Stars at Play, a recently conceived compilation series by the boundary-pushing What’s Phat record label, aims to provide an audio glimpse into what public figures, celebrated in fields not necessarily related to music, listen to in the privacy of their lounges.
First at bat is fashion label Stoned Cherrie’s Nkhensani Nkosi, who views the exercise as a natural extension to her brand. She sees fashion as not just about “frivolous, pretty clothes” but as the driving force of popular culture.
“Music, theatre, film and fashion are all related in a way. I come from a performance arts background so I have a passion for culture, and it doesn’t digress from the vision of the brand,” she said. She added that the selection should be viewed more as exemplifying the aesthetic of her brand rather than as an individual endeavour.
According to What’s Phat founder Alexia Walker, the idea to begin the series with Nkosi was a no-brainer because “Stoned Cherrie captures the spirit of urban culture” by mixing “traditional elements with more contemporary trends”.
With heady brand synergy egging it on, this premise seems, at first glance, to have been successfully translated musically. Flamboyant, seductive house floor-fillers collide gaily with salsified spoken-word oeuvres, updated soul classics and digitally enhanced mbaqanga. There’s an uplifting energy consistent with most songs, but that could be because a majority of them celebrate the sun in one way or another.
Although Walker emphasised that her star was given free reign of the proceedings, it would seem, licensing stumbling blocks aside, as if What’s Phat’s sensibilities crept into the tracklisting at some point. Save for Bra Hugh’s Mama and Roy Ayers’s Everybody Loves the Sunshine, most of the tracks are overwhelmingly dance-oriented, which could cast dark shadows on this volume’s long-term appeal. But considering that this is the first instalment of what promises to be a lengthy and surprising series, longevity may not be the primary concern. What this collection does have going for it is undeniable crossover appeal that forces the listener out of whatever pigeonhole they may have been nestling in.
For Walker, it’s all in a day’s work. Eclecticism is the cornerstone on which What’s Phat was built. The label is more concerned with highlighting DJ culture as a whole rather than giving a specific genre preference. This compilation series, therefore, is just a different way of telling the same story.
When asked which other stars might feature in future volumes, Walker would not divulge, but she did say music lovers should not be surprised if a name like Tokyo Sexwale is roped in to do a selection in the near future.
What’s Phat was started five years ago, soon after Walker left Europe for South Africa to be a part of “history in the making” and find a footing in the country’s rapidly altering musical landscape. It began as a sub-label under Melt 2000 and became a fully-fledged independent label later that year. Since then, the imprint has partnered with labels such as Outrageous Records and put out compilations such as the What’s Phat Pussycat series (whose fifth and current chapter was mixed by Vinni da Vinci).
In the future, said Walker, the label will continue to release compilations parallel to each other and dabble in lifestyle marketing for other brands dealing in youth culture.
Tracklisting:
Hugh Masekela: Mama
Roy Ayers featuring Erykah Badu: Everybody Loves the Sunshine
Shaun Escoffery: Days Like This
Jazzanova featuring Vikter Duplaix: That Night
Christos featuring Nkanyiso: Stoned Cherrie
Ursula Rucker with Louie Vega: Release
Louie Vega featuring Blaze and Raul Midon: Sunshine
DJs at Work: Baby I’m Scared of You
Thandiswa: Kwanele
The Mahotella Queens: Bazobuya
Brenda Fassie: Kuyoze Kuyovalwa