CTEMF 2018 was RAD! After all the hesitation about the new venue, myself included, it was as awesome as ever. Apart from Cape Town being Cape Town and not wanting to support because it wasn’t given to us on a silver spoon, the festival was still super amazing.
And as guilty as I was for not thinking it would work, it was great! Here’s 10 things I loved:
1. The Actual Venue
hello sound stage! So Atlantic Studios didn’t mean much to me. All I could see was “expensive uber, expensive uber” and my mind shut down. But there venue was SUPER rad as it was well laid out, had built in soundproofing and indoor parking behi
2. Safe parking
I know there was overflow parking somewhere but on both nights I managed to park inside and behind secure gates. WIN!
3. New Crowd
Because the festival wasn’t on the city’s door step, it allowed other kids of the city to join in. There were more Bothasig, Tableview and Langa crew at the event and it was such a breath of fresh air! Capetonians take themselves too seriously and think they are too cool. Without the majority of city bowl dwellers there, it actually felt way more global and rad.
4. Tech-no.
Ok so it was a heavy techno lineup, which you know isn’t my vibe. BUT the outdoor dance floor hosted rad DJs from upcountry, which gave the festival a way more local/global feel (not just a “Long st” feel) and it made it feel way more diverse and interesting.
5. Diverse Music = Diverse People
As I said, the music attracted a different audience this year and for me, that was great for me. I didn’t know 70% of the people there, which was so refreshing. As much fun as it is to see the ‘fam’ at CTEMF, you also spend SO much time meeting and greeting that you miss of the acts! I loved not knowing as many people and just switching off, relaxing and jamming the night away. Yes please!
6. Great Drink Deals
So this might not seem important, but when the night starts with an Uber fare, any drink special can make a big difference – particularly when you have to return for a second night. I think the double vodka Red Bull was R40/R50 all weekend, super affordable! I had a few and it kept me going just fine.
7. Cash Welcome
Praise be! NO HOWLER! Look, I don’t mind Howler when it’s a weekend event and you’re camping at a festival. But these 1 day Howler events must fall. We’re partying, we want some control over our spending. Cash is the easiest way to do this. CTEMF had cash, card (and I think Snapscan this year?! I do stand to be corrected there though), and it was GREAT! Thank you!
8. The Music
As I said, lots of techno BUT they also had other groups like Floors, who were super good. Egyptian Lover was certainly very entertaining, if not a bit creepy in the end. Aero Manyelo was an afro house guy that played really well as did DJ Lag.
9. Sound & Production
Because each dancefloor (excluding the outside one but we were in an industrial area so who’s complaining?) was in a sound stage, the sound was super good! You could hardly hear anything from the outside but inside it was really lush. The lights were also really good; simple yet effective. Nothing wrong with that.
10. Food Trucks
Again, not trying to point out the obvious here, but small details like making sure we don’t starve to death goes a long way. Food trucks with lots of seating! Thanks! That’s all we’re after.
Things I Didn’t Like
Portapoties
Sorry. I know there’s probably not much that can be done about this, but I’m just too old to dig them. I don’t want to use them, ever. To the festival’s credit, they were put in space places with a lot of lighting. I felt safe all the time, but PORTAPOTTIIESSSSS Argggg. I just hate them (even though they were mostly well maintained).
It’d love for CTEMF to be at the Atlantic sound studios again next year, here’s hoping! And if they are, please be sure to get your early bird ticket so that you support local and have a blast!
