Black Coffee On Working with Ballantine's, the "Human Orchestra," and the South African Music Scene

Driven by the credo Stay True, Leave An Impression; Nkosinathi Maphumulo, a.k.a Black Coffee teamed up with Ballantine’s on the ‘Human Orchestra.’ Using the South African DJ and producer’s unique backstory as a basis for the project, the result is a unique, vocal version of his popular record, “Rock My World,” that really pushes the creative boundaries. We sat down with Black Coffee, who here details the making-of process, the virtues of ‘Staying True’, and also sheds some light on the current status of the burgeoning South African music scene.

How did you link up with Ballantine’s and how did you know they were the right partner to work with on this project?

Ballantine’s got in touch as they felt I represent Stay True, Leave An Impression; I do what I do because I have to, because it’s inside me. Having seen the previous films with Ben (Mead, the drummer) and Kilian (Martin, the skateboarder), what really interested me about the project is what they were looking for in the content. They were looking for a story, they were looking to inspire people and that is exactly what I’m always trying to do.

What inspired the idea behind the Black Coffee Human Orchestra?

I love doing something that’s outside of the box. I’ve done a lot of things here in South Africa — I’ve done a show with a 24-piece orchestra, I’ve done a 60-hour DJ marathon, I’ve played in crazy venues. Ballantine’s were looking for something different and so we kept discussing our ideas, trying to find something that was quite unique for people to connect to and to be inspired by. We came to the Human Orchestra as I have always wanted to try and recreate one of my tracks using just vocals, so it was the perfect project really.

Why did you choose “Rock My World” for this project?

The reason we went for “Rock My World” was because of the layers in the song. It wasn’t a very simple song to produce. There were a lot of different instruments, creating a lot of complex layering, so I knew it would be very interesting if we were able to make it work. I didn’t want to choose a song that was simple. I wanted something that was a challenge so we had something to work on. (laughs)

There are 40 vocalists from all across Africa involved in this project. How did you choose and find them?

I worked with Soulstar, the lead singer on the track, to find all the vocalists. We spoke with people across the continent who we’ve worked with in the past, getting recommendations and finding the best singers out there. Everyone was then invited down to the studio in Johannesburg where we really got to work on which voice suited what element of the track, the kick drum, the strings, the snare.

How does the Black Coffee Human Orchestra along with the “Rock My World” song align with Ballantine’s “Stay True” series?

Though the series focus on different creative disciplines, all are about showcasing people who really embody this ‘Stay True’ spirit, giving them a platform to experiment. It doesn’t matter if one’s a drummer, another is a skater, I’m a producer, all of these are just about inspiring viewers to drive themselves forwards and do what makes them happy at the end of the day.

Are there future projects with Ballantine’s in the making?

Stay True Stories will continue with other creatives this year and next, and I’ll also continue working with Ballantine’s in South Africa because the response has been so great. People are so inspired by the film – I’m not just talking about my [peers], I’m talking about the everyday person just walking down the street.

What is the status of the Afropolitan house movement that you helped to shape?

We are a very young country – everything is new. When I say young, I mean years. Somehow we are still trying to figure ourselves out. So there’s a lot of different things happening and everything that comes through takes people away because we are still very young. We are becoming stronger every day and such scenes [such as afropolitan house], they inspire people a lot, they make people look forward. We come from a very depressed era in this country and people are now slowly relaxing and starting to see how strong we are. We were never strong before, so we ask for it. Everything is slowly coming together and caught up in this rising momentum is afropolitan house.

What would you say about the South African music scene, especially compared to the bigger European and American music markets?

We have a very unique music culture here, house music being the biggest scene there is. It’s everywhere, on radio, in the townships, there are awards – even on TV there’re shows where DJ’s just play for an hour. We have so much support from the media. In that sense, we are growing. Our country isn’t making as much money as the European businesses because it’s a different space. That’s not to say it isn’t as popular though; I played a gig to 8,000 people last Saturday! (laughs) South Africa is a very special place for people who love music.

What does “Stay True” mean to you?

“Stay True” is all about finding yourself and doing what you do because you have to. Learn your craft — that’s how success comes, when you are not a jack-of-all-trades, when you are not trying to please everyone. Specifically for me, “Staying True” is all about musical experimentation and the power this can really have in bringing people together.

To keep up to date with all of Ballantine’s Stay True Stories, check out staytruestories.com.