Van Coke Kartel – Wat Het Van Ons Geword?

Today we continue on my quest to present good South African Rock Music to everyone on the planet. I’m presenting one more band in this post, so brace yourself for some rocking tunes. Since Oppikoppi 2009 I have not been to a gig in Pretoria yet, but I aim to go to Vredefest III this upcoming weekend. The event is planned for the 19th of September at Hatfield Square in Pretoria. 5 or 6 bands will be performing including Die Heuwels Fantasties and aKING, so it does sound promising indeed. As I explained in my previous post about this topic, the way people are introduced to music and bands has changed over the last few years. Artists gain more fans by receiving exposure on Youtube, Facebook and Twitter. Social Media websites like these 3 give fans the ability to share links with their friends, which could build up hype for a new album just before it’s release. It’s also an excellent way for the artists to touch base with their fans. Gone are the days of gigging forever to make a name for yourself. The internet is the easiest way for an artist to receive exposure and that’s why almost every artist out there is doing it. More exposure means more fans. More fans mean more gigs. More gigs mean more money. And all three of these lead to more albums being sold. Today’s band is no exception.

Van Coke Kartel was formed in 2007. They are currently working on their 3rd album which is bound for release hopefully before the end of 2009. Van Coke Kartel is a 3 piece Afrikaans Rock band made up out of Francois van Coke and Wynand Myburgh (both from Fokofpolisiekar and Justin Kruger (who used to be back-up drummer for Fokofpolisiekar when Jaco Venter injured his arm). Musicians like Ludo Liebenberg from and Hunter Kennedy from Fokofpolisiekar and Die Heuwels Fantasties have collaborated with Van Coke Kartel on their albums to give the music a somewhat collective feel. At Oppikoppi 2009 Smoorverlief, the band collaborated with Gerald Clark (formerly of Delta Blue) in an acoustic set which was excellently delivered. The crowd (of which your’s truly was a part of) loved this approach and delivery. This truly was one of my favorite performances at Oppikoppi this year.