The Indaba Show: Alex Rantseli reminisces on band’s MarcAlex successes

On the Indaba Show this week, host Steven Taylor speaks to Alex Rantseli, one half of the dynamic brother band duo, MarcAlex.

The brothers, Marc and Alex, entered the music scene in June 1988 with their hit song “Quick Quick”, which skyrocketed to number 1 on the South African music charts.

They won the OKTV Awards for Best Newcomer in the same year and their song “Heartbreakin’ Love” went to number 1 on the 5FM and Radio Metro charts.

Born in Diepkloof, Soweto, Rantseli said his interest for music started when he was at Olympia High School and when his brother first started playing the piano.

Music as a career was a prospect at the time he hadn’t anticipated. “I was thinking, you know what, let’s just see where this goes,” he said.

“Mark was already seasoned as it were because he had been playing and he was more of a vocalist than I was. But for me, I was just winging it,” he said.

While recording their first song at EMI Studios, Rantseli said they didn’t realise they were recording a “smash hit”.

“I was a guy that’s unknown from Soweto. I remember when ‘Quick Quick’ went to Radio Five, I was sitting in a Taxi and my song came on. I felt like telling everybody in the taxi that this is my song that’s playing,” he said.

Indaba Show host Taylor queried Rantseli about whether the duo are looking into releasing new music.

“You know what? I’m entertaining the idea. Because fortunately, we still can sing. And when you have it in your system, you know, it’s difficult to get rid of it. So who knows,” he said.