Milandru

Born in Makhanda, in the Eastern Cape, Milandru’s initial exposure to music was impressed by the Xhosa music played on Radio Xhosa and indigenous music performed in traditional ceremonies that are part of the fabric of existence in communities like Makhanda. Closer to home, Milandru’s maternal grandfather was a close relative of the Mighty Mathews Singers, a fabled choir from Port Elizabeth. In 1982, Milandru moved to Mthatha from whence he was opened to new sounds from his father who had grown up in the hurly burly Johannesburg.
Upon completing matric in 1989, Milandru moved to Cape Town to read for a qualification in Accounting. Outside of his formal studies, the greatest education Milandru received was the discovery of different cultures, rubbing shoulders with fellow African brethren from across the length and breadth of the continent. It was an eye opening experience that expanded his horizons and worldview. It was around this time that Milandru became acquainted with Christian Cyren. It proved to be a worthwhile acquaintance because Cyren was the manager of renowned multi-award winning jazz musician, Jimmy Dludlu. As fate would have it, Milandru then became the road manager for Dludlu, marking his first professional foray into music.
The working relationship lasted several years, and only came to an end when Milandru was recruited by Etienne Harris to join a soon to be launched band as a keyboardist. And thus was born The Rudimentals, gracing stages around Cape Town Reggae Festivals in Pretoria. Around this time, Milandru started doing extensive studio work with musicians like Errol Dyers, Tim Parr and underground hip-hop artists like Bra Mawaza and Rattex to mention just four.
After 13 years in the Republic of Cape Town, moved to Johannesburg where he initially worked as a ringtone composure for Exact Mobile, a content provider for mobile phones. Subsequent to that, Milandru started working as a live sound recordist for MXO, before becoming a sound engineer for songstress Simphiwe Dana. In the early 2000s while working at a recording studio in Yeoville, he met Aura Msimang who was working on her third album called Afrikan Child. At that stage, Mama Aura wanted to work with young producers of Afrikan descent, hence the title of the album.
Moving to Joburg and working as a ringtone creator and writing songs after work led to meetings with MXO and a live engineering gig for Simphiwe Dana. In the early 2000s while working at a studio in Yeoville, he met Aura Msimang who was working on her third album called Afrikan Child and she wanted to work with young producers of Afrikan descent just like the album was called. Milandru ended up working on the bulk of the album as a producer and arranger. The album was subsequently released posthumously after Mam Aura’s passing. Most significantly for Milandru, it was his work on Afrikan Child that made Milandru realise that he had a passion and desire to produce music.