Aged 13, Nkosinathi Maphumulo was hit by a car whilst celebrating the release of Nelson Mandela from jail rendering his left arm paralyzed. He is now one of the most exciting new talents in dance music…
By Dan Prince
Nathi you are in Ibiza to play Circo Loco at DC-10 – why do DJs love playing there so much?
For a new DJ it is like going to High School. It is where we come and learn about the underground before going out and taking on the world and all the craziness.
Also on the bill are Disclosure, not someone you’d usually associate with Circo Loco…
I thought the Disclosure booking was great. There is such a huge misconception that when an artist becomes successful they suddenly don’t make or play great music anymore. Just because they are on MTV doesn’t make them bad. The message is simple. It’s all about the music.
What was your first trip to Ibiza like?
It was three years ago and to be honest, I knew nothing about the island, scene or the DJs. Luciano had tried booking me for Ushuaia once before but I was already booked and then Seth Troxler who was loving my music put in a good word to the promoters at DC10. I didn’t even know who Seth was back then!
One of the things I love about you is the diversity of your DJ gigs. Coming up is Watergate in Berlin, a jazz club in Switzerland, a festival in London, Pacha in Ibiza, a racecourse event in South Africa…
I am lucky enough that the music I play allows me exposure to so many different people. I have loved music for as long as I can remember but I truly feel I have not fully taken responsibility for my talent or exploited my true potential enough in the past. I can do that now and want to be involved with everything I love. I am looking at film scores, I am working on Puff Daddy’s new hip hop album – anything that vibrates and interests me musically, I am there.
You are appearing at South West Four in London in a few weeks. Bet you can’t wait?
What a line up from the SW4 guys again. Yes I’m playing the Main Stage on the Sunday with The Chemical Brothers, Carl and Maya. It is going to be incredible.
Many DJs turn up before their set to check out what the DJ before them has been playing. Not you though?
Listen, first and foremost I am a DJ. I don’t drink, I don’t take drugs, I’m not interested in having my photo taken with any cliques. I am there to play my music. I have my own vibe, it doesn’t matter who is on before me, sure I may have to play one or two records to change the groove from the previous DJ, but I do my own thing. And I’m terrible in following who’s who. I think it was one of my things when I started that I would try and follow the scene, but now I’m in it, I’m not really following anyone. I’m just on my own journey, my own way…
I loved your Alicia Key’s remix, what’s coming next?
I have just submitted a single to Ultra which is not your usual Black Coffee tempo, it’s more 110bpm and features an amazing South African singer/songwriter called Shekinah. I want the new album to be totally different and showcase as many styles of my music as possible. A real producer’s album.
A lot of the world is fucked up at the moment, South Africa though seems to be moving forward finally?
It brings me so much joy when I hear comments like that, all I usually get from people is concern and worry. It has taken a long time and we have a long way to go, but people are slowly understanding who we are. We have been on the outside for so long we forgot to see the real value in ourselves. Our nation has finally understood that we don’t have to emulate what the rest of the world is doing, we have our own world. There are so many young kids now getting involved in new enterprises and starting their own brands, the future is looking so exciting for South Africa.
And for it’s music…
Exactly! The South African Broadcasting Corporation has just announced they will now be playing 90% of local music across all of it’s 18 radio stations in a bid to prioritise home grown talent. So now kwaito, umbhaqanga, gospel, isicathamiya and maskandi are just some of the music genres that are being pushed. This has changed everything for us, it means new artists now have a goal. Local is now cool.
Black Coffee plays South West Four in London August 27th – 28th
