Behind any great live performance by artists, there is an exceptional and hard-working sound engineer lurking in the background making it all possible.
Musician, sound engineer and music producer Malcolm Nhleko is that man for Grammy Award-winning Ladysmith Black Mambazo when the group performs live either locally or internationally. The 44-year-old husband and father of three has been Mambazo’s sound man since 2004.
It is an achievement for a man who grew up in rural Mkhuze, about 350km outside Durban where he was raised by his aunt and later moved to an orphanage in Sydenham in Durban. Something that started as a passion for Nhleko has taken him to world stages and given him an opportunity to rub shoulders with world stars. He is also an award-winning filmmaker.
Mambazo spotted his work while co-owning a recording studio with Sibongiseni Shabalala, who is one of the lead singers of the group. At first he only handled the sound when Mambazo performed locally, on the continent, in Australia and in Europe.
Nhleko, a genius in audio visual content, ensures that the group members' voices sound clear even when in big venues, which is a challenge for many sound engineers.
One of the highlights was sitting behind the big desk when the group performed at one of the most treasured buildings in London – the Royal Albert Hall.
“Initially, Mambazo had a South African sound man and the other one who was based in America. Their local sound man was the late Ray Mavundla. After hearing about my engineering skills, they gave me a chance and they were impressed. I started as their sound engineer for their local shows and everywhere else except America.
“Eventually, they wanted me to also handle their shows when they performed in America. Now I’m part of the group and go wherever it goes. Because I understand their voices and songs, it also boosts their confidence on stage because they know their sound is the best. I adjust the sound and mikes according to their voices and roles in the song. Lately, I have started filming and taking pictures of the backstage, audience and interaction with the people,” Nhleko said.
He will join Ladysmith Black Mambazo when the group resumes its international tour before end of the month.
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Nhleko was born to a white father and black mother, a relationship that was barred during apartheid according to Immorality Act. He was later taken to an orphanage in Durban because the family felt it was dangerous for him to grow up in Mkhuze among black people. Nhleko experienced a culture shock when he arrived in the coloured community. He buried his head deep in music, teaching himself to play the guitar until he mastered it and exploring speech and drama at the Playhouse Theatre in Durban.
“I grew up in Mkhuze living with my aunt who was renting a small room and working for a white family. My aunt took me in because my mother was also hustling and moving around looking for jobs. I understand that my mother fell in love with a white man who was living next door where my aunt worked,” he said.
“When we were growing up, many houses did not have television sets. The only place where we could watch TV was at a shop in Wembezi. We use to watch music videos and movies and this is where my love for music and films started. When I got to the orphanage I was confused about what is happening. I grew up afraid of white people, not knowing that my father was a white man.”
Nhleko moved from music to stage acting and in 1990 landed a role in a movie called The Gift, acting alongside English actress Helen Mirren. The film was never shown in cinemas because it was dealing with a controversial story of a white man having a relationship with a black woman. It was the first time Nhleko was introduced to cameras and lights and he was fascinated. He acted in different stage plays at the Playhouse, including the comedy show Jimbo, which was a story about the lives of coloured people living in Durban.
He got bored with acting and explored music, joining a band called Sharon Katz and The Peace Train in 1995. The band toured the world and roped him in because he was exceptional on the guitar though he was still at high school. He ended up composing and playing for the Gqeberha-born Sharon Katz.
“I used to hear about America and never thought I could visit the place. After finishing matric, I stayed in Ghana for a year and came back to pursue my diploma in performance art.”
After completing his diploma, Nhleko knocked on many doors in Johannesburg as he tried to establish himself as a singer and music producer without success. He eventually opened his own recording studio in Newland East, Durban, and soon Johannesburg-based recording companies began demanding his skills and resources. He produced one of the 2000 hit song by DJ Bongz featuring Thabisile, called Sobabini. He has also produced and engineered music of artists like DJ Bongz, Professor, Zakes Bantwini and L’Vovo.
In 2018, Nhleko turned his childhood story into a documentary that has won international awards. Titled Sunnyboy – The Making of A Sound-Man, it tells the story of a young boy who did not fit in anywhere because he was fair, had long hair and spoke Zulu fluently. It also features people who spotted his talent.
The documentary won two awards at the Tagore International Film Festival in India – for best sound design and best documentary. It won the outstanding documentary award at the World Film Carnival in Singapore and took the best biography/autobiography statuette at the Krimson Horizon International Film Festival in Poland.
“When I was getting married, I had to find all my aunties and my father. I was happy to be reunited with my father. Unfortunately, he and my aunt who raised me passed on last year. But in the documentary, all these people relate about how I grew up. I featured my father, who said he was unaware of my existence.”
His father was forced to leave the area because he had an affair with a black woman. That it why he was not aware that he had impregnated Nhleko’s mother. Growing up not knowing his father pained him. His mother was also away looking for jobs.
Nhleko said he had to do a documentary that spoke about his life for his own healing. He said for the longest time he hated people when they spoke about their families because it was a touchy subject for him.
“I had to do this documentary to put this chapter behind me. I realised I had to do this while writing the documentary and a book sitting at a hotel in Australia.
“I remember that while in Ghana I had an American girlfriend and she asked me if I was ever loved as a child. I hated the question because it forced me to go to a space I was not ready to go to. I broke up with her immediately.”
As a filmmaker he has documented stories of people like seasoned guitarist Themba Mokoena, the late Brian Thusi and Madala Kunene.
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