| Sheer Sound | |
| Founder: | Damon Forbes |
| Distributor: | IRIS (South Africa) |
| Genre: | Jazz, rock, world, Afropop, house |
| Country: | South Africa |
Sheer Sound is a South African independent record label formed in 1994 by Damon Forbes.
Sheer Sound was formed in November 1994, shortly after South Africa's first democratic elections. The label was initially a home for jazz and world music and fast gained a reputation for its extensive South African and African jazz catalogue.
By the mid-1990s, a young music marketer, Damon Forbes, was getting restless with the limited vision of his industry.
"I sunk my teeth into jazz because it carried a world music message for me; it was truly culturally representative.... I just looked at the market and I saw the economics of the people of South Africa changing, due to better access to education.... [And]the workplace was going to change; a lot more black people getting into jobs that are of medium and higher income levels.... With all that, comes the aspiration to listen to better quality music. [So] the market, in the long term, is going to increase."
With what he calls "R5 000 (just over $500) and a dream", Forbes established his own label, Sheer Sound. (Ansell 1994:269)
In 2006 two imprint labels, Seed and 2Feet Music, were formed under the Sheer Sound umbrella and has since released some of the most prolific rock and singer-songwriter music, respectively, in South Africa.
Sheer grew over the years to represent Beggars Banquet group, Concord, Ninja Tune, Cooking Vinyl, World Circuit and numerous others They were also the South African distributor for labels such as Carrot Top Records, Lusafrica, Palm Pictures, Shanachie, Telarc, and Union Square Music, with their own CDs having seen a global market largely through its folk/rock imprint, 2 Feet.
In late 2014 Sheer Sound was acquired by Times Media LTD / the Gallo Record Company, and the two companies were merged.
| Award | Year | Artist | Category | Title | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South African Music Awards (SAMA) | |||||
| 2009 | 340ml | Best Alternative Album | Sorry for the Delay | Won | |
| 340ml | Best Duo or Group of the Year | Sorry for the Delay | Nominated | ||
| 340ml | Best Album of the Year | Sorry for the Delay | Nominated | ||
| 340ml | MTN Record of the Year | Sorry for the Delay | Nominated | ||
| 340ml | Best Producer | Sorry for the Delay | Nominated | ||
| 340ml | Best Engineer | Sorry for the Delay | Won | ||
| Ernie Smith | Best Adult Contemporary Album (English) | Nominated | |||
| Nibs van der Spuy | Best Instrumental Album | Autumn Light | Nominated | ||
| Imbokodo | Best Pop Album (African) | Nominated | |||
| Jaziel Brothers | Best Remix Of The Year | Nominated | |||
| The Dirty Skirts | Best Rock Album | Daddy Don't Disco | Nominated | ||
| Paul E. Flynn | Best Rock Album | Fields | Nominated | ||
| Gavin Minter | Best Traditional Jazz Album | I'll Be Seeing You | Nominated | ||
| Zim Ngqawana | Best Traditional Jazz Album | Won | |||
| Oliver Mtukudzi | Best Traditional/Adult Contemporary DVD | Nominated | |||
| 2008 | Jaziel Brothers | Best Afro Pop Album | The Beginning | Won | |
| Underbelly | Best Alternative Album | "For A Cynical Science" | Nominated | ||
| Insek | Best Alternative Album | "Maaiers" | Nominated | ||
| New Academics | Best Alternative Album | "City Of Strange" | Nominated | ||
| McCoy Mrubata | Best Male Artist | "Brasskap Sessions - Vol 1" | Nominated | ||
| McCoy Mrubata | Best Traditional Jazz | "Brasskap Sessions - Vol 1" | Nominated | ||
| Jeff Maluleke | Best Adult Contemporary African | "A Twist Of Jeff" | Nominated | ||
| Musa Manzini & Lawrence Matshiza (For Jeff Maluleke) | Best Producer | "A Twist Of Jeff" | Nominated | ||
| Phinda | Best Adult Contemporary African | "Yithi Paha" | Nominated | ||
| Jaziel Brothers | Best PopAlbum | "The Beginning" | Nominated | ||
| Mina Nawe | Best Urban Pop Album | "Njalo" | Nominated | ||
| Tony Cox | Best Instrumental Album | "Blue Anthem" | Won | ||
| 2007 | Paul Hanmer | Best Male Artist | "Water & Lights" | Nominated | |
| Lesego | Best Newcomer | "Mymusic" | Nominated | ||
| Paul Hanmer | Best Instrumental Jazz Album | "Water & Lights" | Won | ||
| Four Forty | Best Instrumental Jazz Album | "Us+Them=1" | Nominated | ||
| Chris Letcher | Best Adult Contemporary Album: English | "Frieze" | Nominated | ||
| Wonderboom | Best Rock Album: English | "City Of Gold" | Nominated | ||
| Chris Letcher | Best Rock Album: English | "Frieze" | Nominated | ||
| Martin Rocka and the Sick Shop | Best Alternative Music Album | "Through Sick & Sin" | Nominated | ||
| Prankster | Best Alternative Music Album | "Bravo" | Nominated | ||
| Lesego | "Mymusic" | Won | |||
| Oliver Mtukudzi | Best Compilation DVD | "Wonai" | Nominated | ||
| 2006 | Phinda | Best Adult Contemporary Album: African | "Mbheka Phesheya" | Won | |
| 2005 | Wessel van Rensburg | Best Instrumental Album | "Song For E" | Won | |
| McCoy Mrubata | Best South African Traditional Jazz Album | "Discovery" | Won | ||
| Evert de Munnick (Sakhile) | Best Engineer | "Togetherness" | Won | ||
| Sipho Gumede & Ernie Smith | Best Joint Composition | "" | Won | ||
| 2004 | Zim Ngqawana | Best Male Artist | "Zimphonic Suites" | Won | |
| Zim Ngqwana | Best South African Traditional Jazz Album | "Zimphonic Suites" | Won | ||
| Andile Yenana & Winston Mankunku Ngozi (Winston Mankunku Ngozi) | Best Producer | "" | Won | ||
| Peter Pearlson (Zim Ngqwana) | Best Engineer | "Zimphonic Suites" | Won | ||
| Gloria Bosman | Best Female Composer | "Nature Dances" | Won | ||
| MK Video Awards | 2008 | Chris Letcher | Best Roadtrip Video | "Deep Frieze" | Nominated |
| Farryl Purkiss | Sexiest Video | "Better Days" | Nominated |