House Of Yanos, the Best Amapiano Experience

by Alexandra Mansilla

House Of Yanos, the Best Amapiano Experience

12 Apr 2024

House of Yanos, renowned for offering the best Amapiano experience in the Middle East, will headline your weekend. On the 13th and 14th of April, they are teaming up with — wow! — Soulection and SOLE for a festival. Sounds like something truly incredible? Oh, yes, it is.

The first event, “We Outside,” will be held on the 13th at Blu Oasis, and the second, “Soulection,” on the 14th at Helipad By Frozen Cherry. Both days will run from day to night. The lineup is quite strong: Joe Kay, Rema, Shaka Lion, Rosey Gold, Parvane, DJ Zinhle, Toqsic (of course), and more.

So, how did this festival go from an idea to reality? What should we expect from the event? What secrets lie behind IBW? And why does Toqsic always wear a hat with ear flaps? Wallace (also known as Saint Waldo), the creative director, answers all these questions.

— So, Wallace, you are from Cape Town, right?

— Yes, I grew up in Cape Town. It is a truly beautiful city. You are heavily exposed to art, music, and fashion — a combination that embodies vibrant personalities. It is very multicultural and serves as a massive hub for creators and newcomers to the country. If you come to South Africa, it is one of the most stunning cities in the world to live in, and I feel extremely privileged. Now that I have moved abroad and experienced life elsewhere, I have come to realise how privileged I was to live in Cape Town.

So, once I turned 22, I started travelling, exploring the world and experiencing different cultures while doing part-time work, mostly bartending and such. Probably part of the reason why I decided to leave the country was that I felt there was more for me to discover in the world. I already sensed a glass ceiling in Cape Town, even at that early stage.

I also met my best friend and business partner in Cape Town. His name is Farai, and he is the co-founder of House of Yanos.

— Toqsic!

— He is! And you know, he already did an interview last year, so it is a bit surreal for me to be telling the story from my perspective now.

So, yeah, I moved abroad, ended up in Qatar for over a year. Farai and I used to brainstorm event ideas during that time. We discussed how to execute them. Eventually, I moved to Dubai.

Our ethos and goal for everything we do is to move with purpose. Our events are meant to provide a welcoming space, an experience filled with joy, and one that is very accommodating, predominantly for people of colour. We also aim to celebrate African music in an authentic way, especially at a time when the music scene lacks diversity. Over the past 5 to 10 years, African music has gained more prominence and respect globally.

Our focus has always been community-based; putting ego aside, we strive to create a space where people can connect. If someone finds assistance from someone who looks like them, why not? So, that is the direction we are moving in.

Photo: Wallace's personal archive

— As you mentioned, Farai did an interview last year where he described a really tough period of his life from COVID-19 until the very first event of House of Yanos. What about you? Can you describe your journey before the first event, during COVID, and after COVID? What were your thoughts?

— Oh, that is a heavy one. It was actually a difficult period. Honestly, that time during COVID was a disaster. You can look at it in two ways — negatively or positively. I prefer the latter. It was such a challenging time for many, especially mentally, trying to figure out their dreams, goals, and purpose in life. For me, it helped me tap more into my purpose and elevate creative ideas.

During that period, everything slowed down, which was perfect. It helped me to know that if and when things were ever going to get back to normal (because we didn't know), I would love to do it creatively. I would love to go in this specific direction. I would like to keep our team growing as a community or as people involved in what we are passionate about. That time period was a slowdown that allowed us to brainstorm.

Farai was leading because he has the superpower of directing events. Also, during the COVID period, I met Grace, one of the co-founders of HOY. She has a unique ability to balance the business aspects while working with dreamers. Absolutely fascinating! For me, I think my speciality is looking at things creatively as an artist and elevating them to be more appealing and easier to connect with the next person.

I am grateful for how our event has grown to where it is now and, hopefully, will continue to grow beyond our dreams and goals. It has never been ego-based or for making money; we have been in this for the passion of bringing people together for an event experience. We love curating an experience for specific times when people are either socialising or getting ready to dance.

— Did you create any works during COVID?

— Yeah, I did. Actually, you know, it is so weird; sometimes, I realise that my life is way more complex than I actually realised. What you asked just now actually triggered a memory that I completely forgot about. I remember now that I did some work in 2021.

I think I painted some pieces that I submitted through a gallery, but I have to try and track that down. I remember doing some paintings, but my profile as a creative, artist, is very multifaceted. I express myself in different fields. Today, I might be painting; tomorrow, I might be illustrating; and the following day, I might be designing.

I really love music, too. My DJ friends are teaching me how to play music because I also have good taste in that and also help with curation. So, I created an account called H A W U K U R I as an expression platform for me anytime I do illustrations or sketches or whatever. Because I felt like my feed or my pages were just getting messy because I am involved in so many things. So, I thought, you know, let me just focus. Anytime I want to create art that speaks for itself, that is the platform where I put that on.

Instagram: @saint.waldo

— You should put there something more often!

— Yeah, that is the goal. Especially this year. I can guarantee — I know I barely know you, but I can guarantee you that this year, I am going to be releasing a lot more work.

— What is IBW?

— This is going to be a tricky one. Let’s say... I got the privilege of creating a capsule collection of jerseys for the House of Yanos. We haven't released any merch since, so it is very important.

My inspiration for that was growing up watching South African football teams wear vintage jerseys. The design has some fiery motifs, symbolising the desire and hunger for success. I might wear one of the pieces on stage when we perform for Rema.

— The first event was on parking P7, right? You expected 80 people, but the number of guests was 458. Do you remember your impressions?

— It is a very overwhelming feeling, you know? Like when you aim for something, it is like trying — I am a fan of the word “courage” in the English vocabulary. It means you are still going to try despite being afraid to fail. I think it is just mostly a surreal moment because we achieved our expectations, especially post-COVID. Those things were very difficult, especially for events, because events require a lot of people. People shoulder to shoulder. There are health and safety concerns. This is just after the pandemic, and yeah, I think it was just overwhelming.

— How many people do you expect this weekend?

— We expect about 3000 people. It is our goal now. The reason why I am saying 3000 is because I want to surpass our previous highest attendance. I want to set a new record.

We had an event last year at Soul Beach, a personal favourite of mine. Our goal was just to have around 800 to a thousand people, and we ended up with 2,700 when the event got shut off at 10 PM due to a sand storm. It was a bit frustrating, but it was still the greatest party that never ended. It was so perfect. So that is why I am hoping that we reach those numbers. But yeah, I know that it will definitely be above 1,500 people.

— You also host this series of events called “Family meetings”. Why did you name them like that?

— So, I really love the concept of family meetings. I express music and art, but the family meeting concept is something that I am very fond of. It is a favourite Farai’s as well because it's a call for anyone who loves and supports what makes us who we are — music, your place of origin.

When we launched it with Farai’s direction, it was “Come back home”. It is a recurring thing; even back home, the family meeting will be, “If you are from this place, everyone's coming back. We are gonna celebrate, we are gonna have a theme of what our celebration is,” and that is just it. So it ended up becoming like a series. Every time we have an anniversary or a special event, it tends to be a family meeting.

Music is a very important factor here. Our event is primarily house-centered, with a pan-African theme. So, we don't just play South African music. We explore West Africa and other regions across the continent while also embracing global sounds.

The most prominent sounds we have been playing are Amapiano, along with various other styles from around the world. I feel that one thing we really focus on is taking an artistic direction, where we are essentially teaching some people what we think is truly good music. In today's consumer-driven world, it is easy to miss out on quality albums or music beyond surface-level hits, especially with platforms like TikTok. At our family meetings or other events, we delve into the house, Afro beats, and global sounds, offering attendees a deeper musical experience.

— I am sure you are always looking for some fresh faces that can join your community. How does it happen: do you send requests, or do they? Or both?

— It is always a combination of both. We aim to curate something that we feel the community will love. We also take requests and are open to hearing what people want as well. We run an Art Collective called Sound Sytem+, which is meant to be a platform for any upcoming artists who need an opportunity to highlight their work if there’s a way we can support them.

We always keep in mind that we have to create something in a way that it is not just the next thing you see in the city or anywhere else. We want to keep it very authentic to us and very unique so that when you experience it, you think, "Okay, I love this. When is the next one?"

Instagram: @saint.waldo

— The creative director is responsible for the mission, values, and overall energy of a brand. How would you describe, in a few words, the energy surrounding House of Yanos? Just imagine, the energy, the vibe, the emotions — whatever comes to mind.

— I think it is eccentric, very joyous, very welcoming. It is almost like an escape when you are at the event. You will find your tribe there; it is easy to connect with people because everyone is there for the same reason: to have fun. You end up connecting with so many people, and it becomes like a community that keeps on growing bigger. Yeah, those words really capture it.

— Okay, perfect. How can you explain the mission of the House of Yanos?

— House of Yanos’s mission is to continue to grow, to continue building a community, and to stay authentic to ourselves as an unapologetic space to celebrate our music.

— So, the two-day festival! What will it be? And how did it all begin?

— Oh, I am so excited! We are looking at it as our first official festival. We are beyond thrilled; this has been a dream, honestly. It is something that we have been wanting to do for... how many years? I think we had the idea back in 2018 or 2019?

Yeah, we were like, "Imagine if we do a festival-level event, like imagine if Burna Boy headlines." That was back then, and we thought about throwing in different artists from specific regions of Africa. Yeah, just celebrate, and have like such a big African-centered Coachella version of ourselves. And now, somehow, the stars are aligning because we are working with Soulection. They are a staple; some of the things they do literally inspire us as well. We are going in our own direction, but everything they do also plays a part in our inspiration. So, working with them, especially for this event, is a dream come true. Even the caliber of artists that we are picking out to curate the event, people who are very strong in the community, people who really appreciate the music, they are extremely talented.

The festival runs from 2 PM to 4 AM. We are curating it in a way that there is something for everyone, whether you understand the music or not, or if it is your first time coming to the space. It is catered for everyone, so you come and just have a great time.

The lineup on both days of the festival is heavy. Recently, we have announced Rema! I honestly have no words; I am just beyond excited.

And on Sunday we are collaborating with SOLE, literally the biggest festival in Dubai, and of course, we are working with Soulection on that Sunday as well.

— Regarding the collaboration with Soulection, was it you who reached out to them, or was it the other way around?

— We have a close-knit team of collaborators, friends, and family in the UK. A big shoutout to them; they are the best! They connected us with Soulection, and we are collaborating with them this weekend. They will be in town with their artists. Our friends actually did that for us, and we are forever grateful for that.

— Cool. So, what will you bring to the world in the near future? I am sure you have plans.

— You know, it is not that I don't want to share, but everything changes so quickly. Okay, the safe thing is that I know for sure we will definitely do more touring. We want to expand outside of our region. For example, I want the House of Yanos in the Netherlands. That is what I want. I want us to be there to bring the experience there so that our experiences can be shared with the whole world.

— What else can the guests experience at the festival? Apart from music, I mean.

— Amazing food and drinks. We are very excited about the specially curated menu and drinks for the day.

— And now the last question about you about your artwork. Are you working on an artwork now or? Are you planning?

— Yeah, right now, all my energy is directed towards IBW because it is something that I am very passionate about. Like, I really, really love fashion, I love music, I love art. I feel like a lot of these things just blend in somehow. So most of my focus is on creative directing and just elevating experiences. This year, I am more driven to express myself as an artist because I have so much to give, but I feel like I haven't been sharing more of my work with people.

— I can see among your artworks, like Mike Tyson, or that man in a mask. Can you describe your artwork in a few words? What do you like to create? Maybe some topics that you like to highlight with the help of your artwork.

— So, towards one end is when you see something that is very vibrant, very colorful. It means, in most cases, I am inspired from a place of joy or just to express what is in my mind. Right now, I am just seeing colours like sunflowers, the sun, and grass. So when I express something that is very colourful, it is mostly from a place of hope and joy, or something eccentric but well.

The other end is when I go in the direction of something that is more detailed, like paintings that have social commentary or address serious issues or something related to mental health. I know that is when I am going in the direction of painting something that can express issues that I might not be comfortable discussing verbally, but I would rather just express it through that line of art.

I navigate between both worlds because I don't want to voice my thoughts and opinions directly through words. I would rather just express them from my heart. So yeah, I feel like those are like the day and night versions of how I see my art. In most cases, if you follow me on all my socials, it is mostly the vibrant side, the colourful one, the fun. But every now and then, I will take a step back, and when I am more serious, that is when I am pushing more serious stuff, and that is meant for deeper conversations and discussions.

— Okay, the last question. Honestly, it is not about you, but about Farai. Why does he wear a hat with ear flaps?

— I wish I had the answer to that. Honestly, I think it is just a part of his. It is one of Toqsic’s identities.

Instagram: @hawukuri

by Alexandra Mansilla