Track of the Week "Bone_Us" by Simiato is the 13th track off his album Beat_Ape. "Bone_Us" is a spacious and tribally textured tribute to the humid summer nights Cape Town can’t wait to experience. Reminiscent of 90s acid-jazz fusions, the percussives in this track are just downtempo enough to achieve a hypnotic timbre. With sweet and haunting flute gliding over the clicks and claps, together they create a sense of surreality as the lazy “lo-le-lo-le” sounds cradle our senses.
The process of making thyis track began with Simiato relaxing at home, listening to music and needing something to reinforce that ambience.
“I heard a song that grabbed my attention immediately and I sat down to sample it. It's one of those beats I made in about 30 minutes and spent the rest of the coming days refining it,” he says. “There was no intended message behind it. I enjoyed how the sounds came together and wanted to share that."
Under-the-radar beatmaker Simpiwe “SIMIATO” Bam grew up in Mdantsane, East London in South Africa and later moved to Johannesburg to continue his pursuit of a life that would satisfy his musical craving. He started creating music when he composed an intro for DJ Bino's first show at Metro FM and has never stopped. Due to the lack of access to good beats, he started experimenting with music production software Fruity Loops and has worked on a myriad of homemade hip-hop beats, including a series of tracks entitled ShortFilters alongside Cape Town MC Johnny Filter of the charismatic ETC Crew.
“I listen to a wide range of music, from Tony Allen to The Clash and even classical music; as a creator one can never have too many influences,” he explains.
Shortly thereafter he produced a collection called Beat_Ape, which explores samples of quirky conversation peppered with soul, jazz and African sounds. “The purpose behind Beat_Ape was to share my music with whoever is receptive to it and hopefully to introduce those who have no idea it exists.”
As for future plans, he and Johnny Filter are working on a follow-up to their ShortFilters beat tape series. He is also part of a collective called FAMPack that is busy crafting new work. Look out for it.
