Andre Visagie- Talks To Us About His Background, Music, and New Single DamWal

Interviewed by Duzzy Clayton

INTRO

André Visagie is an Afrikaans musician from Tzaneen, South Africa. He plays drums, guitar, bass, and piano. André creates as well as produces his own music. His latest single and video ‘Damwal’ will be released on Friday 10 March

We chat with Andre, about his background, and how the music bug bit him, we also chat about his new Damwal set to be released Friday 10 March.

Enjoy The Read

QUESTONS

Hi Andre, welcome to Fanbase Music Magazine. Can you tell us your background, where did you grow up and where are you based now?

I was born and raised in Tzaneen, played in a couple of bands that did quite well, including SAMA nominated band ‘Teerpad’, and soon realized that going solo is the best way forward. I had more control over my life and had since built a recording studio in Tzaneen and I’m using it to get the sound out of my music that I’ve always wanted.

What got you into music?

I was born into a musical family and soon realised that making music was amazing! After many years of listing to classical and light music, I was introduced to Linkin Park by a swimming buddy of mine. I used to swim around 3 hours a day which was more than enough time to compose create in total silence. One day, I got out of the pool and decided that the hours I’m spending to swim faster, can better be spend doing music. It was a really hard thing to do, but I was ready … body, mind and soul!

Do you play any instruments?

Yes, Guitar, Piano, Drums, and Bass.

What is your genre or how would you describe your sound?

Rock and Roll, but with a melodic finish. Powerful cadences supported by huge sounds.

What are some of your musical influences and what music did you grow up listening to?

Josh Groban, Dana Winner, Celine Deon, Andrea Bocelli, Coleske, Avril Lavigne, Linkin Park, As I Lay Dying, Breaking Benjamin, Blink 182, Green Day, Sum 41, Metallica, All That Remains, Trivium, Ill Nino, and Muse … just to name a few!

Let’s talk about the new single, Damwal, what is the story behind the track, what is it about?

‘Damwal’ is dedicated to all women who went thorough, or go through any kind of abuse. A ‘Damwal’ (Afrikaans for ‘Dam Wall’), regulates how much water is stored, before releasing it back into the ocean. This is a strong reference to something people do more often than we think. Our lives are like powerful rivers, that are forceful raging towards the ocean. This is what we were meant for, but sometimes, other people build dams to keep our spirits in. After some time, the wall will break if we don’t open the sluice gates. This is a comparison in empathy to crying, with reference to the emotional and physical struggles of an abusive relationship. Wind and rain are horrible, thunder is even worse, but if we decide to harness the waves created by these winds, and ride on them, then you can be set free.

Where was it recorded and who worked on the track?

Die Mancave Recording Studios in Tzaneen. I built a studio in order to get my Natural sound as well and efficiently as possible, every time.

What was the recording process like?

‘Damwal’ is one of maybe 5 or 6 tracks (keep in mind I’ve made hundreds!), that just worked itself into my life and onto my recording equipment. It was such crunch time and I was doing about 5 gigs per week. Like the other ‘so called’ calling songs, I dropped everything and went into production for about 3 days. I had a drummer over, I had some ‘gees’, a lot of sample replacements and rewrites, but the backbone of the song was in order and left me to remaster and remix it until I accidentally corrupted the project. I was forced to use the last mix I made … and then I realised I loved it. It pumped like I wanted it to and the way it was delivered to my speakers made me think that this whole process happened for a reason, and made it to its peak at precisely the right moment. It was an amazing experience!

When is the single set to be released?

Friday 10 March 2023

You are a solo musician, do you have a band that you record and perform with or do you hire session musicians?

Yes I regularly play with Doulton Robson. a crazy good Bassist and all-round musician. He’s got amazing talent and always brings my shows up to the next level. At the moment I don’t really travel with drummers, but I will surely go and find my cousin this year and tour with him. He is also a really amazing musician and my dream is to tour with him.

The single comes with a music video, what is the concept behind the video and where was it recorded?

Honestly, the concept was scripted for a different song. After writing Damwal I realised that the footage was perfect for the project and I made a new fresh script to accommodate the new single. I had a team of friends to help out with the shooting and after a couple of days, I had the perfect shots. The shots did not work for the previous song, and the footage was, well sort of archived. I feel very privileged to have had so many people to help me in the production of this video.

Who else worked on the music video?

Christo Potgieter, Hanro Fritz, and Hendrik Gouws.

Can you give us your social media?

All Social & Streaming Links HERE
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