Producer. DJ. Radio Personality. Das Kapital is tearing up the SA music scene and taking it to the next level. Whether you are a fan of his show In Das We Trust on 5 FM or of his music, one thing is pretty clear. Das Kapital is pretty damn cool. He may be in Joburg now, but Das will always be a Capetonian at heart.
We caught up with him to see how what he loves about his hometown.
1 Your career blossomed in Cape Town. How does the city inspire/influence your music?
Cape Town has always pushed back against the status quo, especially in music and arts. Growing up here meant being exposed to a myriad of cultures and ideas that encouraged divergent and interesting thought. Having seen the rest of the country, and parts of the wider world in more recent years, I’m constantly reminded how much I feel at home in Cape Town.
It’s not the familiarity that I identify with, but rather the open-endedness. There’s a sense of freedom and self-determination here that has always motivated me, and by extension, my music. I don’t entirely think my music sounds ‘Capetonian’, but that’s exactly what this city allows for.
2 What do you love most about this city?
The people and their energy. I know anyone from Johannesburg will tell you we’re closed off and rude, but that comes from tightly knit groups of people getting to know each other over longer periods of time. I have friends all over that I love dearly, but there’s a weird sense of kinship when meeting someone from Cape Town, anywhere else in the world.
3 If your friend was visiting Cape Town for the first time, where would you take them first?
If they land in the morning – JARRYDS in Sea Point for Breakfast.
If they land in the evening – Yours Truly on Kloof, to get an understanding of the CBD and its inhabitants.
If they land at night – Fiction on Long Street, for a party.
4 Describe the city in three words.
We have mountain.
5 If you were to create a souvenir that represents Cape Town, what would it be or look like?
A little model of the city and its surrounds on a pedestal, with little slices of each of the component cultures that add together to create our identity.
6 What’s your favourite Cape catchphrase?
“We have mountain.’
7 Three Capetonian Musicians/DJs we should be following online?
Al Bairre (because they’re cuties)
Photography 20 Across/Jono Ferreira