Victor S. Wolf
Victor S. Wolf is Riku Lätti, and Riku Lätti is Victor S. Wolf. You see, they are a Gemini, they are both singer-songwriters, the one singing in English and the other in Afrikaans. Some say that is the only difference between the two, others say that there is no difference, but that's just me.
Oh, and many people ask what the S in Victor S. Wolf stands for, well, the S stands for Something, because Victor stands for something!
Click to Listen to the album - Victor S. Wolf: To Burn
This collection of songs was recorded by Victor S. Wolf in Peter Auret's garage round about 1998. Victor was then still in a process of figuring out how to play guitar, how record, how to write songs, how to sing. The good news is, while he has not yet perfected any of those quests, he is getting better all the time while learning. A curious fact about these recordings, even though they are some of Riku's oldest songs, the philosophy behind the lyrics, is pretty similar to the philosophies in his later works.
Three songs, Still life and Consequence, Butterflies and Life's quiet requests and concerns are poems by Stephan Botha, Riku's then boss at Promethean Technologies.
This song contains just three lines:
Never get so caught up in tomorrow
that you give away the evening
that you lose the day
But it takes 8 minutes to say it right. If you don't believe me listen to it once completely through the hopefully you will believe me:
Listen to the album: Me and Mr. Sane
Recorded all the way back when in the previous century, Me and Mr. Sane is a collection of songs written by Victor S. Wolf, developed by Justy Range (bass), Max Loubsher (drums), Stefan Ackerman (Sax) and Riku Lätti (guitar & vox). Later added to the greater internet music pool under the name Victor S. Wolf that did not exist as an entity yet by the time the album was recorded, but became a useful creation of a character to list all the English songs Riku has written.
"The album was recorded by Willem Möller in Sharp Street recording studio in Bez valley, Johannesburg in two days. It is punk, it is Ska, it is rock n roll, it is singer/song-writing, but above all else it is a good beginning, hope you enjoy it as much as we did".
Listen to: Kingston & the Rasta
This Album was the first album recorded by Victor S. in their St. Rand Studio which is now famous for many other records, but not this one, which is a shame, but not to much of a shame because there remains the opportunity for so many people to still discover all these great songs. So please don't spread the word that this is probably Victor's favourite album of his own work. All the tunes are written to be simple and sweet, very easy to play in a new band, with a positive outlook and uplifting mood.
The story behind the name Kingston and the Rasta: It was around the same period when Riku also started working with Churchil Naudé. He had a flash drive with his songs that was labelled "Kingston". Ten guesses why Victor reeferred to himself as the Rasta...
The band: Marius Hartzenberg on Bass, Ruben Swart on keys, Victor S. on vocals and guitars and production, Lanimybru on BVs, Churchil Naudé raps, Lia Luna speaks on Under a Walnut Tree and Jackson sings on No Big Thing
listen to Grace - Victor S. Wolf
Some people say artists should not record themselves playing all the instruments and do the final mixing and mastering themselves. Well this is the one album where that basically happened. So think of it as an experiment, compare this album with Hoop daai boom is oukei recorded during the same period, songs written by Victor S'. Gemini twin, Riku Lätti, the only difference being that the Afrikaans equivalent was recorded with the hel of the Mark Tunes Band. Victor is envious of the sound that Riku managed to create on that record, but we feel that he can relax: he did pretty well with Grace, it is a Gracious effort, well worth the listen.
Listen to Even if - Victor S. wolf
A single that Victor wrote, it does not appear on any other album.
listen/download America First
America First was written in response to Donald Trump's MAGA idea of America First. I turned it around to say, well if you want America First, you have to fix America First, for it is a nation of violence.