From: South Africa
DJ style: House.
Best known for: Being Africa’s most well-known DJ.
Fave tune of 2022: “Jimi Jules ‘Don’t Take It Personal’.”
Rising star DJ/producer of 2022: “My son Esona. I just watched him play at Ushuaïa, I’ve seen him loving music from an early age and he’s done so many things musically. He’s even done vocals on some of my songs when he was younger. To see him taking music seriously is such a big thing for me. I’m really proud of him.”
When it comes to Nkosinathi Maphumulo, AKA Black Coffee, the word pioneer just doesn’t seem to cut it anymore. In 2022, he made history by becoming the first African to win the Grammy for the Best Dance/Electronic Album category with 2021’s critically acclaimed ‘Subconsciously’. He also returned to the White Isle for a full summer’s residency at the world-famous Hï Ibiza, filling his season with a roster of top-tier talent, including Kerri Chandler, Seth Troxler, DJ Minx and recent DJ Mag cover star TSHA. And to top it all off, he produced two tracks on Drake’s new album ‘Honestly, Nevermind’ — the hip-hop star even made a surprise appearance at one of Coffee’s highly coveted Hï nights.
In September, Coffee took things further, hosting an all-dayer at South London’s Beckenham Place Park. He pulled in major players from across the Afro-house scene, including Angola’s DJEFF, The Netherlands’ Cincity and the UK’s Kitty Amor. “Trust in your dopeness,” the South African artist has been known to say, and maybe that should be the new descriptor for this pioneer: simply dope.
What’s the best DJ set you’ve seen this year?
“There’s been so many sets, I can’t choose one.”
Name one great festival you played for the first time this year.
“Creamfields — I played before Fatboy Slim on his stage.”
What’s the longest DJ set you’ve ever played?
“In 2010 I did 60 hours.”
What’s one piece of studio hardware you wish you owned?
“There are certain monitors that are really hard to find these days.”
What’s the last tune you bought?
“A Kerri Chandler track, it was a Joey Negro remix but I can’t remember the name.”
What’s the next big sound?
“I’ve seen music go from disco to soulful to EDM, but I’m not really sure.”