“We are all moved by a higher frequency and I hope that I am a part of a timeless legacy that is not influenced by trends or likes but by love” – Dominique Soma
The Weheartbeat team is drawn to an integrity so embedded in their lifestyle, they showcase who and what they are in a consistent and approachable manner, via their brand, their business ethics and their personalities. Known for the style, standard and quality they evoke, Dominique Soma and Sims Phakisi are the vanguards of artistry in prolific and rising beat makers, pioneering their hip hop backgrounds into a culture people respond to.
However, to keep one’s integrity in tact comes with a couple of obstacles along the way. Not everyone out there has your back and that can be the toughest lesson to learn. Being niche comes with hurdles and rewards, both of which have given the Weheartbeat brand a strong soul that flows within their vision.
Every cat out there is a producer trying to get booked, promoted and exposed to an audience. When asked if there’s a lot of music makers approaching them that don’t fit into their ideal of what the brand stands for and how they deal with that kind of exchange, the answer is simple: “If we don’t feel the music, it’s highly unlikely that we gonna book you.”
Weheartbeat is very much driven by passion. With a holistic heart when it comes to the content, the duo were born out of a deep passion for music and a sense of responsibility to preserve a musical culture that makes sense to them, their calling was tangible and with intent: to pull the focus away from the emcee and place more emphasis on the culture of beat making and producing while switching up the live offering.
To keep this collective going, they need a fairly big budget and sponsorship is becoming more difficult to get these days. As we all know, we’re living in the age of the influencer and it’s not about what you know anymore or how good you are in your particular field, it’s all about the numbers and “who the fuck you know”.
According to Dominique, a lot of brand managers are scared to take a risk on something new or unfamiliar to them, so they keep playing in the same spaces which doesn’t really allow for growth. It’s not just about getting sponsorship anymore, but about who you decide to align your brand with, so one does have to be careful to not just say yes to everything that comes your way.
“We are fortunate to have made strong relationships with the artists that we work with and somehow these have managed to grow from strength to strength and have opened us up to new possibilities. This has led to us exploring the power of collaborations and finding more unique ways to make shit happen through bridging the gap worldwide.”
Building on their strengths, they have managed to soar with like-minded headspaces. Initiating these mannerisms and gestures led to something so raw and under-groomed, we as an audience couldn’t help but revel in its inclusivity. The formula that sets them apart from the rest has always been to try and create spaces where the artist and the fans can engage in a more intimate setting, allowing for conversation and a deeper understanding between both the artist and the audience.
These meet ‘n greets are pivotal to an evolving conversation we are having about producing, collaboration and performance. I attended the Young Fathers exchange in Braamfontein, Johannesburg in 2015 before they played their live set at King Kong that weekend and felt like I knew their personas a little better, giving me more insight into who they are as people, as well as performers. The mass of questions were based on the colour of their skin and navigating their way in their country versus ours, giving the audience, as well as the band a taste of an open session dialogue in South Africa. The whole Young Fathers experience was quite a pivotal moment for Weheartbeat and for them, and “I think they fell deeply in love with South Africa and her people.”
“I think sessions like these remind us that we are all human at the end of the day and are more connected through our experiences than we realize.”
As a collective with around 12 years in the game, their experience is culturally rich, giving them the confidence to introduce adventurous endeavors in a South African landscape that belongs solely to the beat. To keep the novelty and authenticity in fruition, their ever expanding sense of being and growing more, they opened a physical store at 27Boxes in Melville, which helped take the brand to new heights.
“The space was a living, breathing representation of Weheartbeat and all that our brand stands for, so it meant quite a lot to us.”
The store gave them a base to connect to some of the most inspiring people and music lovers from all over South Africa and the world and the appreciation and gratitude that fortified from it was overwhelming. Unfortunately the centre never did well enough and they closed earlier this year.
The essentialism of what they do is with passion. They find the beat scene is filled with lots of love and positive vibrations and it’s really easy to connect with like-minded individuals through the music. When they launched the brand five years ago, no one in the scene was really experimenting with the sound, so it was a given they would stand out from the rest. It was very challenging in the beginning, but now more than ever, the beat scene in South Africa is burgeoning beyond anything they could have imagined, with regular festivals and events nearly every week, collaborations abound and tastemakers the world over have their sights fixed intently on us.
“We are quite unapologetic about how we do things, but for us, quality and artistic integrity are the marks of true artists and we try and maintain that standard in everything that we do.”
The British Council Connect ZA program acknowledged Dom’s work with a Young Creative Entrepreneur award for live music. That opportunity allowed her to travel and meet like-minded individuals from all over the place. When she returned, she felt inspired and a lot more clued up on the international music scene, giving her some reassurance that all the work she has put in will amount to something, and sometimes a little acknowledgement is all a person needs.
“I think more recently I’ve realized that you really have to work for what you want, you have to put in the hours and visualize where you tryna see yourself. You just gotta take it, all the highs and the lows, fall down and get back up, brush yourself off and keep going. That’s a life thing I guess.”
Operationally speaking, Sims is largely responsible for the creative direction of the brand and works closely with the designers and creative team which changes according to each project. Dom’s role is more on the business side of things; she manages all artist bookings and partnerships, as well as the production of all their events.
They are planning an extension of the brand that aims to launch new talent next year as well as strong focus on pushing out more local content. They currently curate a vinyl pop-up at Ants in Parkhurst and also sell privately from their offices in Melville.
Weheartbeat is bringing Tall Black Guy to South Africa for two shows: in Jozi and the Cape. They have the fingers on the pulse and want you to join in. Read our interview with him here and get your tickets now so you don’t miss the opportunity to see integrity in a live setting.
