Pros - Tedelex Pro Audio
All KRK Rokit Powered monitors feature a proprietary signature yellow woofer made of a woven Aramid Composite that delivers articulate midrange and extended low end.

AKIRA JIMBO DRUM CLINIC TOUR! - Paul Bothner Music
Johannesburg and Cape Town drummers have a unique opportunity to see this legendary drummer in action! Limited FREE tickets are available....

Tedelex Pro Audio Sponsor World Song Contest - Tedelex Pro Audio
Tedelex Pro Audio Sponsor World Song Contest!

DJ Mix Club is running a special this week on selected products! - DJ Mix Club
DJ Mix Club is running a special this week on selected products!Special ends Saturday 29 September.

Two new exciting singing and songwriting courses - Paul Bothner Music
Two new exciting singing and songwriting courses from Vivacious Voice for budding idols and songwriters.

:: LATEST NEWS ::

Mandala 2.0 Drum Synthesizer
Synesthesia has updated Mandala to version 2.0, their drum trigger pad and synthesizer. Developed with drummer Danny Carey of Tool, Synesthesia claims, Mandala is the only electronic drum that truly emulates an acoustic drum.

ProTools 7.4!
Digidesign has updated ProTools to version 7.4, which is said to offers numerous new music and post-production features and workflow enhancements for Pro Tools|HD, Pro Tools LE, and Pro Tools M-Powered users.

Introducing Ableton Live 7
Ableton Live 7 renews the core of Live, with enhancements to the audio engine including 64-bit mix summing, new and improved devices with side-chaining capability, better MIDI timing and hardware integration.

World song contest & World music festival
Montecasino in Johannesburg South Africa played host to the (pilot program) of the Finals of the first World Song Contest – South Africa in September 2006.

The Loudness War - Maximus!
Image Line Softwarethe, developers of FL Studio introduces to the market its latest audio tool - the Multiband Maximizer Maximus. It combines high quality Maximizer, Compressor, Limiter, Noise Gate, Expander, Ducker and De-esser. It can be used either as a mastering plugin or as a per-track effect.

:: REVIEWS ::

Freshlyground: Ma'cheri
Freshlyground have taken the country by storm, and for good reason, it is rare to find a band that is so diverse that they have a sound that appeals to South Africans of every walk of life.

Brickz: Es'tokfeleni
Brickz second offering is finally out! If my mind is serving me well, the follow up project should have been released sometime last year. Since the artist became a household name, his behavior has become something to talk about.

:: FORUMS ::

Rock/punk/alternative Etc... Makes Me Feel Good - Muthasun
Hey all,Don't really have a point to this post but it is the soapbox after all and I can say pretty much whatever I want...Basically I write electronic music and I love it but...

Dj Career - toshgada
Heita hola. This is my 1st & i hope 2 hav an amazing experience here... Dankie.I am busy with a research that involves djs. What im interested 2 know is....HOW MUCH DO U MAKE...

Dcdigital Releases Oslo - fly*
Hi All... So some may think that I have been sleeping but its anything further from the truth...I have started spending quite a bit more time working on my dance releases of late..