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The growth in platforms locally has been mind blowing as various creatives venture into their own lane of content creation with the backing of their own platforms with one of them being Marang Phooko. Marang is a multi-talented creative and entrepreneur with passions in multiple fields including journalism. Having have done work with the likes of Award winning music producer and DJ, Soa Mattrix, Marang made it a mandatory approach of growth to expand her portfolio with her newly birthed Podcast, “Sample O’Clock” which taps into a variety of hit singles which she sits down and deciphers as to where they stem from and how each sample contributed into the making of certain hit singles in various genres. The podcast has currently released two episodes in which she explores the sampling of “Don’t Look Any Further” by Dennis Edwards & Siedah Garret; “Lose My Cool” by SWV feat. Redman.
I loved just how the introduction of the platform as Marang conducted it in a very visually appealing manner from the colour schemes to the copies themselves so I just had to reach out and catch up with her in order to find out more information about the platform itself. She had a lot to share from the future of the show to the idea behind it as a whole.
How did the birthing of the idea “Sample O’Clock” come about?
So the idea was first birthed during my seating as a Radio Host/Presenter years ago at “KosvieFM” which is a Campus radio station at the University of Free State. I spent time receiving submissions from students across campus and listeners within the Free State province on my show “KRL” which was a music and talk show aimed at granting my listeners the opportunity to request for whatever songs that they like and may want to hear on the station so during this time, I was fortunate enough to be able to pick up a lot of samples from simply compiling the three hour playlists which consisted of about 30 songs. I enjoyed each and every moment when I discovered samples as I used to at times break down some of those sampled tracks but I couldn’t at the time dive deep as I do in the podcast.
The funny part is that many friends around me asked me if I could curate an idea of that kind but time just never allowed and I ended up parking the idea as I went into the “Afternoon Drive” which was more of a prime time show and unfortunately there wasn’t much that one could do due to the pre-existing format. Fast forward to 2023, I began doing reels on my Instagram page where I broke down samples for a bit and lucky for me, I had supportive friends who encouraged me to tap back into my radio days by curating a podcast since I love talking. I then took time to consider it and before I knew it, we were brought here with the first episode being recorded and released. I always knew that this day would come, I just never knew how and when.
Considering your ear for different flavours and genres in music, how would you say that the creation of the show has contributed to your diverse music library and what fun stuff did you learn in the process of building the show?
It has contributed a lot because I tend to not know at times that the sample has more samples to it and the discovery always blows my mind the more I do research. I get to learn a lot and discover a new layer of music in that process as it happens and at times whilst deciphering a sample. It all feels like time travel to me at the end of the day because some songs date all the way back to the 80s and sometimes even further. So my music pallets have since expanded during the creation of the show.
With the busyness of your schedule and the process it may take to make an episode, how frequent can listeners expect new episodes?
I won’t lie, I am also trying to figure that out as each day comes with it’s own challenges and sometimes my schedule can tend to vary due to emergency work that may arise. So, I have to prioritise the work that pays for the episodes to get done and unfortunately because of that I have decided to release bi-weekly as the amount of time it takes to conduct my research and record as well as curate graphic assets is a lot. I really want to take it easy and not rush the process, let alone the content. So listeners can expect new episodes every two weeks to avoid any disappointments. Although, I would have loved to do one episode a week but I will get there someday.
Can listeners ever expect a visual format of the show?
Yes, eventually there will be a visual format to the show. There is just a couple of things that I would like to get right first before bringing to life the visual format of the show from the editing elements to conceptualising of the format as I am currently doing everything myself so, I don’t want to rush anything around it. My initial goal is to get everything right with the first season which will only be available in audio format on Spotify before enabling it over to YouTube.
What do you aim to build and achieve through the building the show?
I aim to build a community of people that enjoy listening to podcasts about music and not just any music centred podcast but a podcast that cracks down samples and the history behind those samples. Basically people who really love music and learning more about music and the culture and rich history around it as there is always new information to learn by the day through this medium of art. And I want to bridge that gap of educational information that many music lovers may not be aware of through this community that I aim at building. I will be implementing some interesting stuff into the show in the future which I trust and believe the community will love.
With bringing any ideas to life, there will always be challenges that one will stumble across, what are those challenging moments that you encounter daily when building the show?
The most challenging part is doing everything on my own as there is a particular structure and formula that I follow and want to continue conducting the show in. It isn’t just a record, edit and upload type of process, there is a lot that goes into it outside of the ‘mathematics’ surrounding it. It normally takes a lot of my time in which I am not complaining as the end result can clearly speak for itself, from the quality to the storytelling elements that have been well executed in my opinion.
I tend to struggle with the pronunciation of certain terms and titles to a point where I begin to recall a moment when I was recording the first episode, (in chuckles), I know it’s such an aphonic challenge but the word “Khruangbin” got to me to a point I had multiple takes. I literally had to gather myself together as I died of laughter during the session where I told myself “…girl, if you were live somewhere, you would just have to run with it…”. Another challenge, is having to tackle work with the sessions to record the episodes as well as conducting research but, that is one part of it that I enjoy as a creative because I begin to step out of my comfortable space and challenge my capacity.
I also don’t have proper equipment yet for the podcast so that’s also another challenge as I am currently using what I have which is my earphones’ microphone, I mean its a great start but there is a particular crisp sound I am chasing for which the current equipment cannot give. I do trust though that with time, everything will work out but for now I will just keep on going and recording.
With so much planned ahead, what can your listeners expect in the next coming months?
In the coming months, my listeners can lookout for more episodes and more updates on the playlist “In The Time Of” which is ideally updated every Sunday based on the genre, theme and artists that may be of interest to me in that week. For example the last update was based on HHP and the Motswako genre which some got to enjoy and discover new acts within that range of Hip-Hop or sound. They can also look forward to more insightful sessions as well as more interactive and inclusive posts of which I will be starting with pretty soon.
So there is lot planned, just need to make the time to execute and educate my fellow music lovers especially when it comes to the deciphering of samples. I can’t wait to also learn new information in that process of making the show.
Upon closing the interview, Marang had some words to share in regard to the meaning and purpose behind the making of the show, “For me, music is a form of storytelling from the cadence, the speech, the bars, the tunes, the lyrics, all of that and the production behind a song is a language on it’s own and Sample O’Clock happens to be there to assist with telling the stories as to how the productions, songs and music in general as well as films, come about. That is why I do what I do as I want to be a storyteller that breaks down how songs are and why they are the way they are. I want to also discover what the artists where up to in their time”.
This is only the start to a greater journey for Marang as she pursues her passion and follows her purpose in life as a storyteller whether it be a visual format or audio format or written format, she will still live by her truth and tell the story in the most authentic perspective that she stands on and I love that for her. As a fellow creative, it is always beautiful to see the creative space grow in information and see other creatives chase after their dreams even with limitations at hand. I cannot wait to tune in to other episodes and really see where this journey is leading Marang to, wishing her all the best and may all her dreams come true.
Listen to “Sample O’Clock” by Marang below:
