Press Article

2004 Feb   "The time is now"
Publication: The Big Issue
Byline: Nadia Neophytou

Concord Nkabinde’s hard work has paid
off with the release of his accomplished
debut album, writes Nadia Neophytou

Critics often like to blame the local music industry’s shortcomings on the lack of a work ethic among musicians. Concord Nkabinde, however, discredits this theory. Bassist extraordinaire, Concord has just released his debut solo album, The time, The season, entirely through his own channels. His own label, his own distribution, his own contacts. Along the way, he’s learned a thing or two about what it takes to really make it in the music biz.
“All these years, I’ve been used to just jumping on stage, playing, getting paid and then going home. Now I’ve come to do all this background stuff,” he says. As a session musician and a member of backing bands for over 20 artists, Concord is now in the spotlight. And that means dealing with all those things a recording artist needs to deal with. “It’s about understanding how things work. It’s also been the greatest blessing, teaching me what I’m about as a person and what I’m about in the music industry.”
“The route is not a difficult one,” Concord says, describing the process he took to promote his album independently. “It’s just demanding in terms of time. The music industry is based on relationships that you need to develop with people. And that takes time, especially to make sure they last. You can’t just be walking into something thinking what that person can do for you.” It is this attitude that has seen Concord fare well in his initial contact with retail outlets and radio stations. He has been featured in a number of magazines and newspapers, and his debut single, Canciones de amor, topped the charts on Kaya FM. “People ask me what I did to get there? When I say that I don’t know, they think I am being funny, but I honestly don’t know. Kaya FM embraced the music as their own and I can only be humbled by that.”
Concord may not know the reason for his success but his sincere nature and dedication to the task at hand certainly has something to do with it.
He set up his record label, DROCNOC MUSIC, at the beginning of the year. “I have a thing for admin!” He admits. “I love planning and working things out. Not all artists have the patience for that, but even if they don’t physically do it themselves, it is important that they know what goes on. It can’t hurt for them to acquire the information so that when they sign (to a record label) they know what’s going on. It sounds logical, but it’s still not happening. So many artists sign to record companies without understanding the implications.”
For this reason, Concord gives workshops on various subjects within the music industry. Under the banner of organizations like the MIDI Trust, he talks to young, aspiring musicians and established artists about topics such as taking care of your affairs, issues that influence the creative process, rehearsal techniques, and how to approach club managers and record companies. “I’m not out to fight with record companies but rather to defend musicians against ignorance,” he says.
It hasn’t been as easy as it sounds to impart this information. “Not all musicians are open to hearing this stuff. They think that ‘cause they’ve had to work hard others should have to work hard too, you know, figure out things on their own. But I think if we share our struggles and what we know, it will take us all further.”
Concord is a fan of sharing all things musical. The photographs of his collaborators in the liner notes of his album attest to this spirit. “I appreciate their contribution so much and it has to be known what role they played in the music. There’s no way that I could take credit for all of that. It’s good for people to see the different shades of people involved in the work. It begins to break down the walls between people too.”
Aside from collaborating with artists as different as Lili Feng and Louis Mhlanga, Concord has been the featured bassist for many top local performers. “It keeps you on your toes. Tonight I could be playing a serious jazz gig, the next night I could be on stage with Danny K or Wendy Oldfield. It’s a good thing too, I get bored easily,” he explains.
And of course, each of these artists has left a mark on the music that Concord himself makes. “We did this Peace Train gig from Durban to Cape Town and back, playing at all the cities we stopped in. For two weeks I listened to Ladysmith Black Mambazo, on and off stage, and that had a lot of influence on me.” The influence of this award-winning group can be heard in the track Vuka Uzenzele.
Although Concord made a name for himself as a bassist, he chose not to dedicate his whole album to long bass solos, as was expected by many.
“I didn’t want to launch myself as a bass player. I wanted to sell myself as a musician who just happens to play bass. There’s nothing wrong with specializing, but it’s also beautiful to showcase other things.” That’s why, for Concord’s next release, he’s toying with the idea of releasing an album of spoken word and a booklet of poetry.
He has yet to play the material live, but he is in the process of finding the right musicians and a sound engineer. “If I could put together different musicians so that it’s never the same band that plays the material, I would. Then no two performances will ever be the same.”
And the album sales? “That’s not my main concern,” he says. “Besides, if my album is doing well that is something for me and my bank manager to know. I don’t go around asking everyone what their salary is, so why should musicians have to flaunt it through (telling people about their) album sales?”