The first instalment of Pure House by Ralf Gum took place at Renaissance, and thanks to Fassie - well, !Sooks to be exact - we got complimentary tickets. The energy of the night started long before we even arrived there.

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We - Khanyi, Fassie and I - began at Friend Pass Me the Aux by Nelee Mazibuko, where I went especially to support my favourite, Thuto  Vilakazi - your friend of jazz. Together with Zuki and Musa, they debuted as part of a trio selector called MuZuThu. I loved the concept. It felt fresh, intentional, and something I hope to see more of. You and two friends get to curate a playlist and play it live on vinyl. It was my first time at Neighbarhood, absolutely loved it! Who knows - maybe one day I could even jump on there myself with my cuties!

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From there we moved to Artistry to support JustThemba and Nutty Nys. When we arrived, Nutty Nys was on the decks. We didn’t stay long, but it was enough to convince me I need to make that my main event soon.

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Then came a pit stop for Fassie’s outfit change. He had been hoping to run into the love of his life in his first look, unfortunately she was not outside. So he slipped into his Flair Supply outfit for the main event: Pure House. We met with Kutlwano, Bonj, Kelsey and Sparkles for this one. 

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By the time we arrived, Charles Webster was on the decks. That was around 11PM. The moment I stepped in, I knew it was going to be a great night. The atmosphere was thick with smoke and pure joy. Somewhere in between the haze, I suddenly realised Ralf Gum himself was playing. I hadn’t even noticed the changeover - it was that seamless. The way the decks were set up, it almost felt like he was on the dancefloor with us rather than above us or far from us.

And then came my highlight: !Sooks at 1AM. There wasn’t a single moment in his set when I wasn’t dancing. Honestly, for everyone’s set.

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When !Sooks played his track Parallels, still unreleased at the time, I found myself pushing to the front just to shake his hand. Another woman had just done the same. It was that transporting. That powerful. Now that Parallels is out, this is my truth from experience - you’ll have it on repeat the entire day you first hear it.

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Nights like these always surprise me: those places that just get me. They remind me that the world is full of rooms like this, waiting to welcome everyone in their own way. I’ve come to believe that when you go out with curiosity, instead of expectations, the universe meets you with what I experienced at Pure House.

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And that brings me to the poem I wrote about dancing, and what it means to me - a nod to what Ralf Gum and his team created with Pure House:

 

//well, i guess dancing is such a unifying act. 

we do it on the dance floor 

we do it on tiktok 

we do it at weddings

we do it at parties

we do it when we walk and run.

and there’s a vulnerability to it. 

//you surrender to the joy, the rhythm of your feelings

and i love when you don’t care how it looks

cause it’s really expression

it’s really accepting that feeling and going with the rhythm

 

//here’s to dancing -

with our friends and with family.

to the beat of our soul’s calling(s) 

to the beat of vulnerability and humility and surrender 

here’s to dancing as protest

dancing because we deserve that black joy

because we deserve to be unified and free and happy and joyful and creative and mad

and here’s to the spaces that celebrate black music therefore championing dance and music

it’s not really just parties. i get it.

i know it’s a business. but at the core of it; its unifying.

it’s black; it’s us.

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at the core of it; it's how we pray(ed)

it’s a protest. and a taking up of space.

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//as black people.

black music.

black stories.

black tears.

black sweat. 

it’s not just us on there.

you want all the people before you to enjoy it.

that allowing of yourself to flow and be free and dance and feel the beat.

the drums. God. that freedom. letting go.

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but also just somehow being one with yourself. truly.