In a musical world being increasingly defined by labels and genres it is refreshing to come across a band who seems to neither care nor notice where they fit into the tightening art that is called music.
South African rock outfit Ruff Majik are one of those bands.
With a sound that can be defined only so far as having its roots in rock, the musical output and disparity produced by the band is as reckless as it is carefree and natural.
“If it was just sad lyrics over sad songs it would be an Adele album.”
Johni Holiday
Sure, they have the bottom-end sludge coupled with distorted riffs and fuzzy guitars, but if you think that makes them easy to define then you are easily fooled.
By combining these sounds with a sonic landscape that draws inspiration from B Grade Drive-In Movies from the annals of time and a sonic palate that would quench even the hardened thirst, Ruff Majik sprinkle enough of their own DNA throughout their music that it quickly becomes difficult to label.
Add in some quirky moments of humour that elevate what could potentially be dark and foreboding lyrics and layer it with an undeniable love for what they do, and suddenly you have a form of musical expression that far outstrips the conventional normality that society loves to place on progress.
With their latest album Elektrik Ram being unleashed on April 28, vocalist/guitarist Johni Holiday spent some time on the casting couch with HEAVY to convey the simple complexities of the band’s music.
“I’m pretty excited,” he smiled when asked how he was feeling about the album’s imminent release. “There was a little gap there where I wasn’t sure how things were gonna go down, just because it’s a different kind of album, but so far we’ve had some reviews come in, and they’ve all been really, really positive, so it’s given me some renewed vigor. I’m ready for it now.”
We ask Holiday to run us through the album from a musical perspective.
“Musically and lyrically it’s a very schizophrenic album,” he measured. “It’s all over the place, jumping in and out of different genre styles. It’s always very rooted in rock and roll – it’s got to be – but we’ve taken it from every possible angle, I guess. But that was kind of the point. It had to be like that for the story to be able to flow, and then we had them all collected the biggest mission was to just make them fit. Just to have it go through congruently and I think we managed it.”
In the full interview, Johni talks more about the theme of the album, it’s light-hearted ambiance despite the serious subject matter, the opening track Hillbilly Fight Song and how it sets up the rest of the album, the meaning behind the songs She’s Still A Goth, Cement Brain and A Song About Drugs With A Clever Title, creating a sonic landscape with your music, future plans and more.
