For the past few years, especially since 2022, the meteoric growth of house music has been almost entirely spurred by tech-house artists. With his ubiquitous hit “Where You Are,” artists like John Summit have dominated the spotlight using catchy vocals and fast technical beats to make a distinctive sound that has made house hugely popular. As many people my age are becoming old enough to enjoy house music, as it is mainly played at concerts, raves and parties, the 20-year-old demographic is discovering an alternative to this new and fast tech house wave: Afro house.
This past Saturday a few friends and I had the privilege of seeing South African DJ and producer Nkosinathi Maphumulo, better known as Black Coffee, live under K Bridge in Brooklyn. I have been a fan of Afro house for around a year, but I had my doubts about the show. Afro house is characterized by its slow and repetitive drum patterns, methodical keys, synthesizers and infusion of South African tribal lyricism. If tech house hovers at 130 bpm, Afro house is closer to only 100. It’s great for a chill setting or fiddling around with friends on a mixing board, but a concert with a big crowd? I wondered; where was the energy going to come from?
A close friend of Black Coffee, Shoba, opened first and immediately set the tone with a couple of his original Afro tracks as well as some interesting unreleased Trance house. Throughout his one-hour set, the crowd space continued filling up, and Shoba did an excellent job teeing up Black Coffee. It was the perfect opener in vibe terms; however, the second opening performance by UK-based DJ James Blake confused the narrative a little. Blake’s set was packed with energetic tracks. He jumped from genre to genre with his signature UK bass house and hip-hop taste shining through. The problem came as Blake began to incorporate more Afro house. The set ended up feeling a bit phoned in. I’m sure many in the crowd, like me, found it hard to really tap into a singular vibe while he performed, as his typical music doesn’t mesh sonically with what was ostensibly an Afro house event. He ended his hour without finding a vibe to activate the crowd, which remained largely dormant. Blake is an acutely talented DJ, but with a crowd who was clearly there for Black Coffee, his performance felt somewhat blunted as he tried to show off his taste while conforming to the expected vibe.
Finally, at 10:30 p.m., Black Coffee appeared behind the decks. The crowd instantly came alive again as Afro house beats washed over us with lasers unseen until then also lighting up. Coffee started with a few familiar Afro tracks, adding his signature spin to them with some with his largely EQ-based mixing style and heavy use of filters. The tracks “Thandaza” and “Les Gout” by Keinemusik were definitely some of the best he played that night. Now, I have always known Afro house to be a more emotive form of electronic music. Its slow and relative nature makes each flick of an EQ or filter sound ever more impactful and ultimately allows DJs to express themselves more easily through a board. But Black Coffee takes this to the next level: He has singers do the vocals live. It’s one of the reasons his live performances are so worth seeing. On one of his most famous tracks “Deep Down,” singer Maxine Ashely stepped out onto the stage to sing the vocals which was nothing short of transcendent.
That was just the beginning though, as “Deep Down” faded the unmistakable keys and drum loop of “Rapture,” Black Coffee’s most successful song, floated into our ears. The original song actually has no vocals as its beautiful synths can usually speak for themselves, but around one minute into the track, Monique Bingham walked on to sing vocals. The Brooklyn-born singer produced emotionally rich lyrics that, combined with her incredible vocal tonality, made us all stare and listen in awe. I admit myself, and all my friends, froze with wide eyes and huge grins. It was a pure dopamine rush, one of those moments all music lovers know and feel when a song truly reaches out and touches you.
Coming down from the lofty heights of “Rapture” Black Coffee played a few more tracks to keep us dancing (including an unreleased Afro house spin of Tyla’s “Water”) before ending with “Music Sounds Better With You” by Stardust. Unequivocally my favorite house music song, it was the perfect ender to a night that quelled my doubts about a live Afro house set. If you ever have the chance to see Black Coffee live, just go. If you aren’t sure about Afro house, he can change your mind.
James Palm is a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences. He can be reached at [email protected].