HYENA Nick Turner | Schalk van der Merwe | Mike Hardy

Hyena is the coming together of three accomplished South African musicians: Nick Turner, Schalk van der Merwe and Mike Hardy. Their sound is a combination of sampled original beats with live vocals and instrumentation that can best be described as fresh, adventurous and musically courageous!

After having both read and being greatly inspired by “The Creative Act: A Way of Being” by Rick Rubin – a book about unlocking and embracing one’s true creative potential and then committing to a creative practice – long-standing friends and music collaborators Nick Turner and Mike Hardy decided to get together once again and create a sound independent of their traditional musical compositional mindset and approach.

Part of this process has required them to dive into the unfamiliar territory of digital music production, and then crafting this in such a way so as to incorporate into their live performances. Along with Schalk van der Merwe on bass, the trio is embracing this project as an exciting musical as well as personal journey of discovery into the somewhat unknown realms of the creative universe.

Nick Turner
Accomplished singer, songwriter and guitarist, Nick Turner, was a founding member of Sons of Trout in the late 1990s and later formed one half of Mikanic alongside fellow Trout member Mike Rennie. Nick’s music effortlessly spans genres, drawing influences from rock, reggae, and Afro-pop to ghoema, hip-hop, and jazz. His songs are lyrically powerful, relevant, humorous, and energetic, with broad appeal and live performances that showcase virtuosic musicianship.

In 2004, Nick moved to New York City with Mikanic. During his time in the Big Apple, he collaborated with some of the best in the business, most notably Bakhiti Kumalo and Tony Cedras (of Paul Simon fame), Zolani Mahola (FreshlyGround), and Nathi Gcabashe (Hugh Masekela Band). The band played — and sold out — many of New York City’s legendary venues, including Lincoln Center, CBGB’s, Joe’s Pub, The Knitting Factory, and Symphony Space.

Nick returned to Cape Town in 2009 to embark on a solo career. Since then, he has graced the stages of many of South Africa’s most prestigious festivals, including the Cape Town International Jazz Festival, Rocking the Daisies, and KKNK (Klein Karoo Nasionale Kunstefees), to name a few. At KKNK, he has been involved in several award-winning productions. In 2010, he won the award for Best Debut Production alongside Karen Zoid and Louis Mhlanga. In 2015, he was part of Al lê die berge nog so blou, which won Best Music Production at the festival and also clinched the prestigious Fiesta Award for Best Music Production the same year.

In 2018, Nick’s Afrikaans project Korreltjie Kantel was nominated for Best Adult Contemporary Afrikaans Album at the South African Music Awards. In 2019, he was part of the cast in David Kramer’s production Platteland, which received the Fiesta Award for Best Music Production.

Over the years, Nick has had the good fortune of working with a wide range of acclaimed South African artists, including Buddy Wells, Ramon Alexander, Jannie van Tonder, Kevin Gibson, Ronan Skillen, and Schalk Joubert, among others.

Nick is also involved in several exciting new projects. In 2018, he joined the Hanepoot Brass Band, a group dedicated to indigenous South African music and the works of local jazz composers. During the COVID lockdown, with no live performances in sight, Nick began collaborating and composing material for his most recent musical endeavour, The Misty Cliffs. The group’s debut album received a South African Music Award nomination for Best Contemporary Album in 2024. Nick’s love of music also extends to education and development work. From 2010 to 2017, he was involved in a development project at Solms-Delta Wine Estate called Music van de Caab, which focused on preserving the rich musical heritage of the Cape — including Cape jazz, vastrap, and ghoema — through facilitation, songwriting workshops, and teaching. His other notable teaching roles include the Connecticut School of Music (2006–2010), Rondebosch High School (2010–2018), and the German International School Cape Town (DSK), where he has been teaching since 2019.

Schalk van der Merwe
Schalk van der Merwe is a seasoned bassist with nearly three decades of sustained musical labour across studio, stage, television, and theatre. He is credited on more than sixty albums and over forty number-one singles on various South African music charts, and is best known as a founding member of Cape Town funk outfit Bed on Bricks and as a long-standing collaborator of Karen Zoid. He has worked with artists ranging from Johnny Clegg and Dorothy Masuka to Gloria Bosman, and Vusi Mahlasela, and has been a constant presence in award-winning productions recognised by the SAFTAs, Fiestas, Kannas, and Woordfees.

Mike Hardy
Mike Hardy joined Sons of Trout as their lead vocalist in the latter part of the 1990’s. This was the beginning of his musical collaboration with Nick Turner. He then became a founding member and vocalist for Bed on Bricks in the early 2000’s, and this was the beginning of his musical collaboration with Schalk van der Merwe. COVID saw the rise of TDK90 which, although short-lived, was incredibly fulfilling from a creative perspective, and during those dark times.

Having performed and recorded extensively with these bands over the last two and a half decades, Mike now enjoys pushing his own musical boundaries with his friends Nick and Schalk in HYENA.