Ain’t no party like a swampy frog party where the hopping just doesn’t stop. Amidst Apollo‘s Void speaker system Frogtown, last Friday the 12th of July, celebrated its 1st birthday with a bang. With a wide range of driving Drum & Bass, an immaculate atmosphere of charged Winter energy and a “fresh change to the usually predominant Techno,” the party went to the early hours of Saturday Morning. There was certainly quite a lot of frogginess with young hoppers sporting Frog hats and plushie toys on their back were a frequent sight.

The Apollo venue was heaving with filthy basslines sending the dancefloor into delirium. Despite the weather, inside the mass of people, the atmosphere got sweaty with dancers on the speakers and light projections flashing through the heady and thronging room. Eclipses of light, flashing back into the glimpses of the moving audience, pursued the night through a selection of Minimal to Hard Drum & Bass along with UKG and Jungle, there was a wide selection of tunes and something on offer for everyone there. It was great to see that the Frogs were staying hydrated with water bottles a plenty throughout the night.

The Silent Disco nestled between leafy pot plants and delicious monsters offered a more down tempo but still highly danceable alternative to the roaring main stage. The silent disco stage has been one of Frogtowns staple attractions since the conception, always providing an engaging mix of different genres to balance a bit of techno or trance or a bit of different swing to things. Next to the Silent Disco was a chill section comprising of couches and a little jungle element relax element for those who needed to give their legs a quick rest before getting back to the boogie.

After expending so much energy on the D-floor some sustenance was certainly needed and there was some delectable food on offer with a choice of Donnie’s Smash’s epic burgers(an actual godsend at 2AM and feeling a little smashed yourself) and Cable Car’s hot dogs and energising coffees – which quite literally kept us going. After refuelling it was time to head back to the action to continue the jol which was going strong till the early hours of the morning, with the partygoers showing no signs of slowing down. It’s one of the things we struggle with about the Cape Town bylaws,by 4 AM the crowd was still strong.

The dynamic duo Flowers and Fool got the evening off to a bouncy start with some Jungle and Breaks that got our froggy friends into the groove. Liminal resident Lolo_DnB kept the energy going with her rolling liquid tunes. Up-and-coming producer 3dot5 switched up the soundscape with his unique Jungle flair. As the clock struck 10 it was time for the main frog himself, Kyo, who had the frogs jumping like crazy with his mix of heavy DnB and funky UKG.

BLK LPRD kept the vibes going with his minimal DnB tunes. Brikwall kept the vibes pumping with a whole lot of rollers and some neurofunk. At 1 am Scene legend Hyphen cranked things up to an 11 with his crazy range of absolute bangers. Next up sciencefrikshun and Addictshun resident Sol Pillars brought a high-energy set that seamlessly transitioned between dark heavy hitters and euphorically uplifting anthems. Dogs Are Fed closed the night off with a captivating live Jungle and DnB tunes.

All in all, it was a special night of celebration and one befitting of all that Frogtown has achieved over the past year. Since their first event at The Commons last year they have become one of the most beloved DnB and Garage events in Cape Town, from starting out in the valley to curating stages at major festivals such as Bazique and the upcoming Root Festival. Frogtown’s success feels like a truly deserved reward for all the hard work and graft their awesome team has put in over the last while.

We can’t wait to see where the next while takes Frogtown and have no doubt that they will continue what has been a meteoric rise for the event. They have created a special sense of unity in the young Drum & Bass community and created a distinctively fun atmosphere that is almost unmatched in the local events scene. Until next time! Stay froggy.