Greg Bowes Johannesburg nightlife
Suddenly on Saturday nights in Johannesburg there’s a welcome and regular alternative to the usual mundane mega- raves – and one that’s showcasing local talent on the fringes of live music. And I’ll be damned, people are still dancing! The Stylus Lounge takes place every weekend at the stunning but seldom used Carfax and features DJs alongside musicians playing live electronica.
Billed “creativity through electronica” it’s the first real platform for a multitude of bedroom-musicians out there and it comes as no surprise to learn that World’s End Productions is behind the venture. Says Preston van Wyk of World’s End – responsible for organising some of this country’s first raves and a designer who clothes everyone from skate kids to kwaito stars – “We’re looking at a variety of DJs, cult movies, art and performance, but with the focus on electronic music and live acts.”
Now live techno is always going to be a difficult propositon: how much energy is it possible to exude while twiddling a knob or triggering a sample? But both acts at last Saturday’s launch coped admirably.
First up after the Digital Nomad’s smoky intro was Lightyear, with Carl on controls and the revelatory Billie Nagwena on vocals. Expressive, ecstatic and genuinely soaring, her performance – replete in short spiky dreads and tall tan boots – was unfortunately cut short when her microphone backfired, but Carl’s tight house beats continued and teased a good portion of the crowd on to the dance floor.
Fourth World veteran Static P provided a vintage set of soulful dance tunes during the interval with bits and pieces of sci-fi serving as backdrop. Binary Dredd came on a little late, but the duo of Dominic Lee and Justin van Loggerenberg entertained with their dark rushing drums, frenzied acid sounds and some energetic bouncing around. Closing proceedings was the Blunted Stuntman with another sure-fire selection of drum’n’bass rhythms.
“There’s so much talent out there,” says Van Wyk, enthusiastic about his prospects. And in the light of these performances from acts who’ve downed traditional tools and accepted notions of live music and who were playing live for the first time, rightly so.
By sealing off a small and intimate section of the vast Carfax venue and somehow attracting a cross-spectrum of cool kids, Van Wyk may have inadvertently stumbled upon the perfect warm and cosy winter hangout.
He’ll have some competition on Saturday May 29, though, when Cape Town’s hottest drum’n’bass collective, Sublime, travel northward to drop some bad-ass basslines and storming two-steps at 206 in Orange Grove. The crew (Danja, Pace and Apex) will be supported by top Johannesburg DJs Xero, Mark, Knott, Nicole, Scrape and the Blunted Stuntman. It’s the place to be.
The Stylus Lounge takes place every Saturday from 9.30pm at Carfax, 39 Pim Street, Newtown, Johannesburg