The acclaimed South African group of musicians known as The Brother Moves On are set to release their provocatively titled new album ‘$/He Who Feeds You…Owns You’ via Native Rebel, the new label established by the accomplished British multi-reed player, Shabaka Hutchings, who leads the bands Sons Of Kemet, The Comet Is Coming, and Shabaka & The Ancestors.
Fronted by Siyabonga Mthembu – who happens to be Shabaka and the Ancestors’ lead vocalist – The Brother Moves On began as a performance art ensemble in their native Johannesburg before evolving into a six-piece band that has several records under its belt, including 2015’s ‘The Golden Wake.’
The sextet’s nine-track album showcases a unique sound that is informed by South African traditions and the country’s musical past and yet is fiercely contemporary in the way it blends jazz, funk, and electric instrumentation with acoustic sounds and stirring acapella vocal harmonies.
The album’s storytelling themes run the gamut from finding spiritual enlightenment to political protest, seeking social justice, and voicing the concerns of everyday life. As well as producing the album, Shabaka Hutchings plays flute and clarinet with the band and will be introducing them at a special Native Rebel showcase at London’s EFG Jazz Festival in November.