Tumi And The Volume

Conveying the full spectrum of feelings tied to post-apartheid South Africa, Tumi and the Volume rank among the scarce hip-hop groups from the country to achieve an international breakthrough. Fronted by poet-MC Tumi Molekane, whose style draws from the Native Tongues collective, the Johannesburg-based ensemble fuses progressive hip-hop with rock, spoken word, and African jazz and pop. The group traces its roots to the Bassline club in Melville, a fashionable northwestern neighborhood of Johannesburg. There, bassist David Bergman and drummer Paul Chibanga, both members of the venue’s house band, encountered Molekane during one of the club’s open-mike poetry nights. Impressed by his writing and delivery, they chose to launch a band together. By 2002 the lineup had solidified in Johannesburg, consisting of Bergman, Chibanga, guitarist Tiago Paulo—who stepped in after an original member departed—and violinist Kyla Rose Smith. The quartet’s debut album, Live at the Bassline, recorded that same year, earned widespread critical acclaim when it appeared in 2003 and received three South African Music Award nominations. Amid the resulting spotlight, Smith left the ensemble soon afterward. Early momentum carried the band to Canada for the 2005 African Way tour, where K’Naan served as headliner. Additional engagements followed across Europe and southern Africa, placing them on bills alongside the Roots, Blackalicious, Massive Attack, and Coldplay. In 2006 the quartet released its second project and first studio album, the self-titled Tumi and the Volume.