DECA

Members

Both DECA members are passionate about music and enjoy a variety of genres. Douw, who inherited his love for music from his mother, did not always dream of becoming a musician. His interest only started during his student years at North-West University where he obtained a BCom degree in Business Management. “I started out helping my mother with her recordings and thirteen years later, I am still working in the music industry. I miss the times we spent together in the studio,” he says. The guitarist also completed a music course in France, under the guidance of Grammy winner Chris Lord-Alge in 2014. His brainchild - Afrikaans Herlaai – received three Ghoema Award nominations in 2015. He also plans on starting a Music Production and Sound Engineering training course in the near future.

Herman studied Music at the University of Stellenbosch, after which he joined the popular group, DNA Strings. Two years later he was off to South Korea to work at an educational English Theatre as musical director. After returning to South Africa, he worked with Add Life Productions on several successful musicals, including The Budy Holly Story, Ester die Musical and Dawid die Musical. SHERAAZ, a five piece instrumental group founded by him in 2012, was nominated for a Ghoema Award in 2014 for Best Instrumental Album. “If I had to choose any other career, I would have liked to be a filmmaker. I love the film industry and film as a medium. I was busy with my master’s degree in Film Music when I joined DNA Strings,” he shares.

The pair met in 2014 and later went on to start a record company with William De Bruin. They are currently working on the finishing touches of two television projects and are constantly looking for new talent to take under their wing.

Discography

DECA’s debut album is refreshingly different and hopefully a good indication of the musical masterpieces that can be expected of them in the future. Black Sails boasts a few well-known hits (Thousand Years, Love Me Like You Do, etc.) as well as a few original tracks (Picnic, BlackSails, Finnigan en Skylights), composed by the musicians themselves. “From an emotional perspective, Picnic is our favourite because we both share an appreciation for film and classical music. Herman’s father was an opera singer and my mother the classical composer, Chirsta Steyn. I think everyone will enjoy our take on popular hits like Firework. People will also appreciate the Irish sounds of Black Sails and Finigan, as they are feel good party songs,” says Douw.

The ten carefully selected tracks, reworked in DECA’s unique style, will not only touch the heart but leave listeners humming to the sound of familiar tunes. “We busked for a long time and this helped us to determine what the crowd likes. What makes this unique is of course the fact that there is no lyrics, but also that it is not a classical album. It’s something that is easy to listen to and enjoy. It gives the listener the opportunity to experience their favourite pop songs, like Wrecking Ball, in a completely different way.”