3rd Ear Music (Hidden Years Archive)

3rd Ear Music’s Hidden Years Archive holds South Africa’s history of popular music during the ‘hidden years’ (during South Africa’s racial regime, apartheid, during which restrictions of performing or recording music were imposed on musicians of colour). Most of the recordings restricted by the South African Broadcasting Corporation at that time were not even political. The Government would claim that the artist was threatening the order, safety and security of the country.

The aim of the Hidden Years Archive is to network with other music collectors and researchers by making this music available and acknowledge the contributions made by musicians who continue to be ignored by the mainstream industry today.

Some of the tapes containing this music is slowly deteriorating and 3rd Ear Music are in the process of restoring, cataloguing and transferring the analogue archives (tapes, posters & photos) into a digital format to prevent the loss of this invaluable South African heritage.

The archive welcomes contributions in the form of anecdotes, suggestions, manuscripts, material, equipment and funds to grow and better preserve archive.