Rhythm City

This often controversial slivers of real life show, set in Johannesburg and produced by legendary Curious Pictures, takes a fast and hard look at the highs and lows of South Africa’s music biz.

Allow us to give you the grand tour where music is the universal language, raw ambition the currency, and a time honoured custom is to stab people in the back:

There are flash shots of the stop-stall-restart careers of the big stars, their egos and greed; the press hype and spins; the recording companies and studios; the gigs; the nightclubs; the launch parties; the drugs; the booze; the sex; the crime; and always, the money.

People in Rhythm City carry a lot of baggage (as we all do) on their individual journeys through life…but how they deal with it makes for breath taking viewing.

You’ll be introduced to mentally unwell master manipulators with monstrous murder plots, mediocre wannabes, and innocents who struggle to achieve their high-altitude dreams.

We’ll guide you through the building and collapsing of empires and take you through brash Soweto, then our posh-lush Northern Suburbs, followed by Jozi’s notorious city centre. You’ll meet all kinds of South Africans in diverse urban communities. We also offer subtitles so you’ll pick up the local slang.

A lot of Rhythm City’s prominent citizens are continuously climbing on, or falling off, the fame wagon. They are the real power brokers of the industry: record companies, promoters, producers, agents, managers – and the media.

Nearly always anxiously waiting at home are the families, friends, and lovers of these personalities. They too, just like us, battle with affairs of the heart and cope the best they can with everyday life. Consider them your new neighbours.

The show has a core cast (including real life singers KB and Pam Andrews), writers, and directors who are of Emmy award status talent. Head scriptwriter, Neil McCarthy, leaves in July for a six-month stint with Fremantle Media, Europe’s biggest production company. He will be based in London. Rhythm City is also visited by a frequent amount of celeb guest actors.

Official warning: In Rhythm City there’s no time for rest stops - but you’ll never want to leave. And if you do, you’ll always – wherever you are - wish you were here.