The Sunday Mail
Andrew Moyo
VETERAN deejays have criticised most upcoming disc jockeys for rushing into the mainstream arena without adequate experience and exposure. While technology has made it easier for DJs to mix music, some of them have failed to grasp major elements of the craft. The recent Lake July DJ Festival on Harare’s outskirts provided the perfect platform to assess the
level of local deejaying – and by the end of the event many weaknesses had been exposed.
In interviews with The Sunday Mail Leisure, top DJs who have been in the industry for years had mixed views about their emerging counterparts.
While most of the young DJs showed they had talent, it was noted that they still did not have the technique and skills mix right.
Club DJ stalwart, Dee Nosh, spoke of the need for mentorship.
“The problem with most of these young guys is that they think they know it all and do not seek advice from experienced DJs.
This is where you have DJs who are playing good songs but mixing them in a way that is not captivating, which takes away the essence of being a DJ,” said Dee Nosh.
One of the biggest sins committed by DJs is the lack of broad playlists, with many of them depending on trending hit songs which often becomes monotonous as they all play the same stuff.
At the Lake Chivero festival, very few DJs brought variety.
“Most of these young guys do not have adequate knowledge of music so they usually focus on songs that are trending when compiling their playlists.
This is why it is difficult for some to play for longer than two hours because they will run out of ideas in the process,” added Dee Nosh.
Kudzi Marudza, a veteran of decades, said most youngsters did not actually listen to music.
“As a DJ you need to sit down and listen to music, not just the current hits but even yesteryear sounds and get to have a feel of the songs that can appeal to fans.
To be honest, most of the young guys I have seen playing have great potential but they don’t have depth in terms of music selection,” said Marudza.
Besides musical depth, DJ Garry B cited lack of creativity as another cancer crippling many.
“Some of these DJs are too obvious because they lack creativity and every time they are playing you already know how their set is going to sound like.
The other thing is that as a DJ you need to research about where the music is coming from, its history and stuff like that.
“Before going on any big stage, you need to prepare and put together several plans so that you always have something to play if the music you wanted to play has already been played by other DJs,” said Gary B.
While back in the day becoming a DJ was no walk in the park as it involved owning a set of turntables and other gadgetry that was not easily accessible, technological advancements have made things a lot easier.
Judgment Yard’s DJ Flavah said it took more than owning a laptop with a playlist to be a DJ.
“These days you will see that everyone who owns laptop thinks they are a DJ, so we end up having plug-n-play DJs who do not have the essential skills. To be a DJ you need to have a passion and appreciation for music because we can’t say because someone has current hit songs in his laptop he is a good DJ.
“You have to listen to both old and new music and get to appreciate all the different sounds so that you will be able to blend them when playing in front of an audience,” said Flevah.
