SOUND SAMPLES
In the Rock
Wa` wil djy wies?
(requires windows media audio)

Free MP3 downloads coming shortly

VIDEO (links to YouTube)
A prayer

POEMS
read a selection of Loit's poems

LINKS
download Loit on SAMP3.com

COLLABORATORS
Les Javan
Jethro Louw
Khoi Khollektif

LOIT SôLS
poet, guitarist

Performance format: available for solo poetry readings, solo performance poetry, as duo with Les Javan, as part of the Khoi Khollektif 

For bookings click here

Loit Sôls is a peoples' person who laughs like an hyena - a lot. He is also a poet, a singer and a guitarist. He took up the guitar at age 21 and is self-taught in music and writing. He's been writing since he was 8.

"I used to not like the journey of my life because it puzzled the hell out of me. Making me into a brooding, self-conscious teenager, using laughter to disguise my confusion. Today it still does but now I can handle it. I am satisfied with the way my life has evolved. And I laugh, genuinely, about it. Laughter grounds me."

He has done many things in his life. His first 100-odd jobs were all menial: messenger, sweeper, delivery assistant, shelf-packer, dispatch-clerk, machine-minder, etc.

His first career break (and foray into the world of art) came when he started a window-dressing apprenticeship with Half Price Stores (Pep), which involved traveling into up-country areas. "My first trip out of the city was to Stellenbosch. Man, it felt like I was going overseas!" He worked his way up to display supervisor, sign-writer and advertising-designer.

His big career break came when he landed a position as a graphic designer with YOU magazine, the English language sister of the wildly popular Afrikaans language Huisgenoot magazine. He went on to design the masthead and was instrumental in the magazine's overall design and corporate image forms. 6 years later he left the corporate world for good. First stop Scotland, where he performed to a standing ovation on the Edinburgh International Arts Fest.

Biggest highlight: 
A tribute, published in a Cape Town Daily, which was written for him in the form of a poem by a youth who attended one of his performances in Bushmanland.

Other highlights include:
First publication My Straat en anne Praat-Poems (Kwela 1998) launched at KKNK (Oudtshoorn Fest) with 6 gigs on the main Fest

Reprint of My Straat ... 1999

In the national SA university curriculum and Universitas Indonesia Jakarta Java and used by Stellenbosch and Potchefstroom universities Drama Deptartments

Included in the collections: A century of SA Poetry; Groot Verse Boek (SA); Afrikaans in 'n duisend en een gedigte; O wye en droewe land (Nederland)

In the Library Dept of the City of Cape Town and The SA State Library

Work translated in Dutch, French and Bahasa Indonesian 

In the private collection of Mrs Zanele Mbeki

New work in Nuwe Verset 

Music in the SABC Music archives and International Library for 
African Music at Rhodes University

Invitations:

KKNK Main Fest and Fringe with trio AwuMalawu 1999 

Winternachten Literature, Music and Film Fest Den Haag, Nederland 1999

Poetry Africa Durban 1999

Jakarta International Poetry Reading Java Indonesia 2001

Cape Town Fest 2002

Other:

Maergat! A cabaret at Artscape (running over 3 weeks) 2000

Numerous Press, Radio and TV appearances locally and overseas

Now he works purely as a musician and poet. "Sometimes I eat well, sometimes I'm hungry. But I`m happy, because I am always guided by the Big Spirit.