THEY burst onto the music scene in the late 1980s with their smash hit, Quick Quick.
Then like water in the desert, they vanished.
Now the Rantseli brothers, known as MarcAlex, pictured, are back with a smooth, jazzy re-worked double CD calledThe Best of MarcAlex.
And they believe that the new CD will help them regain their popularity.
Marc, a gifted vocalist, says they needed a break after a long, emotional musicaljourney.
"All the travelling was just too much," Marc explains.
"We were in a train in Paris when we discussed taking a break. The decision was mutual. There was no quarrel. We thought that it would be a short break," he says.
Echoing his twin's sentiments, Alex, who is reportedly effective on the production side, adds: "Our passion started when we were much younger. Our love of music grew while we listened to the likes of The O'Jays and Teddy Pendergrass.
"As Marc says, we agreed to take a break, but during the break we had disagreements about a lot of things. At one stage I felt I should go solo, but I couldn't because people knew MarcAlex, not Alex.
"Another problem that affected us was doing everything ourselves and that was another reason we were drained," Alex says.
The brothers agree that the long break was not healthy.
Marc says: "We are talented and our music is not restricted to one genre. We play pop and R&B and in this CD, we added jazz. We reinvented our music to appeal to a wider audience.
"Before, we wrote good lyrics because beats were not that important. Now, audiences have changed and we have brought in the beats," Marc says.
"New tracks includeNever Never, Different and My Angel and we have re-mixed Quick Quick and I Want My Baby with AfroTraction.
MarcAlex from Diepkloof, Soweto, who won the then OKTV Awards for Best Newcomer in 1988, is adamant that since radio stations still play their music, they will be rekindled with their "lost audience".
- shongwes@sowetan.co.za
The brothers are back
THEY burst onto the music scene in the late 1980s with their smash hit, Quick Quick.
Then like water in the desert, they vanished.
Now the Rantseli brothers, known as MarcAlex, pictured, are back with a smooth, jazzy re-worked double CD calledThe Best of MarcAlex.
And they believe that the new CD will help them regain their popularity.
Marc, a gifted vocalist, says they needed a break after a long, emotional musicaljourney.
"All the travelling was just too much," Marc explains.
"We were in a train in Paris when we discussed taking a break. The decision was mutual. There was no quarrel. We thought that it would be a short break," he says.
Echoing his twin's sentiments, Alex, who is reportedly effective on the production side, adds: "Our passion started when we were much younger. Our love of music grew while we listened to the likes of The O'Jays and Teddy Pendergrass.
"As Marc says, we agreed to take a break, but during the break we had disagreements about a lot of things. At one stage I felt I should go solo, but I couldn't because people knew MarcAlex, not Alex.
"Another problem that affected us was doing everything ourselves and that was another reason we were drained," Alex says.
The brothers agree that the long break was not healthy.
Marc says: "We are talented and our music is not restricted to one genre. We play pop and R&B and in this CD, we added jazz. We reinvented our music to appeal to a wider audience.
"Before, we wrote good lyrics because beats were not that important. Now, audiences have changed and we have brought in the beats," Marc says.
"New tracks includeNever Never, Different and My Angel and we have re-mixed Quick Quick and I Want My Baby with AfroTraction.
MarcAlex from Diepkloof, Soweto, who won the then OKTV Awards for Best Newcomer in 1988, is adamant that since radio stations still play their music, they will be rekindled with their "lost audience".
- shongwes@sowetan.co.za
Would you like to comment on this article?
Register (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Trending
Latest Videos