Revolution is a house band formed in Johannesburg, South Africa consisting of twin brothers George and Joseph Mothiba. George and Joseph Mothiba were born in Alexandra township in Johannesburg, South Africa. They also have two elder sisters and describe their family, which is said to have Limpopo roots,[1] as “simple”. The brothers first started dabbling in music at the age of 17. Initially they experimented with computers, “playing around” with sounds and pursuing DJing as a hobby.[3] They would take their uncle’s radio cassettes whilst washing his car then play them at friends parties. At one such party they met Big Oscar (better known as Oskido), a more established DJ. They went up to him for advice on DJing as he was able to mix with vinyls instead of tapes, they casually frequented him for a year and half afterwards. While searching for vinyls to mix with, they met DJ Christos as he owned one of the few record shops selling vinyls. Impressed by their interest in music and seeing them regularly come by his shop he asked them to open for him when going on gigs.[2] Having been introduced to the world of professional music in 1999, Revolution released their first album in 2000. Their 2002 remix of guitar player Phillip Tabane’s song Vhavenda started on the wrong note. They had used their mother’s vinyls to craft the song without asking for Tabane’s permission, he at first threatened to sue them but allegedly relented after listening to – and appreciating – the song.[4] This bluster ultimately proved successful as the song, and its accompanying album The Journey, introduced them to a wider public,[3] it reportedly went double platinum within three months of its launch,[5] ultimately selling over 400,000 copies.[4] It also earned the group awards such as the Metro FM award for Best Club DJ,[6] and the South African Music Awards (Sama) award for Best Selling Release. The brothers released The Journey Continues, their fourth album (after The Journey and their previous releases Revolution 1 and Revolution 2), in September 2003.[2] Featuring popular tracks such as Zim Connection, a collaboration with Zimbabwean jazz musician Andy Brown, it also went double platinum, selling more than 100,000 copies by February 2004.[5] It would garner them further acclaim, including another Metro FM award for Best Club DJ in 2004,[8] and another Sama the same year, this time for Best Dance Album. Identical twins, the Mothiba brothers claim to be “alike in every way” and to enjoy the same things such as technology and music, conversely neither of them smokes or drinks.[2] Furthermore, they also see themselves as best friends who are always together, as of November 2009 they were living together. In contrast to others in the South African musical scene they keep a low profile, with Joseph saying that “being all over the place, trying to impress people does more harm than good”.[3] They credit entertainment figures such as Ghetto Ruff founder Lance Stehr or Selimathunzi producer Baby Joe for instilling in them the notion that their “industry is not about the glitz and the glamour” but rather culture and specially South African music. The name Revolution was chosen after lengthy brainstorming, with the idea that they “were going to do different music” They name artists such as Jimmy Dludlu, Oliver Mtukudzi and Jay Hlungwani as influences, adding “if the music is good and the artist or DJ is good we will get inspiration from that” whatever the genre.[1] On a similar note, they have worked with a number of musicians from other African countries to create “an African sound” in a slew of languages, claiming they “don’t care about the languages they sing in, because the music will still be captured”. Owning both their own recording studio and company (Four Sounds Productions), they have complete artistic control over their output, producing all their songs and managing themselves,[1] and also owning their own video production equipment and company for their music videos.[4] They call reconciling both aspects “difficult” as their artistic side strives to write the perfect song whilst their business side wants them to release the track quicker and use less instruments. To explain their staying power, they point out to their “distinct support base who follow our music all the time”, and whose feedback they take on board to craft their sound.[3] This strong fan base declaredly allows them to avoid rushing for commercial success and experiment with different sounds.[4] Similarly, this connection to the mainstream public is said to help them “keep in touch, as does deejaying around the SADC region” which means they are able to notice recent trends before the rest of the industry catches up.
