Fostering Sonic Communities with Concept Records
Musicians Ben Jamieson and Benjy De Kock are the creatives behind Concept Records, which began as a way for them to record their own music. Now this Sybrand Park-based independent recording studio offers a kitted-out recording space as well as creative support for fellow artists to craft their own sound.
Priding themselves on being accessible, the group has helped produce music for some of South Africa’s most meaningful young musicians. We’re exploring the unique offerings the recording studio provides, including its growing collection of analogue audio equipment, and chatting about why Concept Records is very much rooted in community.
GC: Perhaps a good place to start is how Concept became a hub for cross-pollination. Because the space is accessible this is not just stylistically but across all income groups too. Another way Concept brings individuals together to create a healthier industry is through hosting roundtable discussions.
CR: The cross-pollination has happened as a by-product of what we initially started. The fact that musicians come into the space and meet each other or work on a new collaboration happens quite organically. Our roles started because recording was not accessible to us. Everything that we’re doing now, such as YouTube, live events and festivals, is an attempt to keep this going.
GC: Concept offers high-quality recording, mixing, production services and videography as well as facilitation, consultation and a comfortable, nurturing environment in which to create. It’s a lot, and it’s just the two of you! It’s so alive and layered and one can almost hear the music through images of the space too, which speaks to the collaborative nature. Do you feel like your roles, levels of involvement and responsibilities change often, depending on who you’re working with?
CR: We work with musicians in any phase of their creative process. We are working on facilitating an environment that furthers artists’ limitations of what they believe to be possible, by allowing them the space to make their own decisions and making a comfortable and technically equipped playground.
GC: Can you tell us about Big Little Concepts?
CR: Over the last five years we’ve made video recordings of artists in the studio and have now been awarded a grant from the Western Cape Department of Cultural Affairs and Sports to make episodes of ‘Big Little Concepts’. It’s inspired by NPR’s Tiny Desk Concerts and what they’ve done to expand the reach of artists. This means that we’re now able to showcase the artistry and musicianship of people in a small space with no studio production to a broader network. This channel of local musicians performing live is launching in January 2024.
It’s not just affordability that draws people to Concept Records. The group works hard to make people feel creatively supported in whatever part of the music-making process they are. It’s the unique tools, years of experience and abundance of enthusiasm that make this more than just a recording service, but rather a place where up-and-coming musicians feel their hard-won money will be well spent.
The portfolio of Concept Records includes SAMA nominated album by Nobuhle Ashanti, Bait For Steps Forward, Kujenga’s Hymn for Hani (which has an impressive 20,000 streams on Spotify), and Tefo Mahola’s First Offering, which won the Mzantsi Jazz Award for Best Jazz Album.
Words by Grace Crooks for Letterhead