Party time: Orbit Vinyl sessions are totally a vibe

The party scene in Joburg often feels monotonous. No matter where you go, it can feel like you're stuck in a constant loop of either radio-friendly hip-hop and house or the madness that gqom has wrought.

Once in a while an alternative pops up. This weekend, if you're looking for that something different Orbit's Vinyl Sessions is your best bet.

Officially launching on Saturday, the weekly event will host DJ Kenzhero, Boeta Gee and Zara Julius, three well-known vinyl heads who promise to set the party alight, digging into their own illustrious vinyl collections to create an atmosphere that's unmatched.

Says Julius, who previously held a residency at Cape Town Jazz institution Tagore's: "I started collecting wax six years ago. I'm not really in the game of obsessing, trying to acquire a huge collection for the sake of it, so I don't know how many records I own. Maybe 300? 400?"

Julius counts some of her favourite LPs as including Bill Withers' Live at Carnegie Hall, Carlos Santana and Mahavishnu John McLaughlin's Love Devotion Surrender, and Ritual Music of Ethiopia, which ought to give you an idea of what to expect during her set.

Earlier this year vinyl record sales reportedly reached a 25-year high, up 53% from 2015, in what have been several years of growth for the category, at a time when digital is the only other growth category as far as music is concerned.

Julius attributes this trend to a desire to slow things down.

"I think it goes back to the question of pace. Everything around us is geared towards our operating at the highest pace possible. Analog formats, of all kinds, not just music, disrupt that. Even looking at the trend of folks being more inclined to cycle to work versus driving; a lot of us are quite simply trying to slow down."

• Orbit is at 81 De Korte Street, Braamfontein, doors open at 8.30pm, R100