It’s all about mixing and mixing it up as South Africa’s digital music giants ready themselves for an Eastern Cape “TOURMAGEDDON” that involves both skills transfer and big boogies along the length of the entire Eastern Cape, including Port Elizabeth, Grahamstown, Jeffrey’s Bay and Knysna.
Set to share their skills and beats with the Eastern Cape are four of South Africa’s most influential DJs and DJ collaborative projects: Mix ‘N Blend, Hyphen, Phizicist + King Rat and Das Kapital. The DJs will perform two gigs in Nelson Mandela Bay, the first on 6 July at club DNE and the second on 11 July at Balizza with the addition of Narch from electro-band PH-Fat who joins the tour on 6 July – but it’s not all about the party, they say, it’s also about giving back.
“Such huge amount of talent comes out of the Eastern Cape and there is definitely a scene growing here again,” said Kevin Ribbans of Mix ‘n Blend. “We want to be a part of that and share the knowledge we have of the music industry so that the Eastern Cape industry can grow even more. So we are very keen to be a part of a cool skills transfer workshop with some of the local up and comings in PE.”
The tour DJs have paired with local youth collective, the n_mb city project, to host a workshop on Tuesday 10 July at DNE as part of its regular student night event, Mash Up Tuesdays.
“Basically the guys will be showing our local DJs how to produce beats, mix properly, integrate new sounds, what equipment they should use, and what it takes to start making it on the national scene like getting airtime on radio shows or even having your own radio shows, tours and events,” said Brett Jackman, co-founder of the n_mb city project.
“This is a unique opportunity for our talented local artists to get involved with and meet peers on the national scene in an effort to raise their game and learn in the process. The local scene needs more events – and people like Mix ‘N Blend, Hyphen, Phizicist + King Rat and Das Kapital – pulling into town showing us what it takes to produce your own music and get yourself out there.”
Hyphen are set to share their skills and beats with the Eastern Cape.
