A gathering for a good time

Good music? Check. Beautiful people? Check. The fundamental need for a good time? Check. All of thosewere to be found at DJ Kenzhero’s Party People (snicker) at Roka Bar in Milpark on Saturday. Dare I say this was the greatest party I have been to this year? Premature as that revelation might be, it is a contender.

Packed to capacity with beautiful young things, and I’m not use the term loosely, it was pretty clear that if you are a person who knows what time it is you were to be found at Roka. Now after many a club trawl and live music gig, it was refreshing to find a spot offering both these elements for a night out! Maybe pay day had something to do with it …

Clearly it’s Kwani Experience season again (they are about to release a sophomore album) with performances almost every weekend. Talk about burnout! As you may recall they performed at the backroom last Sunday for Levi’s Vintage Sundays. This time they performed to a different crowd altogether; the people they are targeting, old fans and friends. The performance was energetic and the love from the crowd a sight.

DJ Kenzhero Presents Party People is a monthly feature on “the ones who know” social calendar. It has gained itself regulars who enjoy the unpretentiousness of Kenny’s — what he goes by to the regulars — music selection. A music aficionado, compared with other sorts who call themselves DJs, he plays music that leaves anybody satisfied and just one or two in disbelief, from Nina Simone (yes!) to Fela Kuti. Now, a night that offers up such a selection is a sure winner.

And there’s also something about going to a party where who you are is not a factor, where Sama-winners such as Thandiswa Mazwai and Simphiwe Dana are sharing the same loo as you, and where sneakers and hats are the uniform. Damn you, Catz Pyjamas!