Rob Price
Gutbrain Records
rob + gutbrain.com = email


2025 March 24 • Monday

How about some South African funk disco whatever for the 849th Soundtrack of the Week? You've got it! Here's Zane Cronje's music for the 1976 movie Snake Dancer, a.k.a. Glenda.

"The Hustler" is a great groovy instrumental with flute, horns and strings stabbing notes over a really swinging rhythm track. Strings come in with a melody and the feel smooths out before getting back to its more intense feel, this time with rhythm guitar.

The next track, "Get It On With Music", is a bit reminiscent of "Play That Funky Music" but that hit single hadn't come out yet when this movie released. So that's interesting. There are passionatte vocals about realizing the title.

Then it sounds like it's time for romance with "Evening Stroll", a legato and love-themey instrumental with strings and piano over a laidback rhythm part.

Charles Segal and R. Clarke contribute a title song, "Glenda", very '70s gold with female vocals singing about the mystery of life.

The next track is presumably source music for "Brannigan's Club", a short instrumental that's like a country-tinged blues pop soul whatever number.

Percussion and vocal dominate "Uku Gida" though you can hear some other instruments in there. It's like tribal exotica disco, I guess.

"Opus Africa" is mostly by Charles Segal and is an interesting mix of disco drums, wah-wah guitar and very straight up and down piano playing. It's a really cool blend.

Then it's another disco classic song with Cronje's "Show Me What You Are", which is just really good. The lyrics are good, too: "Minds can change / So can you / I know we'll see it / See it through".

There's one more Charles Segal tune and it's a loungey piano feature called "Brannigan's Pad/Coleen's Theme". Very nice and relaxed though the electric bass guitar sounds a little out of place here.

Next is a breezy instrumental with strings and horns taking the lead. "Hillbrow by Night" sounds like a lot of '70s background music you've heard before but hey it's good.

But for "The Club" we get something different. All of a sudden there's acid rock fuzz guitar and a much harder hitting rhythm with a definite edge to it. This is a nice change of pace.

"Uku Puma Kwelanga" is similar to "Uku Gida" but a little brighter, a little lighter, guitar more prominenet, vocals a little more melodic.

I sure wasn't expecting a nylong-string guitar to show up but here one is, with what sounds like Hammond organ as well, for the tearful-sounding "After It's Over".

We end with a reprise of "The Hustler". Cool record. The movie doesn't have good reviews but I'd watch it.