This year’s winner of the National Arts Festival Standard Bank Ovation award, Ottoman Slap, is preparing to launch its debut album.
The Constantia band will be releasing Idiomatic along with a new video at Barans Sisha Lounge, Greenmarket Square on Thursday next week. Fans can expect a night of “exotic flair” at the launch.
Ottoman Slap’s eclectic musical offering includes traditional numbers and adaptations of songs from places such as Romania, Andalusia and Algeria, as well as original compositions influenced by Balkan and Middle Eastern music, with mesmerising tribal fusion bellydance as the highlight.
The album was recorded by band member Doug Armstrong at the home of some of the band members, under a thatched roof and with plenty of tea to keep the energy levels going.
Trumpeter Doug says: “We chose to record the album in an environment which captured the idiosyncratic and quirky nature of the band and its music.”
Percussionist James van Minnen adds: “This way, we were able to maintain a balance of domestic charm and exotic fancy, recording in among the laundry, visits from children, wild bird calls and a touch of load-shedding.”
The album was mixed and mastered by Simon Ratcliffe of Sound and Motion Studios, in association with Rootspring Productions.
James says Ottoman Slap has invited a few incredible acts to join them on stage at the release next week to make it a memorable night: “Staaltjie Visser will be MC’ing for us. He hails from Mr Cat and the Jackal fame and is a fabulous performer.”
He explains that Staaltjie recently started a storytelling group and “is sure to have an anecdote or two to open our imaginations and set our wits on fire”.
Ottoman Slap will also share the stage with fusion bellydance company Soma. Duo Morphire will perform professional fire-dancing.
The evening is also the launch of the music video for their song “Aquel Ruido” which is already available on YouTube. The video is a seven-minute mini-movie.
“We had the great fortune of teaming up with a very talented director, Jon-Luke Lourens, working alongside incredible crew and cast to make what feels like a truly original piece of Cape Town creativity,” James says of the video produced by Direction Films.
Tickets for the launch party on Thursday next week cost R100 and are available from www.quicket.co.za.V
Visit www.ottomanslap.co.za for more about Ottoman Slap.
