Mixing it: Party with flying colours

28 August 2015 - 10:36 By Yolisa Mkele

What better way to kick off spring than with a face full of brightly coloured paint and a sound system throbbing with the music of Spanish DJ and producer Danny Avila? Both of these will be available at Life in Colour next weekend. Life in Colour is an international paint party at which the aim is to gorge oneself on youth while covered in the hues of a rainbow. Started in the US in 2006, Life in Colour is now hosted across the world in locales as far flung as Bolivia, Trinidad and Tobago and Canada. Africa's first taste of the event will have Johannesburg drenched in all the colours of Joseph's dream coat.Headline act Danny Avila has more South African stamps in his passport than many of his contemporaries and, although his last visit was more dramatic than he would have liked, he is as happy to be coming back as a cat in a milk bath."My show last year was very hectic. I had to fly from Las Vegas to South Africa and flights were cancelled last minute so the route had to be reorganised. In the end, I arrived about 15 minutes prior to my set and just rushed on stage. The show was worth the chaos though. Loved it!" he said.Born in 1995, Avila got into DJing in his early teens and quickly ascended the rising tide that was EDM (electronic dance music) at the time. Being precocious came with its own set of baggage."I think the biggest struggle was to be accepted as an artist and a DJ [because of my age]. This is what a lot of young DJs have to battle with. There's so much gossip around and many people begrudge you the things that you get, because they are jealous. With time you learn to ignore that," he said.Despite only recently passing the two decade milestone, Avila already has more experience in the scene than many of his listeners and one thing that continues to impress him is the rapid evolution of the genre."The scene is reinventing itself at the moment. Everyone seems to be looking for something new and special. A lot has evolved from EDM. It definitely has created a new way of perceiving electronic music and has given other music a better foundation to start from," he said.In the time he's been playing EDM, known for its high energy and heavy beat drops, he's become one of the most popular DJs in the world. Add the colour palette to that and you have the perfect recipe for an epic night.Life in Colour takes place next Saturday at the Johannesburg Expo Centre. For tickets visit www.webtickets.co.za..

There’s never been a more important time to support independent media.

From World War 1 to present-day cosmopolitan South Africa and beyond, the Sunday Times has been a pillar in covering the stories that matter to you.

For just R80 you can become a premium member (digital access) and support a publication that has played an important political and social role in South Africa for over a century of Sundays. You can cancel anytime.

Already subscribed? Sign in below.



Questions or problems? Email helpdesk@timeslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00.