Ike Moriz (En)

  Christina Kennedy, “The Citizen", Johannesburg, SA, 09.03.2006   SA'S OWN INDIE-POP IDOL He’s one of the few South African musicians to have met with success in the UK lately, yet Ike Moriz has decided to return here to settle. Christina Kennedy spoke to him. Many South African pop-rock outfits look to America for their inspiration. Not so Ike Moriz. This Capetonian’s style pays fond tribute to  Britpop and Seventies glam rock . Moriz has returned to settle in South Africa after pursuing a relatively successful music career in London for the past five years. This week has seen him launching his album Play Me in Joburg, with another gig scheduled for tonight at the Blues Room in Sandton.Moriz has lately been enjoying airplay on 5FM, OFM and campus radio stations with the title track from his second album, which he wrote and produced himself. It seems his  infectious, melodic, dramatic indie-pop is finding favour with an i...

Evan Milton, Cape Argus, Cape Town, SA, 10.11.2005: "Moriz back in SA after rocking the UK" "Ike Moriz is something of a paradox: he's part German and part South African, and the unsentimental precision of the one surfaces as often as the slightly self-deprecating, yet easy-going nature of the other. Then there's this business of making it overseas in less than six years to garner interest from George Michael's recording studio, earn a nod of approval from David Bowie, boast respectable European live-gig and radio impact and then decide to head home to the Cape.  After graduating from our College of Music, Moriz relocated to London in 1999, fronting bands there and in Rotterdam and Hamburg before going solo and recording his debut EP,  Fall Into the Sun  (2002). Back home, its title track hit Stellenbosch's MFM No1 spot. A second EP,  You Could , followed, reaching No.1 on the UK's Matchbox Radio, and the To...

Cape Argus, Cape Town, SA, 09.11.2005, “Read all about it" "... this week's hottest party  is probably the being held at Rhodes House this Friday, where international rock musician Ike Moriz will take the stage. Moriz spills  theatrical, edgy pop  into Rhodes House (60 Queen Victoria Street) at the PLAY ME CD LAUNCH, sponsored by Chivas Regal Premium Scotch Whiskey. Based in London since 1999, Moriz has returned to his home in South Africa with a new  drive and energy  that springs from his exposure to many different countries and life on the road. He has been described as "Bowie without the glam meets Oasis without the self-importance teamed with UK chart 'alternative' without the boredom..."

Kim Wild, ZAzone.com , Cape Town, SA, 2.3.2005, Ike Moriz live at the Acoustic Café, Muizenberg Can one refer to a gig as being romantic? Well, I just did! It was initially the setting with the low lighting and candles ... and then it was the presence of Ike, a single person that held his own on stage. I must be honest and say that I hadn't heard of Ike until that evening, which is pretty embarrassing considering that I pride myself in knowing what I consider to be a lot of South African bands and artists, especially the very talented, so I don't know how he slipped by me. I'm going to try using the excuse that he has been overseas for the past few years! He does however still say 'Ja' a fair bit which is fantastic to hear and at least we know that he hasn't forgotten his roots; an accent comes across more in his singing than his speech. I have read in numerous places that he sounds like David Bowie and it must be quite annoying to be compared to someo...

Indiepop  Spinzone , Pennsylvania, USA, May 2004 , review of Ike Moriz's debut album ' Mirrors And Shade' (2004) Hip-ometer Rating ~ 9.4 Ike Moriz - "Mirrors & Shade"  Ike, if you didn't know,  could best be described as  South Africa's answer to David Bowie  and this is his debut LP. At first I thought he committed a faux pas by putting all the songs from his first 2 EP's on this album. Because who will buy them when they can get everything here? However, by and large they are all mixed differently and not just the music, as the vocal tracks are redone as well. That essentially makes them all new versions, so it's interesting for people who were aware and it still leaves reason to get the original ep's if you like it. This was particularly clear on the track  Fall Into The Sun  which I always liked, but I think  I prefer this new version even more . That pretty much is the feeling for most of ...

Spinzone , John Kruscek, Pennsylvania, USA, February 2003, r eview of 'You Could' Hip-ometer Rating ~ 9.8 Ike Moriz - "You Could EP"  This is the second release by my friend Ike Moriz, a now London based South African. This takes right from where the last single left off (same cover too) but I think he really finds himself on this new single. The title track is a dreamy Bowie-like soundscape meets Oasis and it melds all the hooks of those two genres to perfection. It really ought to be climbing charts someplace. The second track,  Visionary  is actually a grungy outing, coming close to being like Nine Inch Nails with better vocals. (I would say he reminds me of a cross between Bowie and Peter Murphy of Bauhaus fame). It's got chirping, edgy guitar and a very black but sexy feel to it. The last track is a remix of the song  Drowning  from his last single, and I don't have the time or inclination to see how different they are. It sounds a ...