This is the sixth and final episode of the first season of Gallo Vault Sessions: A podcast in collaboration with KONJO. In this episode we think through South African music through transition; both the transition in South Africa’s socio-political landscape, but also how the sounds and music-technologies within South Africa’s music industry evolved along with the shifts in the country in the early 90s and early 2000s. We return to our conversations with Antos Stella & Dr Sipho Sithole, and...

In the fifth episode of Gallo Vault Sessions, we follow the ways South African music has proliferated across the international stage, and trace a few Gallo-affiliated artists as they and their music traversed the globe! We charter a flight with the music of Lucky Dube, Ray Phiri, Solomon Linda, and more…and explore both the highs and lows of what it means for South African music and artists to contend with international audiences and global success. We also tease out different moments of both...

In this fourth episode of Gallo Vault Sessions picks up on some threads from earlier in the season, and takes a look at some of the stories behind the talent scouts and in-house producers at the labels that would eventually fall under Gallo Music; the people behind so much of the music, and who in some ways had exceptional power to shape the sound of what we have come to associate with South Africa’s music. Throughout this episode we will explore how the very structure of labels’ relying on...

In this episode of Gallo Vault Sessions we take a look at Gallo Music’s Afrikaans language catalogue, and consider how the sound of whiteness and in particular, Afrikanerdom was a conscious construction by the SABC and by extension, the Broedebond. We will explore how music in particular was used as a means of forming Afrikaner conscience in the wake of the Anglo-Boer war, and how various musicians reacted against the Broedebond’s idea of what it meant to be a “good Afrikaner”.To help us tell...

In this episode of Gallo Vault Sessions we take a look at music’s role in the retribalisation project of the apartheid regime through the South African Broadcasting Corporation’s radio bantu, Gallo Music’s African music imprints, the impact this had on local conceptions of language, as well as what was deemed African music. We’re joined by last month’s guests, Sipho Sithole, Antos Stella, Bra Mike Swaratle, Ivor Haarburger, and Rob Allingham, and also meet some new voices; renowned musician...

In this episode of Gallo Vault Sessions we take a look at the story of Gallo Music as we celebrate Gallo Music’s 95th anniversary and learn about some of the key moments in South Africa’s recording industry history! We’re joined by 5 people who have dedicated their lives to developing and understanding the South African music industry and its history, Rob Allingham, Mike Swaratlhe, Antos Stella, Ivor Haarburger & Sipho Sithole — all of whom have played a pivotal role in Gallo Music’s...

Gallo Vault Sessions podcast is a 6-part series brought to you by Gallo Music in collaboration with KONJO. We delve into the story of Gallo Music, Africa’s largest and oldest recording company, and reflect on the ways music shapes culture, and how our culture has been shaped by music…both at the centre and periphery of Africa’s music history. We bridge 95 years of Gallo’s music history with KONJO’s passion for cultural storytelling and chat with artists, label executives, radio veterans and...