Singer-songwriter, composer and multi-instrumentalist Rikalet will launch her debut EP, Mother Tongue, at The Barn at The Opera House in Port Elizabeth on Saturday, January 26, 2019.
For Rikalet, music is her mother tongue, which is why she has chosen to name her first collection Mother Tongue, also one of the title tracks. The collection of five songs on this EP are connected in various ways – through the instrumentation, the vocals and the style, which is a blend or fusion and contain blues, folk, gypsy, cabaret inflections. Common topics such as addiction, existentialism, and the primal connection that music creates are central themes of the music on the EP.
She was fortunate to get permission from artist Anthony Harris for the use of one of his art works as the cover. It is called Ancestral Orb and is part of this ‘Earth’ exhibition. It refers to all the universal attributes of the circle symbol, which to Rikalet, resonates strongly with the way she views music in general. That is, she sees music as a spiritual experience, something that permeates into everything in the universe and precedes all human existence – a constant omnipresent pre-symbolic inner voice, like the air that we breathe and the blood in our veins. A universal language that comes in many forms, but always holds the possibility of connecting people.
The circle symbol is significant of many ancient and contemporary references that could also be applied to the way Rikalet perceives music – timelessness, unity, completeness, the womb, geometry, infinity, energy, and the original self.
Rikalet has been recording at Crescent Studio for the last 2 years and started recording some of the songs on this EP at Freshmeat Studio in Durbanville, which belongs to Cape Town band Mr Cat & the Jackal. This means that there are lovely percussion sounds, accordion, acoustic and electric guitar played by Jacques du Plessis and Gertjie Besselson. She also had Calan Wolf from Ottoman Slap play Double Bass on Mother Tongue. It has a bit of a rough edge – there are influences of pirate and gypsy folk, blues, but also jazz and cabaret. She needed brass for this and had Curt Rix on trumpet and Tiago Vital on trombone and bass. A drummer she has done a lot of work with is Timon Oosthuizen, and Tiaan Uys also joined for Double Bass.
Rikalet primarily focused on vocals and piano on Mother Tongue. The piano she learned to play on as a child was moved into the studio and was used to record the set of songs for the EP. She was determined to have raw acoustic sounds for these songs, so nothing was created electronically.
Rikalet has been playing music since the tender age of 5 and prides herself on always writing her own music and lyrics. Although her main focus is playing piano, singing and composing music, she has experience with various other instruments such as pipe organ, violin, and acoustic guitar, accordion and various percussion instruments. Not tied to writing in a specific genre, she believes that as time goes by her style is constantly changing and evolving based on what she is exposed to or listening to at that particular period of her life. At the moment she is drawn to a fusion of elements such as blues, jazz, alternative/experimental, folk, Latin, and gypsy.
As for her target audience? Humans. Or Martians. Or time travellers. Whoever wants to listen.
As Rikalet herself says, “My music is just one expression that gives music a voice as a universal language. The possible connections it creates – to others, to our individual and collective futures and our pasts – I’m just in love with that. Music is always best played and experienced with other people.
Rikalet will take the stage with five other musicians, a colourful collaboration including Timon Oosthuizen (drums and percussion), Tiago Vital (bass and trombone), Curt Rix (Trumpet), Tiaan Uys (double bass, clarinet and saxophone), and Ashton Cusens (accordion). Some new and old NMU music students will join this spectacular performance.
For a taste of what you can expect on the night visit Rikalet’s Sound Cloud to listen to the first single, Whiskey & Honey, off Mother Tongue here: www.soundcloud.com/rikalet.
The Mother Tongue EP launch kicks off at 7pm and pre-sold tickets will be available for R90 online from Quicket [www.quicket.co.za/events/64828-rikalet-mother-tongue-ep-launch/#/] or at the door on the night for R100.