Chrome in downtown Cape Town is buzzing - unusually busy for a Wednesday night. The venue is packed and for good reason. The prodigy of South African House is in the place tonight - Black Coffee - a man who has literally built an empire from the ground up.
During his career, he has become one of South Africa’s most celebrated and recognized House producers and DJ's and tonight at Red Bull’s request, he is giving a master-class to throngs of adoring fans and producers willing to cram into the space to pick up tips and pieces of from the man himself.
Black Coffee begins his remixing master-class with wise words and insights into how and why he does what he does. He tells the crowds later in a question and answer session that he is "trying to be an absolute icon and in that journey - sleep is just not on the menu" and you can understand this once you see his touring repertoire and the amount of releases he puts out on Soulistic Music along with a roster of some of South Africa’s greats. Amongst them is artist and producer, Culoe De Song, who has been taken under Black Coffee’s wing. Culoe is steadily gaining the same notoriety as his mentor.
The magic is happening right in front of the crowd’s eyes, Black Coffee is working magic on his Logic Pro session, remixing a track by DJ Kent. He explains how he wanted to completely differentiate his remix from the sounds Kent used, and how he focused much more on the power of the vocal - a magnificent female lead, flittering around the song’s kicks and string arrangements.
He already has the separates of the song setup how he wants them, but starts to hack out melodic strings and keys on the keyboard of his laptop, he brings in the bass line only halfway through the song, a touch a subtlety and genius! When questioned by Ivan Turanjanin, he explains that "this is the way he does things".
This is the underlying message of the entire workshop - how such beauty can be created so simplistically. How making music is an intrinsic exercise where one does not need fancy equipment or a particular kind of setup, but rather an ear for what sounds right and pleasing to them. A natural exercise of passion.
Once the Remix Session is over the floor is opened up to questions, and as imagined, there are many! Coffee shares his experience and knowledge of the industry . He ends off the talking, most fittingly, with the World Premiere of his new music video featuring the Legendary Hugh Masakela. The video for "We Are One" is like a history lesson in South African House Music, with cameos from the likes of DJ Christos, Culoe De Song, along with big-name international DJs such a Louise Vega, causing the crowd to erupt in applause!
A massive party ensues, with Thibo Tazz leading the way into a sublime Black Coffee set that lasts till the early hours of the morning. A great night for the culture of House Music, as informative as it was funky.
Although the Cape Town studio team were unable to attend the workshop in Johannesburg and party in Durban, we are told they were equally well attended and well received. Its great that all these years after attending and being inspired by the Red Bull Music Academy, Black Coffee himself is able to give back to the music community.
Click here to see photos from the night on our Red Bull Studio Facebook Page.
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