Five minutes with hip hop duo Cold Chinese Food on their music debut

TimesLIVE

5 days ago

Johannesburg underground hip hop duo Cold Chinese Food are looking to make their mark in the music scene with their debut album Vital Ital.
The duo, Sam Turpin and Illa N, are longtime friends and music collaborators with strong musical and political family ties.
Sam is the son of anti-apartheid activist and photographer Gisèle Wulfsohn with Illa N's parents being of the Rastafarian culture and avid music collectors.
This has influenced their music and views on the global community as well as culture, which can be heard in their 13-track album with themes that combine elements from multiple genres such as jazz, rock, Afrobeat, fusion and experimental, yet heavily influenced by hip hop.
'It's poetry to funk-inspired hip hop. Other people have used the phrases 'alternative' and 'left of centre', which is cool. But I like to send sonic messages, so I lean more towards 'musical poetry inspired by the world', Sam, 29, told TshisaLIVE.
What can people expect from your debut album?
Cold Chinese Food is a journey — expect a solid hip hop offering that bends in and out of style and flavour. It's about travelling, eating, loving and overcoming the difficulties we face as we grow in life. It's the soundtrack to the past eight years of my life.
How long did it take to make and what was the journey to the release of this project?
When it came time to start the Cold Chinese Food album, I knew I had to write my life experiences in a particular way. This started in 2017 and so it's almost eight years in the making. We also started work on The Charles Géne Suite collective and so the experiences we have together informed a lot of what you will hear. It's a pan-African reflection of life as an artist in the 21st Century. Think of it as a travel documentary you get to listen to through music. We just want to show you a bit of our lives.
What inspired the theme and title of your debut album?
Vital Ital refers to the healthy eating practice of people who follow Rastafari. It espouses health as well and leans more towards vegetarianism and an appreciation of the earth. I think this can be important for everyone and it inspired me. Food is also a way into a culture, with music, and I wanted to pay homage to the culinary and musical habits of so many beautiful cultures we are privileged to live alongside. It's the simple things in life.
How do you approach the creative process when writing and producing new music?
As Sam, it's not formal at all. Ideas usually come to me on their own, even if I'm sleeping or doing something. I've learnt not to ignore those ideas and I put them down in one form or another so maybe a song can emerge. I let the idea take me where it wants to until my spirit tells me it's enough for people to hear. It's good because it doesn't feel like work, but the price is it can strike whenever and I have to follow it.
Which artists do you draw inspiration from?
All the greats. This album is heavily inspired by the jazz and hip hop legends, some of them being Fela Kuti, Slum Village, Hugh Masekela, Nujabes, Manu Dibango and OutKast, but in a true neo-African style. I would like to work with Baloji one day. Either in music or film, he is certainly an inspiration.