SUPERBALIST IN THE CITY DELIVERS EPIC THREE DAYS OF INTERNATIONAL AND LOCAL HIP-HOP, RAP, BEATBOXING, ELECTRONIC AND ROCK ACROSS JOZI
Superbalist In the City took over Jozi this past weekend as thousands of music lovers filled venues across the city’s downtown venues and green spaces for three days of the most epic partying you’ll have all summer.
For the first time in its five-year history, #SxITC2016 expanded into a weekend festival that opened up music genres across electronic and EDM, hip-hop and house, indie rock, beatboxing and rap, featuring no less than 24 artists. If you weren’t at Superbalist In the City, then you weren’t at the hottest events that kicked off SA’s summer festival season.
Friday night, October 8th, iconic club And celebrated its third birthday with the #SxITC2016 Liftoff Party – and what a party it was! Across two stages until 4am, the best DJ’s in electronic, techno and house music threw the beats and spun the decks for seven hours non-stop. Headlined by Daniel Pearce, better known as Eats Everything, this English producer and DJ tore it up for two hours with his signature techno and house tunes to the joy of club-goers. The line-up also included Eric Volta, Andi Dill, Zolabuddé, 2lani The Warrior, Ricardo da Costa and Keren Onay.
Less than 12 hours later the action moved to Mary Fitzgerald Square in Newtown for the Virgin Mobile Braam Beach Party on Saturday 8th October, bring it back to the original home of Superbalist In The City.
A beach in the middle of the city? That’s right! Nothing a few tons of sand, palm trees, beach balls, inflatable pools and a volleyball net can’t do to transform a square of concrete into a tropical party paradise! Fans in their thousands came dressed in their beach gear, ready to get down with some of the biggest names in South African urban and hip-hop.
From 4pm Melo B got the crowds going, followed by Shekhinah, Julian Gomes and DJ Capital. British DJ and producer Atjazz proved why he is still massively popular 20 years since he started performing as he got the crowd jumping throughout his set. Stilo Magolide didn’t fail to entertain with his catchy beats and love of the crowd. A highlight was when Riky Rick – who already had fans eating out of his hand – stage-dived into the crowd shirtless. Not once, but twice! p.H and DJ Tira kept the momentum going just before AKA closed the show.
Even a tropical rain storm was ordered to complete the theme. Thinking the rain would cool things down, it only made the party hotter. Twerking and grinding upped a notch and the wet weather certainly didn’t dampen the vibe. One fan even tweeted “#BraamBeachParty was a lot of fun. Just losing yourself in the rain was dope!”
Shifting gears, but not changing pace, the Superbalist In The City Concert was held on Sunday 9th October at Joburg’s popular Emmarentia Dam. A family event, fans arrived in their thousands with picnic blankets, umbrellas and sunblock to enjoy a full day of local and international rock, indie and rap. Proving local musicians are just as good as the rest, Sol Gems got the day started with their retro-rock vibes. Quirky and energetic Shortstraw followed before previous Open The City winners Grassy Spark rounded off the local acts.
Next up was the UK’s Beardyman, who impressed and wowed the crowd with his unbelievable, bass-filled beatboxing and live-looping skills. A one-man show like Joburg had never seen before, Beardyman left fans screaming, clapping and laughing.
It wasn’t long before the crowd started shouting “Mac! Mac! Mac!” – calling for US rap sensation Mac Miller to hit the stage. Arriving in a black hoody, he performed an incredible set that the Joburg audience sang along to, word for word, dropping hits like “Weekend” and “Dang”. In an interview backstage after his performance, Mac Miller said he was surprised at how popular and well-known his music was in South Africa – and that he loved the energy of the local crowds. Thanks Mac!
It was only fitting that indie legends Foster The People ended off the international line-up and essentially closed the three-day festival. Playing in all white, including all-white instruments, Foster The People’s 90-minute set was infectious. They played songs from both their albums including “Call It What You Want” and “Don’t Stop”. The most memorable moment was their encore of “Pumped Up Kids” played as the sun set over Emmarentia Dam and fans swayed with hands in the air singing “All the other kids with the pumped up kicks…”
