We chatted to English DJ, radio and television personality, Goldierocks (Samantha Hall). We spoke about 2 South African acts who will be performing at the Roundhouse Rising festival in London and she gave us advice on some of the hot upcoming British acts that could be making their way to South African radio stations in the coming months. Let's see what Goldie' had to say!
Hi Samantha, welcome to South Africa and welcome to the ZAlebs playroom! How are you enjoying our country?
It’s good. It’s a beautiful country. I’m just enjoying the sunshine and the warmth more than anything else! It’s been amazing, I went to Bassline and had the time of my life!
For some of our South African readers who aren’t familiar with Goldierocks, please introduce yourself?
My real name is Samantha Hall and I’m a radio presenter, a TV presenter, a DJ and a music journalist who goes under the name of Goldierocks. I present a global radio show called The Selector which is powered by the British Council and is broadcast in 40 countries around the world.
You played at Future Music Rising last week, how was it?
It was fun! It really was lovely. It was kind of a hotpot of a lot of South African artists, like The Brother Moves On and Wildebeats. There were also some UK guys, myself, an artist from Brighton called Murder He Wrote. We’re going to be taking some of the artists to London in a couple of week’s time, so it’s a really cool exchange.
I was just about to ask about that! Wildebeats and Brother Moves On will be playing at Roundhouse Rising. What can you say about the festival?
The Roundhouse is one of the most famous venues in Europe, everyone has played there! Jimi Hendrix, Nirvana have played there, the recent iTunes festival was also held there. It’s an amazing space to perform in. It’s a great experience for the two artists though, the cultural exchange between the UK and SA is very strong and we’re sure the boys are gonna have a great time! I’m also excited to take the guys out! They showed me their city and I want to show them mine.
How big of an impact would it have for their career? A lot of artists get a lot more exposure after performing at Roundhouse Rising right?
It’s a big showcase opportunity for them, definitely. As well as that, being in London is an advantage because there is such a strong music industry. The amount of labels, managers and scouts there are a lot. You then find that you link with other artists, get onto the European tour circuit; yeah. It’s a big opportunity!
Let’s talk a little more about your music. What kind of set to do you put out when you perform?
Here in South Africa I’m really trying to showcase UK sounds. House, electro, dubstep, drum n bass, some new artists people won’t have heard before. With my radio show we play almost everything from Indie rock right through to folk, and then things like hip hop, reggae and jazz. As long as it’s new and fresh and innovative and exciting.
A lot of UK trends seem to make their way to SA, I mean with the music we’ve seen Tinie Tempah, Wretch 32, Disclosure, make waves in recent years. Who’s the next big star to look out for from the UK?
There’s a new DJ from London called T Williams, he’s one of my favourite DJs at the moment. He’s just amazing to watch and great to listen to. Also, Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs, or TEED for short, he’s a brilliant producer from Oxford. There’s a new hip hop duo from Hackney called Jungle.
(Main Image Credit: Goldierocks Official Website)