PlayItLoudCPT

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Watching the clouds gather on May 10 was like wearing your favourite team’s jersey on the day of their worst loss – beyond disappointing.

The day was set to be one of the most epic calendar dates in Cape Town this year.

PlayItLoudCPT, an inaugural music event, took place at the Hillcrest Quarry.

Hidden outside of Durbanville, the venue lived up to its name. A cliff and dugout with a miniature dam at its centre served as the backdrop of the entrance.

The dam was open for any daredevils who were keen for a dip despite the chilly conditions.

As one was descending the steps towards the field, the sound of the bass beats pierced through the dropped temperature and hit the cliff to create a beat-punching echo.

Everything was right. The venue was amazing. The line-up, top-notch.

The event was headlined by Grimehouse and Das Kapital, buzzword bands in the South African techno house scene.

It was like having been invited to the coolest cats’ 21st birthday party, but the weather was that mean girl that convinced everybody not to go.

The people that did decide to make a day of it had a blast.

The music started on a slower, down-tempo note that got your feet tapping and your head bobbing to the subtle bass drops.

One of the organisers, Jozi Gomes, created the event after having been to more than a fair share of music shows where he felt that he did not get his money’s worth.

He convinced his two partners, Elvis Javu and Francesca van Rooyen, to jump on the train with him to create a musical experience well worth the money spent.

Javu describes their relationship as “butter on toast” as the timing of them working together gelled together perfectly.

The event was sponsored by Monster, the energy drink, and Jägermeister. Van Rooyen had to knock on the right doors to make this happen and adds, “I believe in spamming. You need to spam on the phone as well.”

The event was widely advertised on Facebook and that’s how a lot of the partygoers found out about it.

A group of Stellenbosch residents sporting different variations of the jeans and hoodie combination to combat the cold climate were getting into the groove of the atmosphere.

“I don’t mind the cold. It creates a vibe for the music,” said one enthusiast wearing a trapper hat with red-framed sunglasses.

Another group of Capetonians thought that the concept had merit, but that the weather was a disadvantage when it came to the number of people that would eventually attend the event.

“Even if people don’t pitch, it’s still cool,” said another attendee with a cold beer in his hand.

Despite the turnout, people socialised and danced to the beats exploding from the large speakers surrounding the deejay booth.

It was a jamboree for house and any other sort of music lover. It will be interesting to see what else is on the horizon for the creative PlayItLoudCPT team.