When What’s Phat Records managing director Alexia Walker talks of her passion for music, her speech is peppered with reference to “sophistication”.
She never tires of pointing out how she likes deep house for its sophistication, or that all the music she helps bring out is, well … sophisticated. Just like her husky voice. She has now channeled her passion to help bring a new dimension to house music appreciation by exposing South African audiences to French influence.
Walker ventured into music in 1994 when she was asked to establish a record label for a club called Mazzo in Amsterdam, after she had moved to the Dutch capital from her hometown of Paris. She still does not know why she was offered the job, “except of course that I am passionate about music,” she says. Music is not the only thing that drives this half-French, half-Australian chatterbox.
Before moving to Amsterdam Walker spent her time as a curator of art exhibitions and translating social science research projects. In the process, she earned herself a Masters in archeology and art history. The swift transition with which she left the arts for music also prompted her to leave Europe for South Africa in February last year.
But why South Africa? More importantly, why Cape Town when the clubbing capital is arguably Johannesburg? “I chose South Africa because I got bored with Europe.
“[The scene] was stagnant. It had developed what I can call sclerosis. The people were jaded.”
Now, after settling at that European extension with a big mountain, she feels she is “part of something that is happening. The scene in Cape Town is laid back. There is nothing new but it is dominated by tech house and deep house.”
To break into the South African market, she started distributing music from the German label K7 — that is, music from the culture she left behind because she felt it had given her sclerosis.
“I did not know much about the South African market and I found that there was a demand for music distributed by K7,” she says of her decision to bring out sound from producers such as Kruder and Dorfmeister, Rae and Christian and the surreal Herbert.
When she got to grips with the scene she sought to infuse it with a French vibe. Late last year her label brought out What’s Phat Pussycat and mixed the diminutive and soft-spoken DJ Vinny da Vinci of House Afrika, who impressed her with his grasp of deep house. The highly niched compilation has sold 8Â 000 units to date.
House Afrika has now established itself as a leading churner of compilations, including DJ Christos’s Wicked Sounds and DJ Oskido’s Church Grooves.
With the release of two new projects, What’s Phat continues its mission to inculcate deep house. The first is Africanism, again mixed by Da Vinci. The project is characterised by the North African melodies that found their way across the Mediterranean to set Europe on fire. It was originally mixed by French DJ and producer Bob Sinclar, before Da Vinci deconstruct it, slowed down the pace and mixed it for a South African dance floor.
Walker then steps to the fore as a compiler with Soul Chic. “I was looking for a laid-back sound with a sophisticated edge and a lot of soul,” she says.
She found that sound in works such as Modaji’s Sanctuary. South African band Moodphase 5ive brought the sensual Miles. There is also Mayibuy’ iAfrika by Meitz with South African vocalist Vido Jilashe, who is now based in Germany.
It’s Europe meets Africa.