25 Feb 2013

 What do you do with a derelict prison building? You chase out the shadows and ghosts of long dead prisoners from it, put a smile on it with beautiful renovations and a palette of warm colours, then play happy tunes from its belly.

That is the beautiful fate that came the way of the old Kanye prison. 

Once upon a time, 50 years back to be precise, this place was acquainted with bad souls, the scum of society condemned here to either turn a page or rot forever inside its fortified walls.  The mood within and without its four corners, was as dreary as it was fearsome and hopeless.

Fast forward to 2013, and there is music in the air in the old prison.

The place has a new name, Kanroks Studios, a business conception of one Onkarabile Otlaadisa a.k.a Stark. 

The manager-owner is a qualified Information Technology Engineer from the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University of Port Elizabeth in South Africa and currently works for the Rural Industries Innovation Centre.

 However, his love for music and his dissatisfaction at the fact that there were no recording facilities for artistes in Southern and Western Botswana gave birth to the idea of setting up a community recording studio. And so Kanroks was birthed. 

Stark needed a place to set up, and seeing the old prison premises, he approached the owner, the National Museum who, having satisfied themselves that Stark’s work would be in the interest of the community ‘lent’ it to him.

He immediately got to work renovating the drab structure that was the old prison.  Today, Stark is busy producing hot music works from the rejuvenated building.

These include promising masterpieces by Maddogz, Dixon 5 and Dj Clippa. Working alongside him is his faithful crew;  Kagiso Otukile aka Coloza as productions manager, Nelson Bosholo aka  Pisty Cardo as event manager, Godfrey Ntoko as marketing manager and Lindiwe Monaka as administrator.

While music forms the core of Kanroks business, the studio also provides modelling, video production, architectural and other multi-media services.

And the studio is doing well. Not a month passes by without someone recording with them.

“The idea in setting up Kanroks was to reduce the distance that people from this side of the country had to travel to Gaborone. Kanye is semi-urban, it was not difficult to have a studio that matches those in urban areas,” said Stark’s right hand man Otukile.

Their customers come from the vast area that covers Lobatse, Borolong and Kgalagadi.

Quality, he says, is what separates Kanroks from the rest, and what will ensure its survival in the dog-eat-dog industry.

Kanroks’ philosophy is to build goodwill from the community today. So, in addition to their Miss Winter event, they will be launching a talent search in which the winner will walk away with a recording deal.

Furthermore, the company is planning on offering music tutorial classes to youngsters in the district.  “Our aim is not only to make money, but also to groom young talent,” said Otukile.

It is for the same reason that their recording charges are affordable even to the unemployed. “Where other people would charge in excess of P1 000 to record a song, we charge only P600. This is to afford potential, but unemployed musicians opportunity to record their work,” he adds.

Otukile believes that Kanroks can do much to help young people – especially those given to alcohol and drugs turn a new leaf.

It is equally Kanroks’ mission to help them reach their music dreams.  “I once needed that help so I know how it feels and what the result can be,” he says.

He believes many young people who are helped to make a name for themselves through music, no matter how renegade, become societal role models eventually. This is because their lives compel them to lead by example, he says.

But Kanroks’ rising star has not been without challenge. Some people, posing as workers at the studio have been doing around taking money from naïve aspiring artistes, with a promise to help them record at lower prices.

 “A number of times we had people come here to record and when we asked for payment they would say they paid at home and were told to come for recording,” says Otukile. 

He has a warning for all people wishing to record with Kanroks: pay in the studio, get a receipt and your work will be recorded; pay elsewhere and know you just gave your money to a thief. ENDS