Rene du Toit's Word of Mouth

We sat down with Rene du Toit to talk about the resurgence of Jazz in the city and communicating the lore of the art form

Word of mouth is an integral part of what we at VERVE do, and its what has gotten us to where we are right now.

Ntsika and I started VERVE to build awareness around the vibrant local arts scene, and it is through word of mouth that we are now presented with better and better opportunities to showcase the artists that make up the scene.

When Georgia from Rhapsody Studios plugged us through to Rene du Toit, I jumped at the opportunity to get a better understanding of what he was setting out to do with the platform that he was curating.

Sitting down at Open Wine one Wednesday afternoon, Rene told us all about his love for South African Jazz and the budding community centered around a hunger for live music.

So Rene, tell us about Word of Mouth. The Instagram page definitely piqued my interest, so I’m excited to learn more about it.

“The name plays on how the only way I learnt about gigs a few years ago was through word of mouth. If I knew the musician, or saw their Instagram stories, I would learn about their live shows. No one was really making it easy.”

“I started out as a radio DJ and a DJ for friends' parties around 2018 when I was in my second year at UCT. In that time I started getting back into jazz and exploring the live jazz happening around the city. It became clear to me that unless you personally know the musicians or have your algorithm set up in a very specific way, you won’t know about what’s happening. Not to mention the fact that I didn't really see people my age at the shows.”

“So the mission behind the website is to be a one-stop shop for everything jazz in the city, and to make it as easy as possible for anyone, but specifically young people, to get into South African Jazz. Our slogan is ‘A South African point of access to jazz’.”

The logo for the Word of Mouth website, designed by Mikyla Emergui

You mention getting back into jazz, what is your background in it?

“Well I have no musical background in it, i just grew up around it. My parents played a lot of it when I was younger, Bheki Mseleku, Moses Molelekwa, the CD’s they used to play around the house. Of course, you never think your parents' music is cool, but when I was at varsity I found myself gravitating back towards that musical sphere.”

“South African Jazz has been such a fun and rewarding rabbit hole to fall into. The live experience is a whole different beast. Live Jazz for me is crazy, because you're basically part of something that is a one of one in that moment. The way they play the songs is new every time, and as an audience member you get to provide the fuel for that.”

“I think it’s quite a healing thing to be a part of it as an audience member and it has the double positive effect of supporting the musicians and encouraging them to keep doing it.”

“A few years ago when the UK Jazz wave started with artists like Nubya Garcia and Yussef Dayes, people our age kind of latched onto that. I realised that there is a subculture here in the city as well. There is a good environment right now in which people are keen to be exposed to good music. They just need some guidance - a push in the right direction That’s what we’re doing, providing the curated options.”

“Another thing that has been really fun is to create content around the scene here. If you search Yussef Dayes online you can find little mini documentaries, podcasts, content around it that helps you become a part of the community. That’s also our goal, to give people access to the music, but also leave a breadcrumb for people to dig deeper into the album or the artist or the genre. We’re tryna make it as fun or engaging as possible.”

How have you found the writing process?

“It's been a lot of fun. It makes it easier that it's based around the interviews that we do. Like when we covered Keegan Steenkamp’s Golden Hour album, we interviewed Keegan himself, and the people that were a part of the recording process, that already gives the piece so much body. It basically writes itself, you just have to put it together and connect the dots. I find that I just have to add a little bit more, an extra bit of context, whatever helps the piece communicate better.”

“We do a podcast now as well, which even with my radio background, is a new thing for me. It’s cool to be able to sit down and just chat with these Jazz legends, to learn about what goes into the music”

Can you tell me more about your radio background?

“I started at UCT Radio in second year, initially just joining the music team to help upload songs, curate styles and music throughout the day. They needed a co-host for a late night show and I ended up helping out there, luckily bypassing all the hectic training that they need to go through.”

“That guy ended up pulling out, so next thing I know I’m running a late night show by myself. It started out more of a mainstream thing, along the lines of Anderson .Paak, The Internet, neo-soul and hip hop vibes. As I started getting more into jazz and local jazz, it became more of a jazz show.”

In today’s technological landscape, where most of our tastes are curated digitally, do you think there is still a place for radio? Do you think there is merit to the medium?

“I personally don’t listen to radio that much, but I think podcasts bridge that gap nicely. These days there is more of a culture of doing things in your own time and listening at your own time. Especially with such a flood of content to choose from, it's nice to be able to pick something and add it to a playlist to listen to later. Sometimes there might be a live radio show that you just don’t have the time to listen to at that moment.”

“I think in certain spaces radio still has a big role to play, especially for the older generation. National radio still has a huge impact, but it's still to be seen in our generation how sustainable that is.”

You’ve mentioned curation a couple times now. How did you develop ths skill?

“Curating becomes easier the deeper you delve into something. You develop the ability to show people something they might not have discovered. You have an insight on how to package something people might not already have.”

“When I started getting into music that I got into at varsity, and when I got into jazz, it became a way of communicating, of communicating my interests. It became a question of “how do I communicate this thing that I love, and make it easier for someone?”. I probably thought I had amazing taste at varsity, and that everyone should be listening to me and what I have to say (as did we all I’m sure). But I can probably add a bit more value now, to someone who is into South African Jazz.”

“I think as a curator you have to take it seriously, and think about who you’re trying to communicate to. You can create the most unique selection that ticks all your own boxes, but if it's completely inaccessible to someone else, and if it doesn't make any sense to them, you’ve accomplished nothing.”

Rene hosting the Word of Mouth birthday pop up event at 196 Victoria Road

How would you describe your community?

“I think it’s still growing, we’re only just a year old. I think the people who go to the events, who listen to the podcast, who check out the Youtube channel, I think it's young folks who have been waiting for a reason to check out South African jazz. People who are tired of the algorithms and the radio and want a more human touch behind how we curate our tastes.”

“It's a tough question to answer. We’ve laid some groundwork, but I think people want to know they can trust us to stick around and deliver quality over time. I think that’s the only way you really gain a community, it doesn't happen overnight. But I’m definitely in it for the long haul.”

What are your thoughts on the resurgence of Jazz, in the city, in the industry, and in the South African music scene. Especially among the “young folks”, as you say?

“It does feel like there has been a resurgence, people have definitely become more interested. I think it's now up to us to continue supporting, while at the same time it’s up to the musicians to start capitalising on it and to start building their own community.”

“It’s tough being a musician these days, you have to be your own manager, your own PR, your own everything. I firmly believe that musicians should get remunerated well for what they do, and as audience members we have to help by showing up and proving that the demand is there. Then they will be able to book bigger venues and earn better fees. We don'tdont really have the funding and the infrastructure we need to support the artists, but what we can do is our little bit. The situation overall is very exciting, I believe we need to capitalise on it, and help build it.”

Peter Ndlala’s Unit 5 performing at the pop up at the Commons on 4th February (image by @densen.magaisa )

Having mentioned earlier the “1 of 1” nature of live music, how would you compare it to experiencing a recorded album, in your own time, in your own way?

“It's super different. In a live performance you’re part of this connection, this moment this energy, it's a more holistic thing. Musically, something might be going on that you might not connect with in the same way by listening to a recording. It’s this communication between you and this artist or band. It's a very rewarding thing.”

“Listening in your own time is a way of really figuring out what you like, and finding things out that you never would have otherwise. I think both have their merits and both unique experiences. If you’re into jazz I think you should definitely try to do both as regularly as you can.”

The Tiana Amari Quintet performing at the pop up The Commons on 26th May (image by @_catsam_ )

We at VERVE were lucky enough to attend Word of Mouth’s first birthday pop-up event, but I’ll let Ntsika tell you all about that

The poster for the Word of Mouth birthday pop up

Ntsika: “Firstly, I have to give props to Rene for his location choice for the event. I’m a person who enjoys walking on foot around Cape Town, exploring new locations and 196 Victoria Road located in Woodstock was the perfect spot for such an astounding event.

Stepping into the space, I was immediately met with mellow vibes, spotting Rene casually chilling on his cushion while mixing his smooth jams over the low vinyl decks. I suddenly knew what kind of event I found myself in, excitedly preparing myself for the great night ahead.

Moments from the Word of Mouth birthday pop up captured by @vuyopolson

And the crowd was fantastic, seeing faces I knew while also meeting some of the brightest people I’ve come across, even having the opportunity to find out what sort of art they pride themselves in.

A beautiful moment was the screening of an old documentary, titled “A Journey With Cape Jazz Legends” supplied by Andre Marais from Surplus Radical Bookshop in Mowbray. He’s done various things in the past, and at one point he was part of this video production course called The Community Video Education Trust for which some of the students put together a video documentary in 1996, focusing on the legendary Four Sounds band and the early Cape Town Jazz movement that paved a way for the modern Jazz scene. Watching this was an honour, witnessing journalists from the past doing exactly what Jeriah and I are currently doing with VERVE. I even found myself nearly tearing up once the credits started rolling.

And of course the music was a grand experience, listening and vibing to the sweet sounds from Keegan Steenkamp, with Zwide Ndwandwe uplifting the room with his electrifying catalogue of music, before having the talented ANIMA close off the night with her jovial selection. The whole night was a blast.

Overall, from my personal experience, I loved every bit of this event, and the Word Of Mouth crew did an incredible job at curating such an eventful Saturday night event. I look forward to many more of their upcoming Pop Up nights.”

Check out the Word of Mouth website for articles, interviews and podcasts building on the lore of the current South African Jazz scene, and be sure to give them a follow for their weekly gig guide.

And don’t forget to tell your friends, because word of mouth is what keeps these movements alive.

Rene’s word of mouth

The SMOKESHOW- Laura Kelly’s theatre of play

The CREATION and CURATION of North North Social Club