Remember what your parents taught you? It's important to keep trying things.
Just because you weren't keen on the taste of something when you were younger, doesn't mean you won't like it as an adult. Our taste buds mature as we get older. Arguably, our taste in music also gets more refined with age.
Coaxed by the increasing amount of celebrity cameos that keep popping up on my social media feed (hello Travis Scott?!), for the first time this season I decided to give Black Coffee another try...
Usually, the more melodic type of House Black Coffee is associated with, isn't really my cup of tea.
All that said, I caught a glimpse of him at Zamna festival in Tulum at the beginning of the year. From that appetiser, I questioned if I had been wrong to write-off Black Coffee and his support acts?
Welcome to the jungle
For anyone living under a soundproofed rock, Black Coffee is the South African DJ and producer who has broken through many glass ceilings.
You could call his repertoire Afropolitan House, though the spectrum of his sound spans so broadly, it can include anything from Soul to Jazz to classical. One thing's for certain, it's definitely deeeep. Let’s call it a "rich blend" (!)
This time I wasn't in the Central American jungle, but I was in a jungle of sorts. It just so happened to be DJ Mag's world's number one club Hï Ibiza. Here the resident of now seven years reigns supreme each Saturday.
Hung in frondescence, Hi Ibiza's main room was transformed into a jungle-esque setting.
Projections of foliage paired with beats echoing African heritage, made me feel part of an ancient tribal ceremony. This was my initiation and I was about to be passed the traditional kool aid, the recipe passed down through generations - metaphysically speaking.
Would I find it a bitter medicine? Or a sweet tonic?
Trapped in a labyrinth of alien sights and vibrations, Black Coffee's set satisfied more of my senses than merely my hearing alone. This made it extremely hard for me to leave the jungle.
My escape was facilitated by Damian Lazarus and Dubfire being at the helm of the Club Room for a special back-to-back. With that luring us away, after an hour spent hypnotised by Black Coffee, me and my friends advanced next door to the temple catch them do their thing.
Their selections were just as spellbinding as Black Coffee's.
Perhaps less of a slow-burn, it felt as though the sonics were a lot heavier here. An example which I've been blasting at home in the aftermath is Red Axes's Relax Shiva released on Damian's own Crosstown Rebels - what a banger.
It was such a vibe, possibly owing to the compliance to Lazarus' strict no phones on the dancefloor policy.
I was surprised to witness (almost) everyone abiding by this request. Because of this and the pair's unforgiving entourage of whoppers, I was distracted long enough before realising there was only 20 minutes left of Black Coffee in the other room.
Closing things down in The Theatre, the man himself ended on a beautiful note.
His newest single The Rapture Pt.III with &ME, finished things off on high spirits. Give it a listen and imagine the magic of hearing it in such a mesmerising setting.
So there you go, kids. It pays to put yourself out of your comfort zone and try that thing you convinced yourself you didn't like. My time in the jungle had been eventful. Time to put the kettle on. Make mine a strong brew.
Black Coffee returns this Saturday, accompanied by Canadian bombshell Jayda G and soulful fellow South African Jullian Gomes. In the Club Room, Damian Lazarus is joined by the notorious Bedouin and the Swiss-born Techno queen Carla Durisch.
Tickets for that party and the remaining Saturday nights until the end of the season can be bought below.
ADDITIONAL WORDS | by Stephen Hunt
