BLK JKS 'Mystery' EP

Tour Dates:
April
9 London Adventures in the Beetroot Field @ Fabric
14 Colchester Arts Centre w/ Errors
15 London The Lexington
16 London ICA w/ Errors
18 Newcastle The End
19 Glasgow Captain's Rest
20 Leeds Brudenell Social Club
21 Bristol NME @ The Lanes
22 Manchester The Deaf Institute w/ HEALTH
23 Reading South Street
24 London Ether @ South Bank Centre w/ Squarepusher
25 London Camden Crawl

BLK JKS defy description. With a wrecking crew rhythm section, debonair vocals, and guitar concoction of one part shred and two parts soul, BLK JKS shoot an African music sensibility through the tenets of rock. On one hand it is easy to politicize BLK JKS; here is a band that is instantly young, black and fly even as they reclaim styles that have been stolen, watered down, and regurgitated for generations. And yet to get caught up in anything but their sound is to sell this phenomenon short, because as musicians--as artists--BLK JKS simply cook.

The band's fresh, forward rhythm, layered harmony and elliptical guitar vernacular reveal the urban Zulu blues of mbaqanga that is the center of BLK JKS songwriting. Teaching themselves guitar on the same block where they both grew up, childhood friends Linda and Mpumi formed the band in 2000, and early BLK JKS shows garnered attention for their stacks of guitar drone and head-nodding beats. After the band's current lineup took shape with the addition of bassist Molefi and drummer Tshepang, both of Soweto, they embarked on a heavy touring schedule throughout South Africa that earned them a national following.



www.myspace.com/blkjks