I ran into a super nice one down here in South Africa. They have a real jam band vibe, like Oakland meets Johannesburg, minus the pretense. I was only introduced to their stylistic diversity at a recent live gig at
Catz Pyjamas last week, but quickly fell in love with this blend of light drums against such a nonpareil voice.
The Fridge are a three-piece bass band that make smooth recordings somewhere at the intersection of African folk and new school jazz.
African Pulse called them "pioneers in a bold new world." It's a big claim, but they live up to it. Their music will make your feet tap, or your heart melt, depending on the chosen direction of the track. It sounds like neo-soul with some R&B elements, but no genre really does them justice. Some tracks, like this one, are quite mellow, with Samkelo, the singer, warbling along, while others like "
Blue" are much more Afro-beat, with a faster pace from a deep bass guitar. Sophisticatedly simple.
If you appreciate this sound, you should like The Fridge on
Facebook and listen to their five-track EP on
SoundCloud.