Black Coffee and Sun-El musician surprise revellers on Reconciliation Day

As Capetonians flocked to the Old Biscuit Mill this Monday, little did they know that they were in for a 12-hour music marathon and lifestyle experience that would culminate with them mingling and taking pictures with renowned DJ Black Coffee, Sun El Musician and Culoe de Song until the wee hours of the morning.

Musa Keys, Thakzin, Celso Fabri and Younsta CPT were billed as the headline acts for this Reconciliation Day’s instalment of the popular ComUnity Festival – a social entrepreneurship festival that platforms food vendors, fashionistas, artists and DJs.

The festival’s founders, Loyd and Sir Vincent, played their cards close to their chests with some acts blurred out from the list of performers.

It was on my way out, just after 9pm, when I heard whispers of Black Coffee possibly playing a set later.

Knowing his close relationship with the ComUnity founders there was much speculation in the air.

To book Black Coffee can cost organisers anything between R2.7 million up to R5.5 million per gig.

Locally, it has become quite hard to catch this 48-year-old DJ’s electronic dance mixes that are quite a hit abroad where you are more likely to see him on the 1s-and-2s.

I decided to hang around, amble about the food market that was well-positioned by the main gate and later I moved back to the Jack & Coke lounge where I’d spent most of my day.

In my previous review of this youth festival I said I was far too old for it so this time around I brought along a DJ friend, Si Ba, who would provide me with subtitles and translate everything I saw and heard; starting with the music – they played Model C Amapiano, Sgubhu, Gospel Gqom, Afrotech and a genre called Bacardi for a large portion of the programme. Forget the names, they all sound pretty similar, and work quite well for ama-2000.

Bum-shorts, short skirts, baggy low denim Bermuda shorts and oversized t-shirts were the order of the day. The entire market space, where one usually finds trestle tables decked with various delicacies on a Saturday and Sunday, was cleared out and filled to capacity with young roisters.

Relay Jeans hung their various jean types above the dance floor entrance surrounded by enough bars to ensure no queues marred the day.

We got there as DJ Darkie was wrapping up her set. I’d hoped Pierre Johnson would save the day with some deep house, but no, he read the crowd and belted out more 3-Step Amapiano tunes.

It was Felo Le Tee who filled up the dance floor and got everyone dancing.

I also caught glimpse of Si Ba doing the Indian mudra dance moves everyone was doing at some point. With just their hands in the air. Another duo that roused up the crowd was DJ Kaunda and Not a She.

“The ComUnity Festival is now in its second year. This is a commemorative event in which selects commemorative public holidays; from Freedom Day in April to Youth Day in June to Heritage Day in September and Reconciliation Day in December.

“The emphasis for Reconciliation Day is more your music kind of vibe, hence the extensive DJ line-up,” said Sir Vincent.

Eventually I gave in, I had been at the mill since lunchtime. And it did not look like Black Coffee, who had played at Cabo Beach Club on the previous night, was not going to actually play a set.

Although he did go up on stage and whispered a word or two to the DJs. That really got the crowd excited.

But, it was not a Black Coffee night but rather a ComUnity event.

“Black Coffee came to show love [not play]; he mingled, spoke to fans on the dance floor and took quite a number of selfies,” added Sir Vincent.

Cape Times