Deeto Sessions is a Cape Town-based collective of like-minded creative music heads and enthusiasts who take the culture of the underground music scene very, very seriously. Since 2013, Deeto has been fuelling raves with the uniquely underground sound they have cultivated together here, ekasi. If you’re as excited as we are for the first Smalltown Beat since the panini, you probably know by now that Deeto Sessions will be making another appearance this year to bless us yet again with their stunning musical talent.

Who is Deeto Sessions? How would you describe your collective/movement and what are the goals that motivate you?

“Deeto Sessions is a movement of young individuals from the township that have a love and a huge passion for electronic music. We would describe it as a collective of electronic music nerds.

We have been involved in many various projects around the Western Cape showcasing broad talent through our conventional art of music served by our consistent spinners. Our style of music saw us overlapping circles with some of the most prominent cast of DJs in Minimal Deep-Tech and Techno, both local and international. We have made a mark in most of the Cape Town electronic music scene such SmallTown Beat, KR, Future Frequency Festival, etc. Our sets are more inclined to the rudimentary side of Minimal and Techno, hence they weave together the minimalistic soft with the hard vibes of rocklike techno.”

Having started in 2013, Deeto Sessions is soon to celebrate a full decade in the Cpt House Music scene. Looking back at the last few years, what are some memorable moments and achievements you have experienced through your journey thus far?

“It’s been nearly a decade since our inception, and we have learned so much from both the experienced as well as promising upcoming talent from all around the globe. We are a group of an exponentially growing cast in terms of understanding music and the best possible ways to deliver in various scenes. We’ve learned that we are best when we are doing what shapes our identity and culture as an institution, that is, manifesting our traditional art to our predilection spaces uncompromisingly. We always seek to stay relevant in the music industry scene by adapting quickly to trends that encapsulate our style of play and culture.

One of our most memorable moments was when we shared a line-up with Charles Webster at a Private Life event at the Waiting Room. We were also lucky enough to invite Ben Rau to one of our events that we hosted in the township where we got so much support.”

What would you say are your focus points in contributing to the Cape Town music scene?

“Our focus is to deliver the style of music we play consistently to people that resonate with our style of music can be served discretely at all times. We want to be an epitome of a moving electronic music vibe that will enable everyone an opportunity to feel like they’ve partied all around the world while they are still in SA, by bringing a unique and direct vast art of Minimal Deep-Tech and Techno to their ears. Yes, we understand that South African music is largely shaped by Afro music, but because we are a Rainbow Nation, we believe that bringing different things to our South African culture is what makes us unique and impeccable as an immersed cultural country in the first place.”

We’ve found with most collectives we’ve interviewed thus far that word of their events tends to travel primarily by word of mouth. How do you get the message out there?

“Getting people or attendees enthused about upcoming events is key to making it a huge success, so at Deeto Sessions we like to attend events around Cape Town. We always make sure that we network at similar events and when creating social media posts, we provide informative information that our followers will find valuable and can actually use. Rolling with people in similar circles has made a huge mark. Even though sometimes it’s not receiving advice directly, just having conversations around the topics of DJing, music, and events has helped. We may seem low-key but we’re active on the socials and so far, word of mouth has been our winning strategy thus far.”

This is a question we’ve tried to ask every collective so far: How would you describe the importance of creating a space for the Cpt Electronic Music scene to flourish?

“The importance of creating a strong house music culture in Cape Town is that the Mother City is a very unique and vibrant place in South Africa, and it has managed to camouflage into many different cultures around the globe bringing them into a unified entity for everyone to be able to party and feel entirely belonging to regardless of their background. So, continuing to create an ongoing culture of house music in the Mother City will mean more opportunities. The goal should be to create a safe space for partying meanwhile creating a lot of opportunities and financial gains for everyone that loves and aspire to live through music.”

This won’t be your first rodeo at Smalltown Beat. What can you tell us about your prior experiences at the Festival?

One of the most authentic festivals you can play at and go to. The crowd is super open-minded and celebrates every single drop. A fantastic atmosphere. We had a superb experience as it was a big wish and dream to be part of the STB community. Luckily, we had the opportunity, not only once and we are really looking forward to the upcoming event.

Do you have anything to say to those at home who still haven’t bought their tickets for Smalltown Beat?

Music festivals are unique special events that attract audiences for a variety of reasons. Friends, get your tickets asap and let’s have some fun.

We cannot be happier to see Deeto Sessions returning to our favourite boutique festival on the planet and we hope the same goes for you. If you have not got your tickets for Smalltown Beat yet, act fast because time is running out. You wouldn’t want to miss out on what Deeto, and all the other stunning collectives involved, are bringing to the table this year.

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