Originally from Soweto, Johannesburg-based Tumelo Kgwathe aka DJ SistaMatik first discovered her passion for sharing music with others at the age of 9 when her uncle gave her a box of tapes. “I played those tapes every day to everyone that came to visit us, and when I look back that’s where it all started. Because I just became that person that always wanted to play music for people,” recalls SistaMatik.
Introduced to the world of hip hop through American movies, SistaMatik was fascinated by the culture surrounding hip hop. “To me that was like wow, I want to be an American, not in a shallow way but in a really innocent type of way. I just became that kid around the neighbourhood with the baggy clothes, trying to emulate that culture,” SistaMatik explains.
Growing up in Jo’burg, SistaMatik found that the only place where she could find fellow hip hop heads was at a club called Metropolis run by DJ Blaze. This ignited her passion for hip hop even further and pushed her to learn how to DJ. “When I went there I found that everyone liked hip hop. They [knew] the raps. They play[ed] the music that I like[d], that I [could] never hear on the radio. So I started going there often and then it was like ‘I wanna DJ, I wanna try that out.’”
The eagerness to learn led SistaMatik and her own sister to ask DJ Blaze for a lesson, which resulted in him starting DJ workshops. “He’s the guy that allowed us to touch the turntables back in those days. So salute to him.” Through these workshops she learned the art of mixing as well as the tricks of turntablism.
SistaMatik’s sound and taste is constantly evolving, although when she finds a sound she likes, she sticks with it for a while. “I was really big on the Wu-era, but it keeps changing. Because later I was into the boom-bap KRS-One type sound and then I got into the more gangsta, thug music, Mobb Deep, New York street type music. I keep bouncing around different eras and different sounds. But I listen to a lot of hip hop. Local as well.”
Film continues to play a large role in SistaMatik’s life, and she often finds songs through film. “I listen to film scores a lot. I’ll maybe download the score before I watch the film. That’s my main source [of music].”
Although she specialises in hip hop, SistaMatik’s sets feature a variety of genres depending on the occasion. “…I love music as a whole. I’m very much against playing hits. The best feeling is when you’re playing and someone asks you ‘What is that?’ [because] they’re enjoying it.” The results are sets that feature a unique mix of underground gems, old school classics and the finest of African rap music.
Her collaborations include providing scratches on Wanda Baloyi’s debut album, as a live DJ for Yugen Blakrok and an unlikely collaboration with pop singer ChianoSky. She is also looking to work with more people. When asked what her future plans are, SistaMatik reveals that she is aiming to score a South African film before the end of the year. Considering her affinity with film, that seems likely.