POPULAR DUO LOURENS AND ESTÉ RABÉ (BOTTOMLESS COFFEE BAND) SEES THE BEAUTY IN EVERYTHING AND EVERYONE AROUND THEM, TRANSLATED MAGICALLY THROUGH THEIR MUSIC
It is not often where both a husband and wife have the opportunity to pursue their dreams of making it in the music industry on a full-time basis and being successful enough at their craft to enjoy a comfortable living from it is as a result. One of the fortunate couples that can however testify through example that this can be achieved, also in South Africa, is the popular duo of Lourens and Esté Rabé (Bottomless Coffee Band), who are living the life so many long for as the popular multi-instrumentalist musicians. Their ever-evolving recordings mix their unique blend of talents with songs about life, love, blues and so much more.
Known for their popular and entertaining concerts, it all started when they met as young students at the University of Stellenbosch. As many would say, their performances can only be described as electric, reminding one of the good old days when Johnny Cash and June Carter filled theatres with music, consisting of qualities both entertaining and unique.
Esté adds: “We have a great love for instruments; we’re constantly on the look-out for interesting sounds to include. Currently we play 12 instruments between the two of us, and with the technology available today, it allows us to perform with the sound a full band.”
Not only have Lourens and Esté Rabé (Bottomless Coffee Band) enjoyed many national tours to every outskirt of our own country, but they also performed internationally, such as at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Scotland, amongst others in Belgium, The Netherlands, Namibia and the UK.
2018 saw the release of their second album, Anthelia, produced by Theo Crous of Springbok Nude Girls fame, following their 2014 release of Room With A View; a firm favourite amongst any collector’s proud display of the finest music available.
When speaking about their music, a magical combination of both English and Afrikaans tracks, Lourens says: “The songs become like your children – every one has its own personality and needs to be treated in its own special way. Every song shows a little bit of who you are and some surprise you and have a greater effect on you than the other way around; just like offspring.” Their third release showcases this perfectly as a compilation album of a series called “Sitkamer Session” on YouTube. “We started this concept two years ago. The idea was born out of a need to honour the musicians and songs that have inspired us on our music journey,” says Lourens. Esté adds: “The common word for this concept is “covers”, but for us it was much more than that; it was a process of really digging deeper into the legendary work of the artist at hand and to go about with the song as if it’s a precious piece of porcelain. It ended up with us filming videos of the songs in our ‘Sitkamer’ (the Afrikaans word for living room).”
And all of these philosophies and thoughts are captured by Lourens and Esté Rabé (Bottomless Coffee Band) as they release one unique, often unexpected when familiar with their previous music, song after another about what insights life has given them at that particular time. However, their aim is always to inspire thought their music as a tool to unite and uplift. Although they have worked hard the past 9 years to achieve a modest form of success, they know that they have only started scratching the surface of taking South African music to more people and further into the world. This includes gutsy social political songs with unique local flavor, crowd-favorite power ballads and goose-bump love songs. Their sound is a combination of pop and rock with hints of classical tones – and will make you dance, smile, cry and sing along, all in the song-journey of one couple’s experience of life.
After completion of their studies, they both went into full time corporate careers – Lourens an Investment Analyst in the Asset Management industry, whilst Esté headed up a corporate theatre company. Since the release of their debut album “Room With A View”, the successful release led to the couple both leaving their corporate careers to “take the leap of faith” and build a career in full-time music.
Lourens excitedly proclaims: “This was a dream come true for both of us … there was great freedom in trading what the world labels as ‘success and security’ for a life of pursuing your passion and dream… We realised that significance means more to us than security.”
Esté adds: “Since the beginning, our main goal has been to inspire others through music. In a world filled with so much brokenness and mindlessness, we want to make music that would give hope, inspire change, spread love and unite people.”
Anthelia, the title of their second album, actually means: “The ability to see angels.” The duo translates this into their own interpretation of: “The ability to see beauty in everything and everyone around us”, which is just the perfect summary of what Lourens and Esté Rabé (Bottomless Coffee Band) and their music is all about.
Besides being a full-time touring band, Lourens and Esté also believe in using their music and skills to uplift their communities and country. This has lead to their involvement as ambassadors and patrons for various organisation including MAD (Make a difference leadership foundation, Francois Pienaar) and CCFA (Community Conservation Fund Africa, Mantin Collection)
For more information, visit www.bottomlesscoffeeband.com. Upcoming performances, included on the website, of the talented duo stretches from OPTOG shows with Koos Kombuis, Herman Kleinhans and Johrné van Huyssteen to even more surprise events such as Bands for Bricks, of which Lourens and Esté will be the musical directors.