- The Cape Town Electronic Music Festival last weekend was a great meeting of production, professionalism and near-perfect execution of sets from a few acts. After returning home electrified and inspired on Sunday evening, I took the liberty of compiling a few of my highlights.
Cid Rim: Having played a DJ set earlier that day (at a different party) I had the misfortune to miss Viennese Drummer and Producer Cid Rim’s set but I had to include it as a honourable mention, because word around the fest was that it was very clearly “the most next level shit.”
Dirty Paraffin: Future-kwaito duo Simiso Zwane and Zamani Xolo (aka Okmalumkoolkat and Dokta Spizee) played a brilliant Saturday set at the CTEMF. The hit ‘Papap! Papap!’ had fans rapping along to Smi’s ‘DP EP on MP3’ acronym flows and chanting “It’s a party time!” Dirty Paraffin’s major innovation with this set was the use of new, progressive productions to support familiar Okmalumkoolkat verses. A highlight of the set was hearing Okmalumkoolkat dropping verses over GQOM, signalling a potentially very fruitful direction for the duo’s sound.
DJ Shimza: Shimza delivered a phenomenal set of house sounds with a remarkable sense of energy and pace. The overall movement of his set evolved from a captivating introduction towards a pumping finale. Shimza’s technique is masterful beyond his seamless mixes as he – like Black Coffee – uses the mixer and its effects as an instrument to express himself in the music. Some of the audience commented that Shimza is on track to becoming one of SA’s biggest DJs, after hearing this set there’s no doubt about it.
HVOB: Attending festivals uninformed of what you’re in for often leads to thrilling surprises. HVOB’s set was such a case. The Austrian trio offered a totally inspiring live treatment and performance of sophisticated house. Anna Muller’s ethereal vocals and profound piano movements were sensitively accompanied by the electronic arrangements of Paul Wallner. Their live drummer brought a futuristic performative dimension to the music, playing on a fully electro-acoustic drum kit which had us all enthralled.
Jullian Gomes & Culoe De Song: Jullian and Culoe played an excellent back-to-back set which had the pair responding to each other’s selections in a dialogue of deep house cuts. A remix of Jullian’s epic hit ‘Love Song 28’ had the crowd reeling as did their foray into live electronic percussion.
Black Coffee: The faint rain did more to bring the crowd together than to dampen spirits as Black Coffee took to the decks. Indeed by that point the numbers had multiplied to a mass appropriate for the icon of South African deep house. Coffee delivered a virtuoisic set which time and again had the entire front row holding their phones out to capture the explosive performance. Coffee’s sense of dynamics, and his unexpected drops to hits had the crowd bowled over. Every Black Coffee set is a profound event, with an almost tangible atmosphere.
All photos courtesy of Laura McCullagh.
