What sparked the idea for Mixtape, and what keeps you pushing it forward?
Mixtape is a fusion of both European and African influenced electronic music. I am heavily influenced by both and this is about creating a space and curating lineups to explore those interests.
My dream would be to take Mixtape with me wherever I go, doing pop ups in other cities or countries I plan on visiting just like you would take a mixtape with you.
From a pilot event in a kitchen to a Poolhouse summer party, The Electric, and now the Kaapstad Toneelhuis theatre, why is it so important for Mixtape to keep searching for unique, intimate dancefloor spaces? What does a space like this unlock that a conventional club doesn’t?
Most people in the events space are picking up on the fact that people are choosing events that offer out-of-the-ordinary experiences, we’re trying to do this in our own way on our own scale.
These smaller spaces also allow for a more intimate connection between the DJ and the crowd, which I think people and selectors have been missing. While the venues may be unexpected for the audience, they’re very much intentional from our side as we pick them with a curated experience in mind.
It feels as though Mixtape draws heavily from the nostalgia of house music and ’90s club culture while still feeling relevant to today’s dancefloors. What elements of those eras are you trying to bring back?
As it always goes, I think it’s easy to look at the music and club eras of the past and long to have experienced that.
Mixtape likes to honor nostalgia by taking inspiration from the iconic scenes of Chicago, Ibiza, London and clubs like Studio 54 while also taking inspiration from the early 2000s scene, the graphics and bright colors.
These spaces are also where music, culture and fashion coincided, I want Mixtape to be a place for that as well. You look at photos from those clubs and people have their arms in the air, they’re swaying back and forth, singing and shouting - its real music and movement appreciation and I want Mixtape’s lineup and culture to create a space that makes people feel comfortable to get lost in the music and do all of the above.
This edition has a smaller lineup but longer set times. What does giving each artist more room allow you to do differently?
I think it allows them to create more of a journey, especially for other selectors who are also fond of dipping in and out of genres that work well together, it allows them the space to do that.
It’s very seldom that you feel like you’ve spun a coherent set or crafted a journey within a 1 hour set as a DJ, you can barely narrow down which tracks you want to play and which ones you’re going to have to drop from your set!
Lelowhatsgood, Chef KD and yourself, Mila-Rose, all approach house music from different angles. What made this particular combination feel right for your opening party of the season?
Lelowhatsgood brings a particular energy when they play a set, it’s infectious and everyone on the dancefloor can’t help but move.
He also has an expert way of weaving together a set that can take you through House to Ballroom to Gqom and it will all feel intentional and coherent, I would say they are exactly what I hope Mixtape parties embody.
Chef KD is a firm favorite of mine and so many, his selections are just pure class and a stellar representation of the incredible House scene in South Africa. Mixtape allows me to express my palate of sound, this all presents a harmonious lineup.
Mixtape brings together a beautiful mixture of people from different backgrounds, identities and corners of the scene. How have you cultivated a space where people feel comfortable showing up exactly as they are?
My immediate circle is a great example of the type of people I hope Mixtape attracts, just by my friends supporting me and showing up it has attracted a similar crowd and created a welcoming environment.
It’s a space for everyone who wants to appreciate music and do so in a way that is not abrasive to those around them. Show up as yourself, dressed up or dressed down, and just get down - that’s what we are all there to do. A friend of mine came alone to the last Mixtape and thoroughly enjoyed it, even leaving with some new friends. I want to continue to cultivate a space that is safe and comfortable enough to do that.
As an artist and the head honcho for Mixtape, how has being on both sides of the booth opened your perspective on this career?
Yoh, having to set up, be an artist liaison, occasionally a door lady and manage everything for as many as 8-10 hours before I even play my set, to having to deliver one that I am still pleased with has been a bit of a challenge! Sometimes by the time it comes to my set I’ve forgotten I am even meant to be playing…
But it’s worth it, I like being this involved and hands on while it’s still doable.
What barriers have you encountered, and how are you using Mixtape to create more space for yourself and other artists?
I don’t want people to feel like they have to box themselves in (both attendees and DJs) and sometimes the scene does this.
House music is a feeling more than anything, people will have their own interpretation of the sound and what it means to them. I want Mixtape to be a space for that, for House music, the DJs and the crowd to be taken on a journey and maybe even shown new sides of House music they haven’t encountered or enjoyed before.
Winter has a way of sending Cape Town into hibernation. Why should people come out of it for Mixtape?
Because it’s the opening party of the season! We are transforming a beautiful boutique theatre into a dancefloor for the night. Expect a nostalgic, electric atmosphere that beckons you in. Our lineup is stellar, with Lelowhatsgood coming down from Joburg, Chef KD bringing his signature flavour and myself who brings the curation together. Plus the weather shouldn’t stop you from dancing! Let’s groove.
What track would you say defines the sound of Mixtape?
The beauty of Mixtape is that I don’t think it could be summed up by one track. Just as a mixtape is made up of multiple tracks, so is the sound of Mixtape, it rings true to its name.
