music
Silvabaq
Silvabaq is a musical outfit that consists of two members and sometimes three; the two lead vocalists Arnold 'Aewon Eastwood' Phillips and Ntuthuko 'Tuko' Madondo plus the elusive ‘never-seen-but-always-heard’ producer Yuvir 'UV RAY' Pillay who is behind Silvabaq’s musical mastery.
Silvabaq has existed in many forms since 2005, when Tuko and Aewon first worked on a collaborative song called ‘Punchlines 05’. The song went on to become no 1 on the local top 5 chart on 'Durban Youth Radio’s' Hip Hop show.
They then decided to work together permanently as Silvabaq therefore creating a force to be reckoned with. The duo continued making records and getting play-listed on D.Y.R and their songs always made their way to the charts’ pole position. The group grew from strength to strength and became one of the pioneering acts of Durban’s Hip Hop mixtape scene; they released their first mixtape called 'Lived up to the hype vol.1' which quickly sold out all 1000 copies made.
As the boys were coming up quickly in the Durban Hip Hop scene they soon found themselves looking to broaden their local buzz into a national one and they started off with the country’s popular and exclusively Hip Hop TV show 'Shiz Niz'. The producers of he show were so blown away by Silvabaq that they dedicated the entire show to the band – a milestone given that the band was still only known in Durban.
Silvabaq decided to enter and compete in the Nokia Battle of The Bands, they went on to win the Kwa Zulu Natal leg of a country wide competition and were invited to play at the finals and represent Kwa Zulu Natal at the Nokia Indie Fest which was held at the Wanderers stadium in Johannesburg to a crowd of approximately 5000 people. The group did not win, but being one of only two Hip Hop groups to make it to the final made the group more motivated than ever.
The group had now come to the attention of Hip Hop superstar Slikour, who took the group in under his wings. He taught the group many things and worked with them on a few songs, Slikour took up the role of a mentor but did not sign the boys to his Ventilation label mainly because Silvabaq was not yet entirely ready for the BIG time, however the boys grew wiser and stronger from this experience thus dedicating more time to studio work and researching the industry to get a better understanding on the business of the music.
With 300 songs and many sleepless nights later, the group have redefined themselves to a spectrum beyond borders and description, infusing the sampling spirit of Hip Hop to incorporate Rock, Electro, R&B and pop elements into their music thus reflecting the diversity of the personalities behind the music.
The group recently came back into performing as the new revitalized Silvabaq, having major gigs from clubs such a 'Plush Ultra lounge' in Durban, to performing at 'Vacca Matta' at Monte Casino in Johannesburg at the official South African 'Girls Gone Wild' party, to being the only non Jo’burg based and unsigned act to perform at Deep Level’s 1st annual Feb Kidz Party in Thokoza alongside Gang Of Instrumentals, Skwatta Kamp, 985, Glitz Gang (Maggz, Sean Pages, Morale & L-Tido), F-eezy, Young Nations, Mr. Selwyn and many more. Silvabaq was recently given large platforms when the band was booked for the official Akon pre-party and after party alongside, Da Les, Liquid deep and other big names in the music industry.
Silvabaq can easily be described as the poster boys of the party life. With extensive experience in the Durban party scene, the boys embody this spirit of life in all its elements, from the madness of the club to the deep introspection that follows the day after. Their sound can be described as an entirely new kind of Hip Hop that has no borders or boundaries, a 'broad band' of Hip Hop that includes elements from Rock to electro. This spirit is one that symbolizes the youth of today who infuse many cultures to create their new sub-culture, which the boys have coined as 'Skye-Roq' pronounced (Sky Rock).
Skye-Roq is the future, as global trends (over seas and locally) in schools and the party scene, is to infuse cultures and former differences, with more and more collaborations between different genres, Silvabaq serve this fusion naturally through their Skye-Roq music. The group is of the understanding that the music industry must adapt or die, and they see themselves as the next step in this evolution.
Silvabaq are also founders of the biggest Hip Hop movement in Durban right now, RUN DBN. The RUN DBN movement has transformed the Durban’s club scene on its head, from a scene that almost entirely catered only for House music, to now having equal representation all round, from the deejays to the patrons.