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RIAAN PRETORIUS

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Note to self: Don't leave gear out at night with t

Note to self: Don't leave gear out at night with the intent of packing it away in the morning. Putting this away at 5am makes you late for work.

Great piece of gear though... @allenheathmx #QB24

Fake smiling because I know I'm late with my secon

Fake smiling because I know I'm late with my second single.... I'm working on it. 😁😁😁

Peeps! This is finally out on all digital platform

Peeps! This is finally out on all digital platforms. Please play it on repeat so that Reez can do the next song 😁😁😁

#applemusic #riaanpretoriusmusic #familyandfriends #mypeepsarebetterthanyours

The start of song 2 for the #familyandfriends proj

The start of song 2 for the #familyandfriends project. People ask about my process for starting my productions and it mostly starts at my dinner table with a laptop, pro tools and a keyboard or guitar. @debbypretorius usually gets annoyed at my use of the family eating area 😄

#happyvalentinesday my darling @debbypretorius Lov

#happyvalentinesday my darling @debbypretorius Love you forever and ever.

Instagram post 17875560716132333

Instagram post 17875560716132333

Amazed by #WhoYouAre: Episode 10, The Family & Fri

Amazed by #WhoYouAre: Episode 10, The Family & Friends Concept

As all my friends already know, I am a HUGE fan of The Winans. I’m not referring to Bebe and Cece, I am referring to Marvin, Carvin, Ronald and Michael. One of the first Winans albums I listened to was The Winans Live at Carnegie Hall which was given to me (on tape) by @pearltucker76 when I was around 13 or 14 years old. I loved that album and spent many nights listening to every single note and tried for weeks to play the songs as best I could. The Winans were our heroes. They made music that was Word and Spirit-based and resonated with me to the point where I knew almost all their songs by heart. The words and the music.

Part of The Winans legacy was a set of albums made by one of the brothers Ron. The set of albums was called Ron Winans Family & Friends Choir I – IV. These albums were absolutely pivotal in our attempt to build choirs in the local church I was at. We sang almost all their songs and copied the harmonies as best we could. In my heart I had always dreamed of doing a similar type of thing. The premise was that I would assemble my family and friends and sing songs to God. It took me a lifetime but I’ve finally achieved this and it really feels good. It’s not common that one manages to live out a dream carried since childhood. And this is the reason I am so thankful to all the singers who have started this journey with me on this song. And yes, I have (shamelessly) copied the title of these albums as a way of paying homage to Ron Winans and the Winans family! 😊

This means more to me than you will ever know! Look out for the single on all digital music outlets soon. Look out for song 2 coming later.

God bless
#amazedbywhoYouare
#whoYouare

#WhoYouAre Episode 9: All my Family & Friends Thi

#WhoYouAre Episode 9: All my Family & Friends

This song is done and it signals the beginning of an amazing journey. Here is the back story of this song (for those who are interested or haven’t heard it before)…

I wrote the song sometime in 2008. A very close family friend had asked me to write something for her album. I produced and recorded the song with her but it was never released for reasons I won’t divulge here. Suffice to say I had always believed that the song belonged to her and that I would never go back to it because I had written the middle section specifically to mirror what my friend was going through. But two years later (in 2010) I found myself in a similar situation to what had happened to her. The words of this song suddenly reflected my circumstances exactly. It was almost prophetic in that my experiences seemed to match every line.

After my miraculous recovery, Deborah kept encouraging me to record and release the track as a single. I didn’t realise how much time had lapsed and that it had been 10 years since she had been regularly asking me to do it. During the lockdowns in 2020 I found the perfect opportunity for the production of the music and recording of the vocals. I turned to my friend Julian for the vocals and he did an amazing job by recording the guide and final vocals in a studio in Pretoria. As I was working through the track I realised that the key of the song was a problem for me. It was too low in parts and too high in others. I had the brilliant idea of calling in some of my childhood friends to sing the harmonies. I turned to my old choir mates and some other singers whom I had always wanted to record. And the concept for my next album just grew from there. Look out for my next post to find out why I named it Family & Friends.

Once again, thank you to Anita, Debbie, Maresce, Diane, Stanley, Larry, Anthony, Julian and my wonderful wife Deborah for lending your talents to this track. It really came out great and it is just as I heard it in my mind. Part of the reason for doing this was to show the current generation what their parents used to do! 😊 God bless you all!

Thanks @cassmaresce for the foto
#riaanpretorius

#WhoYouAre Episode 8: Pandemics and Aversions Mos

#WhoYouAre Episode 8: Pandemics and Aversions

Most people know me as a piano player. I spent years playing behind some of the most talented singers in Gospel music. I did this by choice because singing hasn’t really been my thing and I never really considered myself a vocalist. A few years ago I started singing on my own compositions mainly for demo purposes and with the intention of changing out my voice with a proper singer at a later stage. I think my trepidation or reluctance with regards to my singing or even hearing my own voice on a record was two-fold… One, I dislike the sound of my own voice and, two, I spent years criticising singers so I preferred to have others sing on my songs.

It was easy to criticise singers because I could hide behind the safety of my instrument. It was easy to direct them on what to do without having to do it myself. But over the past ten years I’ve learned the valuable life-lesson that we should never demean the ministry of others while masking our criticism as the pursuit of excellence in the Kingdom of God. The heart of a person and their attitude towards worship outweighs the need for us to have perfection. I do believe that our worship music should be done as excellently as possible but we should not pursue it at the expense of someone’s soul or spirit being broken. It is perhaps one of my regrets over a thirty year ministry in music.

The pandemic we’re currently in has presented this very conundrum once again. I could not get the lead vocalists I wanted to finish this song so I was stuck having to sing some of the verses myself. And what a struggle it was! It took multiple takes and hours of practicing the same lines over and over. I guess some of my friends who are natural singers will never know the struggle 😊

Eventually I succeeded in putting in a couple lines which sound decent to me. What a journey this has been! Thank you for all your positive feedback over the past few months. The song is finally ready!

Ps. If you are singer that I shouted at over the years, here's my apology. Hahaha

#whoyouare

#riaanpretorius

#riaanpretoriusmusic

#singers

#vocalists

#ChristianMusic

#worshipmusic

#WhoYouAre Episode 7 Heaven is my Home What can I

#WhoYouAre Episode 7
Heaven is my Home

What can I say about this dude? He breezed into our lives fresh from the farm in the mid 90's and youth was never the same. @stanleysmith890 brought such an exuberance to every rehearsal that laughs and jokes became the order of the day. And things haven't changed... it took us awhile to settle down into this session.

His voice is so gruff and yet smooth at the same time (hard to explain), that I had to have him sing on this song. I remember giving him a solo on Heaven is my Home and the fire fell down one time at a DCC show. Those were fantastic days!

Stan thanks for agreeing to do this, you changed the tone of this song like only you can. The vocal warmups singing Ordinary Just Won't Do had me almost in tears. Tell me why have we waited so long to do this? Thanks Larry for the help as well.

#WhoYouAre
#familyandfriends
#riaanpretoriusmusic
#riaanpretorius

#WhoYouAre Episode 6 Friends are Friends Forever

#WhoYouAre Episode 6
Friends are Friends Forever

This was always going to be an emotional post for me. There is so much I can say about my friend Anthony that I can probably write a book...

In late 1989 he walked into our little garage church and our destinies seemed to solidify into one. I was amazed by his ability to play crazy chords on the guitar as well as his gift to play drums. What many people don't know about Anthony is that he spent the first few years of his musical journey as a musician and not a singer. He broke enough snare drums to prove that....

We joined a popular Christian band called Judah Ministries led by Brother Benjy Moollen (someone I owe my musical career to) and his gift just soared. Everyone who knows Ants will agree when I say that he is probably one of the most gifted singers on the Continent. No exaggeration! We have such similar paths in ministry that we are virtually brothers. Help me celebrate my friend and brother and the gift he is to the Body of Christ.

By the way, he wore Puma before any of you kids... Proving what a legend he is! Love you bro, thanks for blessing this song with your amazing gift!

#singer #songwriter #riaanpretorius #familyandfriends

#WhoYouAre Episode 5 The Quiet Genius Oddly, when

#WhoYouAre Episode 5
The Quiet Genius

Oddly, when Larry Hembert walked into our youth way back when, he had no clue that he could carry a tune. I remember the day so clearly when Clark brought the song "Press On" for the choir to do, we had no idea who we'd ask to sing the solo because the male lead vocal was so high.

Someone had the bright idea to ask Larry to try it based only on his high speaking voice. And what a masterstroke that decision was! Larry blew us all away singing so high that the veins in his neck popped out 😃

Larry you took this song #WhoYouAre to heights I didn't think it could go! Our first hour of conversation at this session made me feel so nostalgic. It was partly why I decided to this... so I could reconnect with my friends and family.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for agreeing to do this. I can't for the world to hear what you have done.

#WhoYouAre
#familyandfriends
#riaanpretoriusmusic
#riaanpretoriusmusic
#riaanpretoriusmusic
#riaanpretorius

#WhoYouAre Episode 4 SYDENHAM IN THE HOUSE!!! I w

#WhoYouAre Episode 4
SYDENHAM IN THE HOUSE!!!

I was around 15 years old when I walked into a Tent Crusade in Sydenham and was blown away by a Choir that sang with such excellence and authority. Surprisingly these people were around my age and were singing songs that were at such a high level of difficulty that I sat there questioning my life 😄 It made such an impression on my friends and I that we used that moment as a blueprint for every choir we ever built.

Anita and Debbie were part of that group and are two of the finest sopranos I have ever heard. It was such a special moment to have them lend their talents to this song. I am so grateful. Sitting down with the guitar and singing warm ups to The Steadfast Love almost had me in tears. Our Christian heritage is so similar and we really must pass it on to the next generation. I have wanted to get all my friends singing on this song for this reason...

Thanks from the bottom of my heart for agreeing to do this and making the time to come out. You guys are awesome!

Thanks to Stevie and Clint for making this possible too. And @debbypretorius for working behind the scenes to arrange everything.

#WhoYouAre
#riaanpretoriusmusic
#riaanpretorius
#heartandsoultv

#WhoYouAre Episode 3 My #LittleBrother is perhaps

#WhoYouAre Episode 3
My #LittleBrother is perhaps the best description for this picture.

Julian Manuel aka @afrikhoiner grew up to be one of the best singers in the country. His stage presence, performance and overall anointing is hard to match. I remember how he would walk around singing in the house while carrying the most mundane tasks... music just permeated this guy. In 2001 he gave me the opportunity to work on his debut album with his group #VisionX and to this day it was one of the most memorable experiences for me.

I can't wait for everyone to hear what he has done on this song! Thanks again Jules for always availing your gift to the Body of Christ. Thanks @anthony_puretone for helping with the recording.

#riaanpretoriusmusic
#familyandfriends
#heartandsoultv
#whoyouare
#riaanpretorius #afrikhoiner #julianmanuel

Yah I know she's cuter than me... #Shoosh

Yah I know she's cuter than me... #Shoosh

#WhoYouAre Episode 2 There is a song by @ben_recto

#WhoYouAre Episode 2
There is a song by @ben_rector called #OldFriends which really decribes the way I feel right now.

Listening to these two sing last night evoked memories of Sunday School Christmas plays, Youth Camps, Saturday Night Gospel Concerts and bus trips to unknown areas of South Africa. Those are memories that I will always cherish because those experiences made me who I am. @cassmaresce and @diane_vanstaden are probably two of the best natural alto singers I know and it has been a real gift to have them sing on #WhoYouAre but more so because we all share a similar path to Salvation.

We learned how to worship, speak in tongues and share the gospel from a generation who never compromised the Message and who prepared us to be who we are today. Thank you for this! Who knew a recording session could be less than 30 minutes 😁

#whoyouare #familyandfriends #AFMChoir #nintiesrock #gospelmusic7

#WhoYouAre Episode 1 This is a special day for me

#WhoYouAre Episode 1
This is a special day for me since I get the most precious and beautiful woman to start off the vocal sessions for a song that I love dearly. Since we started dating (around 25 years ago) I had battled to get her in the studio. Homeschooling our 3 kids doesn't afford her too much time for extras 😄 I am genuinely appreciative of her availing herself to sing for me tonight. Love you Babes. You sound great!
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#riaanpretoriusmusic #wife #darling #myboo #VOCALRECORDING

Instagram post 17873549239941753

Instagram post 17873549239941753

Join us online at south.africa.soundwaveradio.net

Join us online at south.africa.soundwaveradio.net for our weekly broadcast @interfellowship_church online now

After recovering from viral encephalitis in 2010,

After recovering from viral encephalitis in 2010, I found myself very confused and doubting my Christianity for the first time in my life. It set me on a journey discovering the truth claims of our faith. During this time of doubt I stumbled on RZIM Ministries of Dr. @ravizacharias and my outlook on life was absolutely changed. I spent countless hours watching his lectures and online debates to the point where I could repeat the arguments with ease. Dr. Ravi's ministry has helped me to understand that there is no one like Jesus and there is no religion or philosphy that can even compare to Christianity even at the most fundamental level. Thank you Dr. Ravi for your compassion and humility and for obeying the call of God on your life. #getwellsoon #weareprayingforyou

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