{"id":26059,"date":"2023-10-02T16:44:25","date_gmt":"2023-10-02T14:44:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/xceed.me\/blog\/?p=26059"},"modified":"2023-10-03T17:09:28","modified_gmt":"2023-10-03T15:09:28","slug":"xylem-isaiah-first-thursdays","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/xceed.me\/blog\/en\/xylem-isaiah-first-thursdays\/","title":{"rendered":"Dutch groove takes over Xylem for First Thursdays with Isaiah"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

As a promoter you\u2019re often required to wear many hats. You have a diverse range of responsibilities and consistently programming captivating line ups is one of the most important. The team behind Xylem<\/a><\/strong> embraces this responsibility and has been a driving force in Cape Town<\/a><\/strong>\u2019s house and techno scene.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The next edition of the M\u00f8dular<\/a><\/strong>-based event sees Dutch act, Isaiah, billed as the headliner. Isaiah has quickly grabbed the attention of pundits and punters throughout Europe with his contemporary take on the groove elements for the \u201890s and early 00\u2019s – with a string of releases on labels such as Mutual Rytm, Molekul <\/strong>and RAW<\/strong>. When not DJing or producing, he keeps himself busy as co-founder of labels Frenzy <\/a><\/strong>and Vulged<\/a><\/strong>.. Labels which have been at the forefront of the Hardgroove renaissance we currently find ourselves in. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

 Isaiah\u2019s approach and sound align perfectly with the ethos of Xylem, the team going as far as saying,\u201d his music has really influenced the direction we\u2019ve taken over the last couple of years, both as promoters and as DJs\u201d. So as has become synonymous with Xylem\u2019s events – expect a night of dance-focused electronic music in Cape Town\u2019s favourite basement. The 5th of  October <\/strong>will also be backed by a sublime selection of local talent with sets from artists such as Nativesound, Joan, Miss P, Cxnzia<\/strong> and many more<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Isaiah’s appearance at Xylem is a vivid reflection of the ongoing work of the concept in South Africa’s music community. A community with a growing commitment and flair for innovation that we were able to delve deeper into in our interview with Xylem<\/strong>. Read on!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  • What’s the origin behind the name Xylem? How has your essence evolved since the inception?<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    When we were starting Xylem we wanted to create a space with a warm, natural and organic feel, using plants and intricate microscopic visuals. We also started off with the simple mission statement of doing our best to showcase quality music at our events. \u2018Xylem\u2019 is tissue that transports nutrients in plants, which we felt mirrored our goal of simply bringing music to people and the initial direction we wanted to take at the event. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    • With several years of experience under your belt\u2026What’s been the most significant takeaway from your journey? Anything that’s shifted your perspective from ravers to organisers?<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

      Although this is a bit cliche – consistency is very important to us, and we believe it has helped us hugely. By pushing a consistent sound at our parties, it means you know what to expect when you walk through the doors. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Another learning of ours, is that it is important to discover a sound that resonates with the venue where you are hosting your event. By balancing our roles as both DJs and promoters we have been fortunate enough to experiment with diverse music styles in various settings, and we are always trying to learn more about how sound interacts with different spaces. This has become fundamental to our process of selecting a lineup. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

      We initially started pushing house music, but now that we are in a different space the focus has shifted more towards techno. Although, these initial influences are still present in the sound we try to showcase. Initially we didn’t really envision ourselves as becoming a techno-oriented party, but the space we have found ourselves in definitely shifted our direction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      As a raver you will enjoy a range of music. However, as organisers we feel that you need to narrow your direction a bit – especially for a club night. In festival settings there is far more room to move around, whereas for a club night you have a few hours to create a memorable evening – so your opener needs to be selected with consideration of what music you are wanting to end off the night with. When we first started running events we didn\u2019t fully understand the value of this. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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      • Isaiah is headlining your upcoming event. What drew you to his unique sound and compelled you to feature him as the main act? Do you believe that groove techno is building the future of the scene?<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

        Our event journey kicked off when we fell in love with house music. Later, when our event moved to Modular Cape Town, we started exploring a harder, faster sound to match the vibe that had been carefully curated by the club, and by well established Cape Town organisers such as Vault, Mass, Database, and Champagne. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

        Around this time we stumbled upon Isaiah\u2019s first EP, which immediately caught our attention because of the mix of techno and that energetic old-school house groove. We have been hooked on his music ever since. This is why hosting Isaiah is very special to us – his music has played a very big part in influencing our direction over the last 2 years, both as promoters and as DJ\u2019s. We feel very lucky to be in a position to feature him at our event. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

        We are huge advocates for this \u2018groove techno\u2019 sound because we feel it is a great gateway into techno – as it was for us. The genre is energetic and light-hearted, and we think this makes it easily approachable to people who are still dipping their toes into this style of music. In this sense, we think it is getting a lot more people invested into the scene. <\/p>\n\n\n\n