Sheer Sound is a South African independent record label formed in 1994 by Damon Forbes.

History

Sheer Sound was formed in November 1994, shortly after South Africa's first democratic elections. The label was initially a home for jazz and world music and fast gained a reputation for its extensive South African and

African African or Africans may refer to: * Anything from or pertaining to the continent of Africa: ** People who are native to Africa, descendants of natives of Africa, or individuals who trace their ancestry to indigenous inhabitants of Africa *** Ethn ...

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

catalogue. By the mid-1990s, a young music marketer, Damon Forbes, was getting restless with the limited vision of his industry. "I sunk my teeth into jazz because it carried a world music message for me; it was truly culturally representative.... I just looked at the market and I saw the economics of the people of South Africa changing, due to better access to education.... ndhe workplace was going to change; a lot more black people getting into jobs that are of medium and higher income levels.... With all that, comes the aspiration to listen to better quality music. othe market, in the long term, is going to increase." With what he calls "R1 500 (just over $200) and a dream", Forbes established his own label, Sheer Sound. (Ansell 2005:269) In 2006 two imprint labels,

Seed A seed is an embryonic plant enclosed in a protective outer covering, along with a food reserve. The formation of the seed is a part of the process of reproduction in seed plants, the spermatophytes, including the gymnosperm and angiospe ...

and 2Feet Music, were formed under the Sheer Sound umbrella and has since released some of the most prolific rock and singer-songwriter music, respectively, in South Africa.

Roster

Singer-songwriter

* Farryl Purkiss *

Chris Letcher Chris Letcher is a South African singer-songwriter and film composer based in London and Johannesburg. He has played with Urban Creep. Two of his albums made South Africa's ''Mail & Guardian'' "20 Best CDs of the Decade by South African Artists" ...

* Nibs van der Spuy *

Shawn Phillips Shawn Phillips (born February 3, 1943) is an American singer-songwriter and musician, primarily influential in the 1960s and 1970s. His work is rooted in folk rock but straddles other genres, including jazz fusion and funk. Phillips has re ...

* Baz Corden * Simon van Gend

Rock

* Wonderboom * Myepic *

Cassette Cassette may refer to: Technology * Cassette tape (or ''musicassette'', ''audio cassette'', ''cassette tape'', or ''tape''), a worldwide standard for analog audio recording and playback ** Cassette single (or "Cassingle"), a music single in th ...

(Outside of RSA only) *

Bed on Bricks A bed is an item of furniture that is used as a place to sleep, rest, and relax. Most modern beds consist of a soft, cushioned mattress on a bed frame. The mattress rests either on a solid base, often wood slats, or a sprung base. Many beds ...

* Paul E. Flynn *

Martin Rocka and The Sick Shop Martin may refer to: Places * Martin City (disambiguation) * Martin County (disambiguation) * Martin Township (disambiguation) Antarctica * Martin Peninsula, Marie Byrd Land * Port Martin, Adelie Land * Point Martin, South Orkney Islands Austra ...

* Misled * Pestroy * Insek *

Libido Libido (; colloquial: sex drive) is a person's overall sexual drive or desire for sexual activity. Libido is influenced by biological, psychological, and social factors. Biologically, the sex hormones and associated neurotransmitters that act u ...

Gently Scar'd Gently may refer to: * Dirk Gently, a fictional character created by Douglas Adams * George Gently, a fictional character created by Alan Hunter (see '' Inspector George Gently'') * "Gently", a song by American nu metal band Slipknot from ''Iowa'' ...

Underbelly Underbelly is the side of something that is not normally seen. Figuratively, it means a vulnerable or weak part, similar to the term Achilles' heel, or alternatively, a hidden, illicit side of society. This term could refer to: Business * ...

New Academics New Academics is a four-piece Funk rock band formed in Cape Town, South Africa. They are currently based in Johannesburg. They are known for their mixture of Afro-beat, Jazz, Hard rock, Funk and Hip hop in their music and have built a solid a ...

* Lionel Bastos * Elusion * The Dirty Skirts * Mann Friday * Gonzo Republic * eVoid *

Walt Walt is a masculine given name, generally a short form of Walter, and occasionally a surname. Notable people with the name include: People Given name * Walt Arfons (1916-2013), American drag racer and competition land speed record racer * Walt B ...

Afropop

* Jaziel Brothers * Lesego * Mina Nawe * Phinda * Naledi

Jazz

* Jeff Maluleke *

McCoy Mrubata McCoy Mrubata (born 1959) is a South African jazz saxophonist. Biography McCoy Mrubata was born in 1959 in the township of Langa, Cape Town, South Africa. He was surrounded in childhood by many African hymns, from the sounds of Zion churches to t ...

* Winston Mankunku Ngozi * Paul Hanmer *

Louis Mhlanga Louis Mhlanga (born 10 November 1956) is a Zimbabwean artist based in South Africa, an award-winning guitarist and producer. Mhlanga taught himself to play the guitar at a young age and is considered one of the best Southern African guitarist ...

* Gavin Minter * Tony Cox * Ernie Smith

Awards and nominations

External links

Sheer Sound official site

References

* Ansell, Gwen. 2005. Soweto Blues. New York: Continuum Books. (The history of Sheer Sound taken from this book) {{Authority control South African independent record labels Record labels established in 1994 Jazz record labels Rock record labels World music record labels House music record labels