Any live musical experience is always guided by the curation, because ultimately at the heart of it is emotion and not just sound itself. This is especially true for Afro house. A genre that is felt and not understood. A sound where rhythm and feeling often supercede vocal notes and translation.
263 Culture Fest's 4th edition was one were Afro house reigned, led by a DJ ranked 75th in the world by DJ Mag, second only to Black Coffee in Africa, Shimza.
Yet to get to him was over a 12 hour wait that gave you a sonic whiplash in its curation. Not that there weren't many beautiful moments that saw thousands united in rhythm, but for any festival or concert that begins midday, it is a long wait for 2 am. All the right ingredients were there but the recipe just wasn't put together with the right care.
In setup Culture Fest certainly learned their lessons from last year. The general section got the space it deserved, as the VIP - still the best way to experience this festival - was to the side of the festival grounds instead of occupying half of it. The stage and screens certainly favoured DJs in design and there was even pyrotechnics. A particularly nice touch as flames blurred out while Shimza's "Fire Fire" echoed across Thornpark Polo Club.
Bhana had a moment in the sun that delivered just the right taste of Afro house, Madedido was energetic and loud - although often cutting his songs to just snippets, and MadeHerBelieve understood his crowd. Alongside DJ Courageous and Vele Vele's unique approach to MCing this was the afternoon.
As twilight approached, The Boss DJ arrived with an Afro house remix of Mai Chisamba's theme song that grabbed the audience's attention, and he kept it with a hint of the familiar (in old school Zimbabwean records) reimagined in the mould of Afro house. It was one of the most memorable sets of the night.
From there the first international act of the night hit the stage in the form of Sam Deep. We were gifted with exclusives from his forthcoming project in an hour long session of luxurious grooves and cushioned percussion. The peak of it being a collective rendition of "Shela" with Sam Deep as conductor. This singalong carried on with K.O's arrival as the rapper led us on a trip down memory lane, all the way back to the Teargas days. Heady with nostalgia we sang "One Time," "Skanda Love," "We Rollin," "iWalk Ye Phara," "Run Jozi," and "Caracara" at the top of lungs.
Babalwa M turned down the tempo with a soulful amapiano performance driven by the singer's velvety vocals. Although mellow and subdued in energy, it was beautiful. It is often said that singer's sing (in the studio or otherwise), and Babalwa did just that. The singer's rendition of "Uvalo" being the highlight.
Funky Qla delivered 3-step with an edge of gqom, and it was his catalogue fully on show. "Ixesha," "Ngithathiwe," "Smoothie," "Awe Mah 2.0," and "Unyaka" were but just of the selections that made the thousands dance. It had both the commercial and something for house music aficionados. A near perfect balance.
On a different night Wowrae's percussion would've been worthy addition to the lineup, as it was last year, but on this occasion it was a speed bump to the energy curve of the night. Not by any means a reflection of his performance, but by the time he finished the atmosphere was one gripped by impatience, and the crowd was half what it once was.
As the night reached its climax Afro house pioneer, Da Capo, took to the decks. His set was one that simmered but never quite reaching crescendo, although the beat drop of Caiiro's "The Akan" as he transitioned from "Roxy" by Drifbling was something special, as equally was hearing him play his remix of "Mama's Touch." If you came strictly for Da Capo you would've felt something missing, but as the penultimate performance it perfectly set the stage for what Shimza did next.
A part of the philosophy Shimza believes in as a DJ is understanding your role as a closer and giving the people what they want when the time calls for it.
The first breaths of Sunday morning were greeted with just that, the African electronic music hits we know and love textured to Shimza's musical identity, Ibiza in Harare. "Bo Gogo [Magical Remix]," "Mnike," "iPlan," "Nayvee's Prayer," and Shimza's trailblazing records - the unreleased - "Fire On The Dancefloor," and - the Afro house song of the year - "Fire Fire."
A winding story of music was given its undeniable exclamation point in ending. It was the wrong side of midnight but we were wide awake. You could almost forgive all the chaos in execution, for the dopamine rush that came with Shimza's "Fire Fire" echoing across the field.
Now while it certainly wasn’t how it felt last year, 263 Culture Fest as a whole still felt oversubscribed. While the food village did not run out of meals, the parking did and cars ended up being left on the side of the highway. While we had more space, the amenities were not a match for the numbers.
Yet Moozlie had captivated both men and women, Vele Vele had had the energy of a class of toddlers going through a sugar rush and despite the curation, the music had given us so many beautiful moments. The Boss DJ, Sam Deep, Babalwa, Funky Qla, Shimza... Culture Fest, once again an oxymoron in its experience.
Note: This is not just a reflection on 263 Culture Fest but Harare festivals in general. The amount of phone snatching at events has gone out of hand, something absolutely needs to be done about it. At the least more security within the festival grounds.
Greedysouth rating: 7.4/10