Arts & Culture

They Called Afro House Boring, Until Black Coffee in Brooklyn 

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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.

Arts & Culture

On Remix Culture: Raving About House Music

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Coachella 2024: My ribcage is crushed between a barricade and the crowd behind me, there is no relief from the 100 degree desert heat and I’m running purely on adrenaline and three hours of sleep. I cannot relate to the mob of EDM fanatics behind me — at least, that’s what I thought until the house act steps onstage. And although I went to the festival for Tyler, the Creator, it was John Summit and Dom Dolla’s collaborative set, elusively named Everything Always, that convinced me to stay. I have always found something enigmatic about house music’s allure. Until the months leading up to Coachella, I had sworn off the genre in detest of its repetition.