ernestine deane

Based in Cape Town

Photo: Martyn Taylor

This text will be replaced by the flash music player.

DOWNLOAD SAMPLE REPERTOIRE LIST

Affectionately known to her fans as ‘Ernie’, Ernestine Deane gained huge popularity in South Africa as lead vocalist for live hip-hop supergroup, Moodphase5ive. Having released two albums with the band, Steady On and in Superdeluxe Mode, she independently released her debut solo album, Dub for Mama.

Dub for Mama is a musical masterpiece that features stellar performances by Brian de Goede on drums, Buddy Wells on sax and flute, Brydon Bolton on double Bass, Tim Parr, Jamie Jupiter, Zane Carim and Neo Muyanga on guitar, Riccardo Moretti on Fender Rhodes and Mike Rennie on violin as well as dubmaster Fanus Tofte on bass. Moodphase5ive drummer, Brian de Goede, produced the album with guest production by Craig Damster, Ben Amato and Riccardo Moretti.

Dub for Mama can only be described as a pioneering sound for South Africa. An infusion of dub, soul and jazz, the music provides a potent platform for an incredible vocal expression of stories inspired by her life as a young brown woman in post-apartheid South Africa. In it Ernie explores the hardships and beauty of the country, paying respect to mothers of all kind: Cape Town- the Mother city, Africa- the Mother land, Mother Earth, Mother Nature, and nurturers of all things growing…this beautiful album is an ode to the human’s ability to triumph over adversity. It is indeed an offering of integrity unto an industry polluted with monotonous and conscience-less music.

Ernie grew up on the Cape Flats in Grassy Park, Cape Town and started singing professionally with Hip Hop legends, Black Noise, at the tender age of 15. A natural storyteller, ‘her velvet voice sticks in your heart like a warm dart, the kind that lingers in your mind…and keeps you awake at night’ Cosmopolitan 2004- Cosmo Rocks Music supplement.

Ernestine’s lyrics cut to the bone. It is the combination of her honest song writing skills and unforgettable melodies that earns her royalties off several international and local compilation albums, commercials, soundtracks, documentaries and film scores. Her off beat version of ‘Amazing Grace’ receives regular radio play and in April 2001, ‘Uneek’ with (Moodphase5ive) held no.1 on the P4 Radio charts for three consecutive weeks.

Her gorgeous looks and talent has been featured in magazines far and wide from the S.A. Elle and Cosmopolitan to the Dutch, de OOR and French Jalouse. A former drama student, she put her acting skills to work playing the mother of ‘Twist’ in the feature film ‘Boy called Twist’ in 2003, a Cape Town take on the Dickens classic by acclaimed director Tim Greene. Her voice and original music also grace the film score. The film was warmly received at the 2005 Cannes film festival.

Ernestine has collaborated and shared the stage with S.A. stars as diverse as poet Breyten Breytenbach, Arno Carstens, Blk Sonshine, Tamara Dey, Tasha Baxter, Black Coffee, Simphiwe Dana, Freshly Ground, Bongo Maffin and Neo Muyanga. She has supported international artists, African diva’s: Cesaria Evora, Khadja Nin; Manu Dibango, New York poets: Sarah Jones, Saul Wiliams, Jamaican dub poet: Muta Baruka , Reggae legend: Horace Andy; Ninja Tunes artists: Amon Tobin, Kid Koala, New York hip hop artists: Cucumber Slice, Mr. Len and Tsidi Ibrahim (daughter of Abdullah) aka mc What What, Talib Kweli, ‘Black Thought’ of the Roots, as well as Basement Jaxx, Mica Paris, Omar and Asian Dub Foundation from London. She has performed at the historic ‘Paradiso’ in Amsterdam, the famous nightclub that has hosted legends such as Bob Marley, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Jimmy Hendrix and James Brown. Recently she collaborated with Parisian pianist/producer, Wally Badarou, famous for his work with Level 42, Sly and Robbie, Grace Jones as well as the 'Country man' soundtrack.

Ernie has frequently toured the music festival circuit in Belgium, Holland, Germany and the Czech Republic, where she wrote the epic single ‘Praha Paradise’ on her first visit to Prague in 2001. The track continues to receive airplay on the famous European radio station, Radio One, and a new version appears on Dub for Mama. Some of the international festivals she has performed at are the Haarlem Jazz Festival, Womad, Hove Live Festival, Pukkelpop, Westerpop, Global Connection, The Lowlands Festival and North Sea Jazz Festival.