The Mixtape Vol. 17

Bob Perfect came onto our radar after he penned a profile on Push Push for Noisey. For every kudos the guy received there was a detractor, because that's the type of guy Bob is - polarising. 

 

No surprises then that the first music Bob Perfect ever spent his own money on was a Rage Against The Machine box set.

 

F**k you I won't do what you tell me, indeed. 

 

Today he blogs as Durban Is Yours and DJs ignorant rap sets at his own parties. 

 

"The events I run are pretty varied, some nights it's all laptop djs, others it's Fantasma at a cross-dressing party, we even had a house party in Durban North with five bands. The main thing is to keep it fun and make sure the music comes first. I just try push the music I think is good and needs platforms to get out there, that can mean putting them on Durban Is Yours or through booking them for gigs. Getting sponsors is always a mission and I try not resort to it unless we've got flights to pay for. You've got to show them value and not waste their time and small events where you're just looking to line your wallet with that brand money. I prefer to keep the smaller gigs independent and the door money is usually more than enough for everybody to eat."

 

Bob reckons that there's a punk/hardcore/rock 'n' roll revival happening in Durban at the moment with bands like Hours, Meth Breath, Life Below, Black Math, The Sisters and a handful of others that have just started.

 

"That's promising for angry white kids and on the other side of things, Durban hip-hop is getting a lot of national attention at the moment. WTF, Raheem Kemet, Existing Consciousness, Aewon Wolf, Clara T and a whole host of other mcs are killing it. Plus there's Gqom which is a whole new genre that's apparently gotten big in London as well as in the taxis and clubs here. So yeah, we've got a lot going on, maybe other cities are too insular to notice?"

 

With the Durban scene in a constant state of flux, Bob says there are positive signs of hustle, and hungry cats are filling the gaps and building things up. 

 

"It sucks that we have a constant talent drain but all we can do is build on the foundations for the next crop of creatives to have spaces in Durban to flourish."

The mix that Bob curated for us today ranges from synth pop to garage rock with hip-hop and pop-punk in between, and includes some of his favourite SA artists, too.

 

"There're some totally nepotistic vibes, but you gotta support your homies. We can be the bands we want to hear."