“The infinite vibratory levels, the dimensions of interconnectedness are without end. There is nothing independent. All beings and things are residents in your awareness”. –Alex Grey
Music has a strange way of creating a connection, time or space, a feeling or conversation. A conversation without words just sonar layers of subjective, deciphering. Art indulges in the outwardly inward reflective contradicting nature of humanity and its inability to face reality, strolling through the darkest corners of the subjective contours of the imagination.
VIDEO BY JUSTIN MCGEE AND RICKY BOBBY:
Often these kinds of moods and reflective artifice need a conjurer, and sometimes this illusionist can be unpredictably down-to-earth in their mystic pursuit of unfiltered artistic, expression and madness. Cam Lofstrand is this kind of magician and either through his music or his visual art he has managed to capture a dreamlike sentiment and aesthetic and in turn has created a world entirely of his own making.
Cam made a name for himself a few years ago as the lead vocalist and guitarist for the psychedelic-noise rock band, Black Math and since then the group has grown in popularity, touring all over South Africa with a few appearances in Reunion Island, as well as recording a string of DIY releases, which all went on to become prevalent among a diverse circle of listeners. Since his inception into rock ‘n roll, he has contributed vastly to both music and art, playing in numerous other projects including The Sisters, Taekwondo Sleepover, Hadeda, Return to Worm Mountain (with Duncan Park), Fruits and Veggies and Existing Consciousness.
Cam is often commissioned as a visual artist or designer for innumerable bands or artistic undertakings, which landed him a job as a graphic designer for The Hardy Boys design agency. He studied fine art at the Durban University of Technology.
We find ourselves down by the train tracks near Umgeni Road on a random weekday afternoon. We both have decided to do the interview during our lunch hour so unfortunately, we don’t have a very long time to talk. The conversation is brief, we ramble towards the subject of both music and art.
“I don’t ever want to limit art to a medium, because art is all-encompassing so you could imply that anything is art, but I have to say I like visual media and I especially love music” – remarks Lofstrand.
The 25-year-old artist then reflects on why he loves making music so much maybe even more then visual art, he uses adjectives such as “heavy” or “psychedelic” to describe the music he makes which he implies can sometimes be “brutal” in composition or form.
“It was all kind of random, I learned how to play guitar from a very young age, but I never had a love for music as I do now, so I stopped playing for a period. Then when I started listening to music, I started playing guitar again and that’s when I really appreciated what music was.”
The young Durbanite reflects on why creating is so vital in everything he does:
“I like doing things that are very creative, I like art and I like the act of creating and music is the most visceral, and immediate art form there is. I also think I took to music because I have a very short attention span (laugh), and music is very pleasing in the moment of creation.”
Cam is a musician who thrives on collaboration, he gives appreciation to his long-time collaborator Tyler Burnett, bass player of Black Math as well as confirming his commitment to any project he decides to get involved in.
“I love jamming, I’ve learned a lot by playing with friends, Tyler (Black Math bass player) and I have taught each other a great deal, I’ve played different instruments and I’ve played in many different bands and at the moment I don’t really favour any of them. I used to think Black Math was my most important project but as time goes on, I don’t really mind, I enjoy playing with whomever, as long as it’s fun”.
Support has never been an issue for this sonic troubadour, and he remarks on his gratitude towards this:
“I’ve been very privileged to be in a position in life where I have been able to make music like this; my parents are very supportive, I’m aware that other people in the scene haven’t had the same kind of opportunities”.
This support has encouraged Cam to give back and in turn he has also become a competent music producer, which has prompted him to produce recordings for his own projects as well as other bands in Durban including Mouse and Write Off.
The lunch hour is up and we both have to run off to our respective jobs, walking adjacent to the trains screeching along the tracks in a typical smoggy Umgeni Road afternoon, I start to think back on all the times I’ve seen this quiet gentleman turn into a man possessed, tearing up the stage. Durban has a strange way of producing mesmerizing and surprisingly shy eccentrics like Cam Lofstrand. The haze, heat, and pollution keep everyone gasping for air. It seems creativity is also grasping through the glare, reaching for whatever oxygen there is left in the sun-drenched ether. Lethargy or the lacklustre nature of the space is no deterrent for Cameron and his ever-expanding roster of projects or mind-bending artworks.
Aweh Online 