matchboxology

“This not only amplifies the experience for the shoppers, but also for the staff who benefit from the high-energy environment.”
Since 2007, we have been on a quest to make the Levi’s® in-store experience an unparalleled one for both the customers and you the staff, who spend most of your day on the shop floor. Striving to create an environment that reflects the Levi’s® brand essence and speaks to the brands long standing association with music, it’s been an exciting, musical journey of trial and error. The product we are now presenting to you would not have been possible without your genuine feedback and constructive criticism.
Every two months, a clutch of top-shelf DJs are briefed to submit new mixes based on their party-rocking reputations and all-round selection skills. They are pretty much left to their own devices, the only directives being that they put themselves in the customers jeans, so to speak, as they compile a mix that features local and international hits.
While Levi’s® already has an impeccable track record in supporting live music and emerging artists, this project affords the brand the opportunity to reach out to customers who might not be into live music, but enjoy next-level sounds all the same. Below are short bios of the selectors that lent their brilliance to the current series of Levi’s® Live.

Kid Fonque
From downtempo vibes to the stop-stutter madness of broken beat, Kid Fonque remains the go-to guy for that future funk that keeps you rocking on your good foot.
The Candi Lounge, released through Soul Candi last year, encapsulates his open-minded approach to selection. For his second turn at bat for Levi’s® Live, he took us way back in time. “The brief I was given for the mix was to take it a lot more to my Saladamundo sound which was very jazzy and had a big bossa nova vibe. I took the local content I had and wanted to use and worked it around all the international nu-jazz/bossa tracks and it all came together.”

DJ Milkshake
From helping found the Wits DJ’s Society to getting co-signs from DJ Fresh, the Soweto-born Milkshake has been around the block a number of times, playing Jozi’s inner-city clubs and dropping live sets on many radio stations and TV shows.
No matter the style, Milkshake keeps it current, which is exactly what he did for his latest Levi’s® Live mix.
“I played a mix of local and international songs. Those are all the hottest songs that I feel are out there at the moment. The mix starts off with a chilled vibe but you’re bobbing your head by the end of it.”

Clive Bean
Although Clive’s first residency was at Soul Train in 1997, most die-hard dance floor tribes will remember his crack-of-dawn sets at the infamous 115 in downtown Jozi. These spilled over into the Homecooking Xclusive nights, which he hosted on the last Saturday of every month at the venue.
With loads of behind-the-counter work to his credit and an ever-expanding record collection, Clive’s is a charmed life saturated with melodies and basslines. His second Levi’s® Live blend is a mix of aboveground and deep Afro-inspired songs by the likes of Clock, Cleo and Giggs Superstar. “With this mix I tried to go more for the songs that I knew were prominent and those that anyone shopping for clothing would be able to listen to with an open mind.”
  
Blacksheep
Matt and Mlu are two self-trained prizefighters of the cross fader who battle each other with the hottest new, deep house grooves for their audience’s approval.
Matt and Mlu have also furthered their individual musical paths. Mlu mans his show on 5fm from 1-4am, while Matt is working on podcasts and beats in his cozy studio, while promoting regular gigs at The Woods in Newtown and Co.fiBrooklyn in Pretoria.
“The challenge behind our Levi's® Live set was to bridge the gap between our club style and that which would be conducive to a retail environment,” says Matt. “We basically asked ourselves what kinda music we would want to hear when buying jeans. The songs range from our favourite local tracks to a selection of recent vocal dance floor damagers.”