Charles Webster From The Hill

From The Hill
Allan Nicoll, aka Kid Fonque, and Charles Webster on how they brought together the cream of the South African Jazz, Soul, 3 Step & Deep House scene for a unique album.
“In 1997 when ‘Better Day’ by Presence came out, it was a hit in South Africa,” says Charles Webster, recalling how his decades-long love affair with the South African house scene began.
A slew of 00s remixes would not only cement Webster’s position at the heart of South Africa’s house scene, but arguably create a blueprint for the nation’s own take on the genre. “The sound was bassy and soulful, and that's a reasonable description of what South Africans like here,” muses Charles, now resident in Cape Town.
“If you play his remix of ‘Cafe de Flore’ (by Dr Rockit) even now at any venue in South Africa, it will erupt,” notes Stay True Sounds founder Allan Nicoll, all-round SA scene polymath.
One of this project’s collaborators, WAPO Jije, concurs: “After this tune, a whole new world rose for me to go into producing deep house music.” For FKA MASH, the Webster re-rub of the Michelle Cleis song ‘La Mezcla’ “kickstarted it. My fascination with his work grew even more each time I saw his name.”
“When Soul Candi Records was the biggest house label on the continent, we were licensing most remixes that Charles was putting out,” adds Nicoll, who curated some of their best-selling compilations.
Charles joins the dots right the way up to this project. “Those compilation CDs used to go to number one in the proper charts. I’d get recognised on the street, doing autographs and selfies. All the people on Stay True Sounds grew up listening to their parents’ CDs.”
“I hosted two Stay True Sounds shows, one in Cape Town and one in Johannesburg,” says Nicoll. “Wez Saunders (Defected CEO) said to me, invite all the artists and DJs you work with for lunch on Sunday. Charles came along. I knew that everyone sitting around the table had been touched by his records.”
“It was maybe 30 people, producers or singers or DJs, all of which I knew of, some of whom I knew personally,” recalls Charles. “Allan said, you know what we should do? An album with all you lot.”
Nicoll instantly saw the breathtaking potential of the project. “We were in a very sweet spot where Charles really understood the South African producers before they got into the room with him. He trusted my A&R ear, so that was my role, to connect the right people with Charles.”
Vocalist Sio encapsulates the response of those sounded out about being a part of the project: “I jumped at the chance to collaborate with him because ⁠I knew it was going to be transcendental.”
“Allan tailored it carefully, with people that he thought would work. And they all did - it was an absolute blast,” enthuses Charles.
For Thabo Tonick, “the energy in the room was great. I hope that people will hear two minds from two different generations, two different parts of the world coming together to create something new - a true collaboration.”
The collaborators’ unanimous verdict is delight with the finished results, perhaps best summed up China Charmeleon: “I saw him playing our song at an event in Durban. I cried tears of happiness because of the response of the crowd.”
Allan concludes, “I believe we've really found a beautiful place where the record does sound like a cohesive story. I hope that it can really shine a light on all these incredible producers, and this thriving underground scene.”