National Wake - Walk In Africa 1979-81 [Remastered] (2013)

2013 collection from the South African band. A year back at a screening for Searching for Sugar Man in Los Angeles, someone in the audience came up and mentioned their South African band from the late '70s, saying we should reissue it. We were intrigued but didn't think much would come of it. Soon after, Ivan Kadey, of the band, stopped by the office and dropped off a bunch of their music, which immediately blew US away. 11 months later and we're gearing up to release the first anthology of his band who are called National Wake. They're a brilliant mixed race punk-reggae band who came close to death or a lifetime in jail to make music in apartheid-era South Africa in the late '70s/early 80s. Their sound is as much influenced by the Clash and Sex Pistols as reggae, dub and African music. Ivan's lived in Los Angeles since leaving South Africa in '86. He felt apartheid would never end so he couldn't take it anymore and left. Sadly, two of the four members of the band are no longer with us.