Beatenberg is a South African pop band based in Cape Town, composed of Matthew Field, Robin Brink, and Ross Dorkin. Despite being schooled in ‘serious music’ like Beethoven, Debussy and John Coltrane, (Dorkin and Field studied music together at the University of Cape Town) Beatenberg is adamant that they are heard as ‘pop music’. Their first album, Farm Photos (2011, released independently), was a tender and somewhat naïve offering which somehow makes a strange and lasting impression with its so...
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Beatenberg is a South African pop band based in Cape Town, composed of Matthew Field, Robin Brink, and Ross Dorkin. Despite being schooled in ‘serious music’ like Beethoven, Debussy and John Coltrane, (Dorkin and Field studied music together at the University of Cape Town) Beatenberg is adamant that they are heard as ‘pop music’. Their first album, Farm Photos (2011, released independently), was a tender and somewhat naïve offering which somehow makes a strange and lasting impression with its sophisticated harmony, sincere delivery and boyish lyrics. But this is not the final definition of Beatenberg: last year, the band pointed towards a new direction with the internet release of their first independently produced single, Echoes. Their self-declared ‘pop’ aesthetic becomes clear in this strange but alluring song. Echoes blends synth elements with ‘africanesque’ guitar lines and stark, haunting vocals, while the band’s impromptu acoustic performance video of Scorpionfish (2012) displays their core as a trio that actually plays instruments. In 2012 Beatenberg opened for The Tallest Man On Earth at the Cape Town International Convention Centre. This was a special concert that got a lot of people talking about them and several features in the media. They also played Rocking the Daisies.
