Biography
South African outfit BLK JKS fuses an expansive range of assertive influences into an indie-rock framework, weaving prog, highlife, reggae, and electronic elements through material that echoes the Mars Volta or TV on the Radio. Following an intense stretch of releases and favorable attention that spanned the close of the 2000s into the start of the following decade, the group experienced personnel shifts while several members turned their attention to separate endeavors for roughly ten years. BLK JKS resurfaced in May 2021 with the follow-up full-length Abantu/Before Humans.
The Johannesburg-formed ensemble began in 2000 when guitarists Lindani Buthelezi and Mpumi Mcata, both raised in the city’s East Rand, joined forces with Soweto-born bassist Molefi Makananise and drummer Tshepang Ramoba. After issuing a self-released, self-titled EP in 2006, the quartet reached an international audience the next year via a limited 10-inch vinyl pressing of the single “Lakeside.” During a 2008 DJ visit to South Africa, Diplo encountered the band, voiced support, and helped secure a deal with Secretly Canadian. Their first release for the American indie label arrived in 2009 as the four-song Mystery EP, produced in tandem with Secret Machines’ Brandon Curtis and containing a fresh recording of “Lakeside.” Around the same period the group drew press acclaim, graced the cover of Fader, and toured the United States and Europe, performing at South by Southwest and Big Chill. Not long after the debut album After Robots appeared in summer 2010, BLK JKS issued the follow-up EP Zol!
Buthelezi departed in 2012 soon after launching the side project God Sons and Daughter. With newcomers Tebogo Seitei and Hlubi Vakalisa on board, the remaining founding members kept creating together while each pursued outside work. Throughout most of the 2010s the band concentrated on standalone recordings, including a collaboration with South African collective the Brother Moves On and a cover of Hugh Masekela’s “The Boy’s Doin’ It” issued shortly after the trumpeter’s 2018 passing. In 2019 they unveiled the new track “Harare,” the first in a series of singles that preceded their next album. Abantu/Before Humans reached listeners in May 2021, arriving twelve years after the group’s initial long-player.
The Johannesburg-formed ensemble began in 2000 when guitarists Lindani Buthelezi and Mpumi Mcata, both raised in the city’s East Rand, joined forces with Soweto-born bassist Molefi Makananise and drummer Tshepang Ramoba. After issuing a self-released, self-titled EP in 2006, the quartet reached an international audience the next year via a limited 10-inch vinyl pressing of the single “Lakeside.” During a 2008 DJ visit to South Africa, Diplo encountered the band, voiced support, and helped secure a deal with Secretly Canadian. Their first release for the American indie label arrived in 2009 as the four-song Mystery EP, produced in tandem with Secret Machines’ Brandon Curtis and containing a fresh recording of “Lakeside.” Around the same period the group drew press acclaim, graced the cover of Fader, and toured the United States and Europe, performing at South by Southwest and Big Chill. Not long after the debut album After Robots appeared in summer 2010, BLK JKS issued the follow-up EP Zol!
Buthelezi departed in 2012 soon after launching the side project God Sons and Daughter. With newcomers Tebogo Seitei and Hlubi Vakalisa on board, the remaining founding members kept creating together while each pursued outside work. Throughout most of the 2010s the band concentrated on standalone recordings, including a collaboration with South African collective the Brother Moves On and a cover of Hugh Masekela’s “The Boy’s Doin’ It” issued shortly after the trumpeter’s 2018 passing. In 2019 they unveiled the new track “Harare,” the first in a series of singles that preceded their next album. Abantu/Before Humans reached listeners in May 2021, arriving twelve years after the group’s initial long-player.
Albums
Singles
