Mango Groove to Release Their First Ever Live Concert DVD!!! . This energetic, crowd-pleasing show, filmed at Carnival City on 18th September 2010, is to be released around March 2011.

Exact release date to be announced soon!

EMI South Africa, in association with You Magazine and Media 24 are proud to announce that, as a culmination of the hugely successful first leg of the Mango Groove Big World Party Tour they will be shooting the group’s first ever live concert DVD. The venue will be the Carnival City Big Top Arena on the 29th of May.

The show itself promises to be an absolute spectacular: All the Mango Groove hits from the last 25 years of the group’s history, right up to the new hit singles from the group’s latest album ‘’Bang the Drum’’. In addition to all the hits, the show will feature lighting, staging and production quality of the highest possible order in the proud tradition of the group’s sell out shows at (amongst others) the Sun City Superbowl, Greenpoint Stadium and the Standard Bank Arena. Expect a Big Party on stage, a Big Party in the audience, and more than a few surprises on to top it all!

In the words of Claire Johnston, ‘’we are most excited about this! Believe it or not, while we have done a lot of our own full-blown TV specials through the years, Mango Groove has never produced a live concert DVD. Now, with the new album out and with all the amazing public and media  support we are getting on the Big World Party Tour the timing seems absolutely perfect.’’

John Leyden, Mango Groove’s founding member and producer of the group’s albums, agrees: ‘’Mango Groove’s concerts have always been the mainstay of the group’s identity: 11 people on stage, a big sound, lots of fun and lots of audience participation. With the Big Top Arena as a perfect venue, and with the creative and technical team EMI have put together for the production, we believe we finally have the recipe for producing the DVD we have always aimed for, and that will really capture and celebrate the live experience that is Mango Groove’’.

In the words of Mduduzi Magwaza, the group’s iconic penny whistler: ‘’This is going to be a big South African celebration: All the music, all the magic, all the memories. It’s our past, our present, our future, and we are pulling it all together in a big visual feast!’

Creatively, the concert has been in pre-production and rehearsal for some time now and in the words of Claire ‘’it has been a real treat to brainstorm the various elements of such an all-encompassing project.’’ Amongst other things, the concert will also see the group reuniting with the globally acclaimed choreographer Wendy Ramakgadi: Wendy was a key part of the group’s videos and shows through the years (including the ‘’Special Star’’ and ‘’Hometalk’’ dancers) and is  now making waves globally as the originator and propagator of South Africa’s very own Diski Dance.

On the technical and logistical side, EMI have put together a great team of the finest people in their fields. In the words of Irving Schlosberg, the MD of EMI: ‘’this was something we simply had to capture, as an essential part of our country’s music heritage, so no expense has been spared in making sure we use all the best people including state of the art technology for the job. Mango Groove is an iconic band and what better way to join the celebrations as we move closer to the opening of the Soccer World Cup than with Mango Groove’s special blend of Kwela, Marabi Jive and Pennywhistle. It will be a night to remember!’’ The shoot will be a 10 camera HD shoot (a first for an event of this nature), produced by Alphacam Africa and directed by critically-acclaimed Michael Schneider.  In the words of Greg Nefdt, the CEO of Alphacam, ‘’ even though we have extensive commitments to the World Cup and the Super 14, this was an opportunity we simply couldn’t miss. On a technical and audio visual level we want to create a music product the likes of which has never been seen before in our country.’’

On the technical, lighting and AV side, the expertise will all be coming from the globally-acclaimed production and event company Sound Stylists. In the words of Kevin Glover, the founder and CEO: ‘’We really want this to be something super-special, super unique, absolutely precedent-setting and above all wonderfully South African.  Everyone has really come to the party on this production.’’

Be part of SA music history: catch the Mango Groove Big World Party concert and DVD shoot, live at Carnival City, 29th May. Show starts at 8pm. Tickets are still available from Computicket, but don’t delay as they are moving fast!