Astral Daze: Psychedelic South African Rock 1968-1972

If you’re a fan of psychedelic rock, then you’ll definitely want to check out Astral Daze: Psychedelic South African Rock 1968-1972. This compilation features some of the best psychedelic rock tunes to come out of South Africa during that time period.

General information about the South African psychedelic music scene in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s

The South African psychedelic music scene of the late 1960’s and early 1970’s was a vibrant and creative time for musicians in the country. Psychedelic rock bands like Freedom’s Children, The Motors, and Hex Volt created a sound that was distinctly South African, while also incorporating elements of British and American psychedelia.

This period of South African music history is often referred to as the “Golden Age” of rock music in the country. It was a time when many young musicians were experimenting with new sounds and styles, and when the local music scene was thriving. Unfortunately, this Golden Age came to an abrupt end in the mid-1970’s, when apartheid laws began to restrict the flow of information and cultural exchange between South Africa and the rest of the world.

The bands that were influential in the South African psychedelic music scene

Some of the bands that were influential in the South African psychedelic music scene were The Freedom’s Children, The Space Mother’s Son, and The Atomic Forest.

The South African psychedelic music scene in relation to the international psychedelic music scene

In the late 1960s and early 1970s, South Africa was one of the birthplaces of psychedelic rock. At the time, the country was undergoing a dramatic social and political transformation, and young people were looking for new ways to express themselves. Psychedelic music was a perfect vehicle for this self-exploration, and it quickly caught on with the country’s youth.

South African psychedelic bands like Freedom’s Children, The Blues Machine, and Suck were heavily influenced by American and British psychedelic music, but they also put their own spin on the genre. South African psychedelia often incorporated elements of traditional African music, creating a unique sound that was both familiar and strange.

Sadly, the South African psychedelic scene was short-lived. By the mid-1970s, most of the country’s major psychedelic bands had broken up or gone commercial. But for a brief moment in time, South Africa was home to some of the most innovative and exciting psychedelic music in the world.

The legacy of the South African psychedelic music scene

In the late 1960s and early 1970s, a vibrant and innovative music scene emerged in South Africa that was heavily influenced by the psychedelic sounds coming out of the UK and US. This new style of music came to be known as “bubblegum” due to its catchy melodies and dreamlike, often surreal lyrics.

The bubblegum scene was built around a small number of key figures, including Rikki Ililonga, Doug Wright, Mackay Davashe, and Clive Calder. These artists eschewed the traditional African sound in favor of a more experimental approach that incorporated Western pop, rock, and jazz influences. The result was a unique and intoxicating mix of sounds that was unlike anything else coming out of Africa at the time.

Despite its popularity with South African youth, bubblegum was largely ignored by the country’s mainstream media. This changed in 1972 when Douglas Wright’s “Astral Daze” was released. The album quickly became a sensation, exposing bubblegum to a wider audience and helping to cement the genre’s place in South African music history.

Even today, the legacy of South African psychedelic music continues to resonate. In recent years, there has been a resurgence of interest in bubblegum, with modern artists like Bantu Continua Uhuru Consciousness (BCUC) carrying on the tradition of this truly unique style of music.