Van der Want/Letcher

A duo formed in Johannesburg in 1997. Matthew van der Want and Chris Letcher were both part of the ’90s Shifty Records stable: Van der Want as a solo artist and Letcher as a member of Urban Creep. Van der Want was an occasional support act for the Urban Creep and the latter appeared on van der Want’s debut album.

After Urban Creep broke up Van der Want/Letcher released the EP EP Tombi in 1997, followed by three albums: Low Riding (1998), Bignity (2002) and Casual Killing (2005). Van der Want/Letcher is a side project with both members of the duo also releasing solo work, and mostly coming together for live performances.

Vusi Mahlasela

Mamelodi singer-songwriter guitarist who came to the attention of Shifty Records in the early 1990s and who went on to enjoy a national and international career.

He has released several studio albums: When You Come Back (1992), Wisdom Of Forgiveness (1994), Silang Mabele (1997), Miyela Afrika (2000), Jungle of Questions (2002), Guiding Star (2006) and Say Africa (2010).

He has also released live albums including Live At The Bassline (2006) with Louis Mhlanga and collaborations with Swedish backing band Jive Connection.