This week I sit down with Njabulo Phungula and we discuss composing for electronics, being inspired by every medium and premiering works one isn't happy with.

Featured music:

"Eine Kleine Dubstep" (Matthijs van Dijk, performed by the Signum Quartet)

"Echoes" for piano & tape (written and performed by Njabulo Phungula)

"Écoulement" for alto saxophone (Njabulo Phungula, performed by Naomi Sullivan)

"A Meditation on Maya" for tape (Njabulo Phungula)

"Abyss" for tape (Njabulo Phungula)

This week I sit down with Nicky Schrire and we talk about learning to compose through performing, radio induced indigestion and "behind-the-scenes" at the Cape Town International Jazz Festival.

Featured music:

"Eine Kleine Dubstep" (Matthijs van Dijk, performed by the Signum Quartet)

"Black Butterflies: Prelude", "There Is Only One Forever", "Ontvlugting" & "Escape" from "Escape: The Ingrid Jonker Suite" (Text: Ingrid Jonker (translated by André Brink & Antjie Krog, Music: Nicky Schrire, performed by Nicky Schrire (voice), Alicia McCormick (spoken word), Nicole D’Oliveira (violin 1), Matthijs van Dijk (violin 2), Annemi Phillips (viola) & Ariella Caira (cello))

"Feel Good Song" (words & music Nicky Schrire, performed by Nicky Schrire (vocals), Aline Homzy (violin), Fabian Almazan (piano), Sam Anning (bass), Jason Burger (drums) & Danny Fong (chorus vocals))

"This Train" (words & music Nicky Schrire, performed by Nicky Schrire (vocals/guitar) & Ariella Caira (cello))

"Quilt" (words & music Nicky Schrire, performed by Nicky Schrire (vocals/guitar) & Ariella Caira (cello))

"Fall Apart" (words & music Nicky Schrire, performed by Nicky Schrire (vocals), Fabian Almazan (piano) & Desmond White (double bass))

This week I sit down with Lungiswa Plaatjies (Amampondo/Amathongo) and we talk about Amampondo, the importance of collaboration and the pros and cons of touring (and having to tour).

Please note: Somewhere between setup, soundcheck and pushing "record" something (I assume) moved that shouldn't have, so unfortunately there's a little bit more ambient noise at the beginning than usual. The good news is a) it's only noticeable when listening through headphones and can't be heard at all through speakers and b) it gets better as the episode progresses! Sorry!

Featured music:

"Eine Kleine Dubstep" (Matthijs van Dijk, performed by the Signum Quartet)

"Kawundiyeke" (Lungiswa Plaatjies (arr. Matthijs van Dijk), performed by Lungiswa Plaatjies, Larissa Johnson & The Night Light Collective)

"Uyandibiza" (arranged and performed by Amampondo feat. Lungiswa Plaatijes & Dizu Plaatijes)

"Kumnandi" (written & performed by Lungiswa Plaatjies & Max Laesser)

"Inner City Blues" (Marvin Gaye & James Nyx, Jr, arr. & performed by Lungiswa Plaatijes)

"Unonkala" (arr. & performed by Lungiswa Plaatjies)

"Solal'emaweni" (written & performed by Madosini & Lungiswa Plaatijes, with DJ Mongs)

"Khuselani Bantwana" (Lungiswa Plaatijes, performed by Lungiswa Plaatijes & Litha Plaatijes)

"Ndiyahamba" (Lungiswa Plaatjies (arr. Matthijs van Dijk), performed by Lungiswa Plaatjies, Larissa Johnson & The Night Light Collective)

"Uthando Lundahlule" (Madosini (arr. Lungiswa Plaatijes), performed by Lungiswa Plaatjies & Larissa Johnson, with The Night Light Collective)

"Ingxoxo & Vuma part 2" from "Vuma" (Lungiswa Plaatijes & Matthijs van Dijk, with Sarah Evans, performed by Lungiswa Plaatijes & The Night Light Collective)

This week I sit down with Pierre-Henri Wicomb (EJNCP/Purpur Festival) and we discuss musical automatons, pond living and being flagellated for one's Art.

Featured music:

"Eine Kleine Dubstep" (Matthijs van Dijk, performed by the Signum Quartet)

"Double Bass Concerto" (Pierre-Henri Wicomb, performed by Brydon Bolton, the South African New Music Ensemble, conducted by Robert Fokkens)

"And So Began" (Text: Robert Bolton; Music: Pierre-Henri Wicomb, performed by L'Instant Donne and narrated by Joanna Bailie)

"Self-Portrait" for solo piano & contact microphones (Pierre-Henri Wicomb, performed by Coila Enderstein)

"Now For Triads" for robot toy piano & MIDI soundtrack (Pierre-Henri Wicomb, instrument built by Ranjit Bhatnagar)

"An Aesthetics of Rat Bites" from "This Country_Lonely" (written & performed by Pierre-Henri Wicomb)

"Me [an]D" for piano & MIDI soundtrack (Pierre-Henri Wicomb, performed by Coila Enderstein)

"Solecism" for horn & soundtrack (Pierre-Henri Wicomb, performed by Matthew S James)

Attention! A "Pun Warning" is now in effect!

This week I sit down with my first composition teacher Péter Louis van Dijk (also known as "dad"...), in which we talk "About Nothing", inappropriate premiere attire and constantly developing (and evolving) one's compositional voice.

Featured music:

"Eine Kleine Dubstep" (Matthijs van Dijk, performed by the Signum Quartet)

"Horizons" (Text & Music Péter Louis van Dijk, performed by The King's Singers)

"Stardrift: Four Songs" (Text & Music Péter Louis van Dijk, performed by Anthea Platt-Haubt (soprano) & Péter Louis van Dijk (piano))

"About Nothing" (Péter Louis van Dijk, performed by the South African National Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Péter Louis van Dijk)

"Dies Irae" from "Youth Requiem" (Péter Louis van Dijk, performed by the Tygerberg Children's Choir & the Western Cape Youth Orchestra, conducted by Neville Dove)

"Trapdance" (Péter Louis van Dijk, performed by Yura Lee (violin) & Tertia Visser-Downie (piano))

"The Junk Man" from "Windy City Songs" (Text: Carl Sandburg, Music: Péter Louis van Dijk, performed by Musa Ngqungwana (baritone) & the Cape Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Péter Louis van Dijk)

"The Selfish Giant" (Text: Péter Louis van Dijk, after Oscar Wilde, Music: Péter Louis van Dijk, performed by John Eagar (baritone), Xandi van Dijk (boy), the Eastern Cape Children's Choir & the Cape Performing Arts Board Orchestra, conducted by Stewart Kershaw, narrated by Péter Louis van Dijk)

This week I'm joined (via Skype) by Clare Loveday, where we discuss the importance of collaboration, what happens when inspiration doesn't strike and the "best" (ahem ahem) of Brahms. I also (apparently) tell the rudest joke I know...

Featured music:

"Eine Kleine Dubstep" (Matthijs van Dijk, performed by the Signum Quartet)

"48km North-west of Kokstad" (Clare Loveday, performed by Duo Montagnard: Joe Murphy (saxophone) & Matt Slotkin (guitar))

"Palimpsest" (Clare Loveday, performed by Ceri Moelwyn-Hughes (alto saxophone) & Gerrit Jordaan (organ))

"City Deep" (Clare Loveday, performed by Naomi Sullivan (saxophone) & Luke Newby (clarinet))

"Heatwave" for clarinet & piano (Clare Loveday, performed by Guy Yehuda & Deborah Moriarty)

"Cycles" for solo violin (Clare Loveday, performed by Waldo Alexander)

"Duodectet 1" (Clare Loveday, performed by the Royal College of Music Saxophone Ensemble, conducted by Kyle Horch)

The premise is simple: I sit down with any and every South African composer and creator of music that will allow me to stick a recording device in their face, all while subjecting them each to the same questions week after week in an attempt to showcase (and catalogue) all the incredibly varied and wonderful musical voices South Africa has to offer.

This week, I am joined by Galina Juritz (The Night Light Collective/Mum Crush) and discuss nearly killing our audience with a motorcycle, unicorns in the bathtub and cosplaying as Salieri.

Featured music:

"Eine Kleine Dubstep" (Matthijs van Dijk, performed by the Signum Quartet)

"A Room Full of Pop" (Galina Juritz, performed by The Night Light Collective, Phax Trio, Brydon Bolton and Jay Latter)

"Madness: Songs of Hope & Despair" (Galina Juritz with Dizu Plaatjies, libretto by Sean Baumann, performed by Linda Nteleza, Palesa Portia Malieloa, Nolubabalo Babalwa Mdayi, Fikile Mthetwa, Monwabisi Lindi, Vuyisa Jack, Siphesihle Mdena, Lungile Halam and Ebenezer Sawuli Madoda.

Galina Juritz & Matthijs van Dijk (violins), Sarah Evans (viola), Luke Otto (cello), Graham H Strickland (upright bass), Gene Kierman (French horn) and Zeke Le Grange on saxophone, conducted by Chad Hendricks)

"Twenty More Will Come" (Galina Juritz, performed by Juliana Venter, Clement Benny & The Night Light Collective)

"Body" (Galina Juritz, performed by Galina Juritz (violin) and Joe Harmsworth (guitar)

"In Rebellion of Time" (Galina Juritz, performed by the Stockholm Saxophone Quartet)