Shifty Records

28/11/2025

Our podcast about the album "Own Affairs" by Kalahari Surfers is online, listen and maybe follow us at... https://open.spotify.com/episode/6sgPatKXsYfwZ1NNaIOc2J?si=50d1947b8e5346bd or www.shiftypodcast.co.za

28/11/2025

We've got a new podcast out today, and it ties into this. Head on over to https://www.permanentrecord.co.za/collections/vinyl/products/kalahari-surfers-own-affairs-signed-by-w and grab yourself a copy of the limited vinyl reissue of Own Affairs by Kalahari Surfers... each copy is autographed by Warrick Sony!

Finally reissued on vinyl: the first full-length album from Kalahari Surfers, completed in the summer of 1984. This groundbreaking South African release is a pioneering post-punk record of anti-apartheid rock that was initially rejected by EMI for being "political, pornographic and anti-religious."....

01/11/2025

Encountered after emerging from the Castle cloister to headline the Mac & Sammie (Mr) McKenzie tribute last night, the inimitable Hilton. Love you, guy!

31/10/2025

Out today... The Genuines - Live at Jamesons is out on all streaming platforms at https://vmgafrica.lnk.to/LiveatJamesonsAr and also available on bandcamp for those who like the high res audio options at https://genuines.bandcamp.com/album/live-at-jamesons

11 track album

28/10/2025

It's all about the this week here at Shifty, we have a new (old but unreleased) live album by The Genuines out on Friday on all streaming platforms as well as at the Shifty bandcamp, AND we will have not one, but TWO Genuines related podcasts dropping this Friday as well so watch this space ...

Now go and presave this link https://vmgafrica.lnk.to/LiveatJamesonsAr

27/10/2025

Join Hilton Schilder, Genevieve Benni and other talented artists for an unforgettable musical tribute to Sammy and Mr Mac McKenzie.

Friday 31 October - Opens 17h00, Show at 19h00.
Castle of Good Hope, Cape Town

Tickets R150 from https://www.quicket.co.za/events/336417-tribute-to-the-legends-of-goema/ #/

17/10/2025

Our friends the Radio Rats have a brand new album out ... It's called Vampire Weekends and it's on all the streaming platforms so go and give it a listen https://orcd.co/lwm33lm

09/10/2025

A reminder if you're in Jo'burg this Saturday swing by the Troyeville

26/09/2025

Shifty Records is proud to announce the remix and reissue of the seminal self-titled debut album by the legendary Sankomota, available on limited edition 180-gram black vinyl, and a special edition blue vinyl.

Get it now at www.permanentrecord.co.za

Permanent Record

26/09/2025

Listen to our latest podcast about the Sankomota album over at www.shiftypodcast.co.za

This is the story of Sankomota, recorded by Shifty Studios in 1983 and released in 1984 as the very first album on the Shifty Records imprint [SHIFT 1], Sankomota's debut is a landmark of African music. Blending traditional Sotho rhythms, soul, funk, and rock with profound, often politically charged lyrics, the band created a sound entirely their own—a sound so potent and unique that the apartheid government deemed it a threat and banned the act from entering South Africa.

The story of this album's recording is as powerful as the music itself. As the members of Sankomota (then known as Uhuru) were barred from entering South Africa, the founders of Shifty Records Lloyd Ross and Warrick Sony took a mobile studio in a caravan across the border into the Mountain Kingdom of Lesotho.

This album was born not in a pristine studio, but in a makeshift setup, captured against all odds. It stands as a testament to the band's incredible talent and Shifty's unwavering commitment to subverting the apartheid system by giving voice to those it tried to silence.

31/07/2025

The OtherWhite Album is now finally available on all digital streaming platforms.

Remembering James Phillips of The Cherry Faced Lurchers on this the 30th anniversay of his untimely passing!

Go take a listen! https://vmgafrica.lnk.to/TheOtherWhiteAlbumAr

27/07/2025

Shifty has a podcast! Go check it out at www.shiftypodcast.co.za

First episode is up!

The OtherWhite Album - The story of The Cherry Faced Lurchers studio album that went missing.

Lloyd Ross and Warrick Sony of Shifty discuss The OtherWhite album, the definitive South African protest rock album recorded by The Cherry Faced Lurchers in 1986, then "lost", rediscovered and remixed during the Covid lockdown!

The album, which takes its name from the ridiculous stupidity of apartheid race classifications at that time is available on all digital platforms on 31 July 20325, the 30th anniversary of the passing of South African music icon, and Cherry Faced Lurchers frontman and songwriter James Phillips.

Shifty Records podcast, South Africa's fiercely independent cult record label operating through the dark days of apartheid into the democratic era. Click to read The rest is Shifty, by Shifty Records, a Substack publication with hundreds of subscribers.