This is the second time in 2016 that I get to have a conversation with you (Black Coffee) and I honestly feel immensely blessed. The last time you hadn’t yet dropped your latest single “Come with Me”. You now have dropped “Come with Me” and a video and your album Pieces of Me which I have been listening to. I got ready to it today, I’ve been on it...... It’s so sick!
Mm: I want to talk about the intro because it is very intentional. It ends with “before there was music, there was love”. Break all of that down for me please!
BC: I’ve always wanted to work with the lady, her name is Lebo Mashile she is the most celebrated, most talented. For me she is like number one poet in the country honestly. We have always wanted to do something and I just had an idea of getting her to do the intro. I told her what I am looking for you know, I just briefed her like listen. I want this intro to be about Black Coffee not me but —Black Coffee must not be as in Coffee, Coffee it must be music. Because when you think its music then you think its Black Coffee because it wakes you up but then its music. She went all the way, it just shows how talented she is. She took her time I got into the studio, one take I was like thank you.
Mm: Are you serious?
BC: Yeahhh! She was like no let me do another one, I was like no. This is it! She went in, like I said, you can hear her.
Mm: I felt it. You could feel it.
BC: I can’t wait to do stuff with her. Like do a concert and have her reciting again live. Which might be happening.
Mm: I want to be there! haha.....
BC: Hahah, I really want to put my best foot forward. I really want to go all in and create a show.
Mm: Speaking of going all in Pieces of Me is so all in— and rich. Its very multi layered. You’ve got your first song the Intro and then Come with Me then there is another song Extra time on you. It just all weaves. When I last saw you at Coachella 2016, how much of that album had been complete?
BC: It was done, when I saw you there. It was released in South Africa. We basically worked out a deal with Ultra where we released an album and I just realized that I have an album that is done in South Africa that’s been out but its not available to the world. I thought it would be so cool to have that album coming out before I release the one that we signed for. Also to sort of like introduce people to my music outside of the country. This is the first time that I have an album available in the world where I get people from all quarters of the world saying wow, I like this one, I like that one. I walked into a shop in Ibiza on Monday last week and this guy was just playing my music.
Mm: No, way!
BC: You know, I walked in and I kept quiet, I looked at the shawls and I walked out. For me its like so big because before it would be my sets you know. But now to hear in Spain and in America— I’m like wow!
Mm: The last time you and I spoke, you had said— I asked you something along the lines of how have you managed coming from where we come from (Southern Africa) to create a career out of your passion. And you said, you are a bit of a rebel and I just kind of stuck to my guns is kind of what you said. So, its almost endearing for me to see the rebel be like Whoa my music is everywhere.
BC: I think its just beyond the love its also just the vision and understanding that as much as I’m a fan of music, how do I make it work. I can be true to the talent and like I’ll make it — I’ll make it but without an effort a team that strategizes and sits down and says ok, what is the next move. Like we are now one weekend away from finishing the tour. I’ve been traveling since the last time that I saw you like literally.
Mm: Wow, thats from April until now!
BC: Yea, so I’ve been on the road then. Next weekend is my last weekend. I’m packing up, I’m heading back to South Africa and I’m planning next year. Planning the tour next year and planning a lot of things— thats how we work. We are always working on something we never just sit down and think Oh, Im going to wait for bookings. We have created quite a good name and the booking come anyway but we don’t relax and just wait for that. We are always thinking so whats the next step. How do we grow, how do we grow? I think thats the most important part about having a talent and making it work for you.
Mm: And being a visionary.
BC: Yeah! Just put that effort in you know. Put everything in you know and thats how it works out. Otherwise there is even more people who are talented out there maybe more than me, but they are not moving because they just rely on the talent alone.
Mm: Well speaking of talent and effort.... for tonights set which was great! Alos great for me to get to see you perform and be apart of your experience. How did you put in the work and visual and prepare for today?
BC: Like I spoke to Lionel earlier about it today. It’s a little tricky one for me especially coming to New York and all these places that I have been traveling to like for 6-7 years I go because I have been bubbling under. I belong to a certain scene. Having come here, I play for a soulful house scene. I go to Miami its the same scene when I go to Atlanta its the same scene when I go to San Francisco those are places I’ve been traveling to. Where as in Europe, I come to festivals— I’m new. Literally, everyones like oh wow you’re the new guy and I’m like thats me.
Mm: Really!
BC: When I’m known as the new guy it easier cause, I’m playing the new stuff. But when I come to New York now there is that older crowd. That writes song titles on phones like play superman play that one too! So, its always tricky to please the new and the old. So every time I walk in, I kind of like test the vibe the first two three songs to see who is here.
Mm: When do you know the vibe?
BC: Sometimes it happens in the first song but by the third I know. I know whose here.
Mm: And today was?
BC: Was both! That’s New York and its always going to be like that. If now I try and concentrate on the new and the older ones are going to complain. They are going to say you use to be dope man, now you’ve changed. You sound European and then the European guys are going to be like we came here because we saw you playing in Ibiza and today you sounded different. So its always a tricky one, every show I go to. Even last night same thing.
Mm: Where were you last night?
BC: I was in Austin, TX. Two weeks ago I was in Portugal and it was a big club and I was like ok, I know where I’m going but I walk in and half the crowd is people from Angola. It’s a big Angolan community and I was like ok, now I’m confused. So, it happens every where I go there is a chance that I am going to have to sort of like divide my set of the music in two and sometimes its just new. Then I know exactly what to play.
Mm: I was in the crowd and there was this guy from Australia and he was just going crazy. And I was like did you come here for Black Coffee and he was like yea, Im a designer not sure to what extent but he was like, “ I’m a designer and I play Black Coffee when I am working and I just get into the zone” And, I was like if you could say anything to him what would you say? He said, yo keep doing what you are doing because its such good vibes and such positive energy and it just gets me going to where I need to go. When you hear stuff like that what do you think?
BC: That’s exactly what I want. You know thats why I always say, there’s two sides to me. There is the DJ, there is the Producer. And as a producer thats what I go for I want the music to play at home. Play when you’re cleaning, play when you are driving, play it when you’re with your kids, play it when you are at a barbecue, play it when you are working. It’s not necessarily club music, you don’t have to wait for Saturday. Play it when you’re happy. when you are feeling down. On the album find a song that will lift you up. So all the albums that I make, I want them to serve that purpose. Every time I hear that, it is the most rewarding thing for me. More than hearing my song in a club. That’s when you really consume music, when you are comfortable with it. You are not dancing, you’re not driving alcohol. You are in your own environment. I want exactly that, I want to be in peoples homes. Every household must have a Black Coffee song and then on the weekend you can go play whatever you want to play but during the week, I must be there.
Mm: Within Pieces of Me how have you stretched yourself within this album in ways that you didn’t with other albums?
BC: Compared to the stuff that I use to do, its more like minimal. Like you said, multi-layered it use to be worse. I use to really like go in and get horns but with traveling I’ve learnt. Listening to different DJ’s different types of music. I’d rather have two effective sounds than have ten. On this album I would work and work and work and then go back and strip it down. Leaving all the most important things in the song that would capture the moment. Where as before, I would keep layering and layering. I love every song, I couldn’t wait for it to be out. We have sold over 100,000 copies of the albumWe won, I don’t know how many awards for it. I don’t know how many we have one. It’s one of my most successful albums. For me releasing it over seas it wasn’t even about I want it to sell. I just wanted it out there. I want people to hear, when you hear this name and people talk about it; you must be able to go let me go on Spotify and find out an be like oh ok. I’m quite happy with not everyone understanding it. I’m cool. I’m like if you get it, you’re my people. But its not for everyone, I’m not expecting the world to say wow. Black Coffee bean this is the one. I’m just like whoever gets it- get it. It comes from the purest most innocent place. I want everyone who gets it to understand it. Like the designer guy, the good vibes is created from totally that.I never think this one is going to make me the most money. which is why I chose to make music, it songs. They are written, they are arranged. It’s never just a beat. So I want the world eventually to start knowing that producer because I have been touring as a DJ and thats been growing but now Pieces of Me can introduce them. It’s really nice to see even on Instagram, a lot of people tag me listening to the album and everyone has different songs and thats exactly what I want. You must like number 7 the other must like number 2. I’m cool with that you can like only one I don’t mind. It doesn’t have to be the whole album.
Mm: Well, I love the whole album, I was genuinely listening to it this morning. I thank you AGAIN, for your time.
BC: Thank you ma’am, thank you good seeing you!
Mm: Good to see you too, really-really good vibes!
Black Coffee Pieces of Me Out August 26th via Ultra Music Pre-Order on iTunes: http://smarturl.it/BC-PiecesOfMe Stream Single “Come With Me”: http://bit.ly/2aGwWro
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