Bubblegum Club

Tag: dj tira

  • Bubblegum Club Mix Vol 17 by DJ Bigger

    Bubblegum Club Mix Vol 17 by DJ Bigger

    Can you tell us a bit about DJ Bigger?

    I, Makabongwe Nzuza, popularly known as “Dj Bigger” was born on the 6th of April in the Southern township of Durban – KwaMashu, M Section. I attended Sondelani Primary School in eNtuzuma, where I was a leader of an ‘’Isicathamiya” group, part of a gospel group as well as part of the school’s choir group. I then completed my junior studies at Eastberry Seconday School in Phoenix.

    My teenage years were filled with music in a very unbelievable way, so much that even the taxis I commuted in would blast music to school and back! Some of the joys of being born in the rhythmic land of KwaZulu Natal.

    Share more about your musical background – who or what sparked your interest in gqom?

    Growing up in the groovy, talent-filled, iconic township influenced my love for music as every second house in my neighbourhood played LOUD music, simultaneously and religiously each and every Friday; marking the beginning of the weekend and an end to a gruesome week for the working class.

    Not only that; but growing up, music was almost the only thing that brought “free” joy to people, its effectiveness in provoking happy feelings, thus creating memorable moments was fascinating.

    I started DJing in 2006 at private functions and then moved to club spaces where I realized that this is something I’m passionate about and was good at. In the year 2010 I then started to focus on building myself as a brand.

    How do you like to describe your sound?

    I would describe my sound as the township version of Electro Music. Gqom music is a very distinct sound that originates from the Township (Ekasi).

    Who are your musical influences?

    My late friend, DJ Deep, who was also my mentor, played a very big role in influencing and shaping my musical journey. I used to tag along whenever he went to deejay at events/private functions. Basically he is the one that taught me how to deejay. Currently, there are a lot of people that I look up to in the music industry, namely DJ Sox, DJ Tira, DJ Bongs, etc.

    What do you want to express with your music? What emotions should it evoke within the listener?

    I believe that music is universal. Though this is an African sound, I wish for people all over the world to be able to feel and express their feelings through the music that I share with them. I want people to dance and feel liberated.

    You are part of Miaso Studios. Please share more about it and your involvement?

    I grew my brand locally overtime and quickly became one of the most respected disc jocks amongst my peers. The group was started by DJ Deep. Along the way I started working with Dj Kaybee, Ayo and Tropika. Together we formed a music production conglomerate and called it “MIASCO FAM”.

    Why do you think gqom has become such a huge sound in SA, and subsequently, abroad?

    Gqom Music is a unique sound and I think its uniqueness is recognized by everyone across the globe.

    When did your partnership with FAKA begin and how is it going?

    I started working with the group FAKA last year (2017) in August. They got my details from Jamal. They contacted me and the rest was history. Currently it is going very well. We have great chemistry and share a similar love and passion for music. They are my chosen family.

    What are you working on at the moment?

    I have been touring with FAKA and currently working on new music that I’ll be releasing soon.

  • The Sound of Black Joy: A New Year’s Eve Meditation

    There is a New Year’s Eve I remember vividly like the afterglow of a fireworks display. I was very young, barely five, enjoying the newfound victory of staying up until “Happy New Year”.

    I stood in the fog created by the multiple braai-stands, mystified by the happenings of black joy that intensified with every song that played on the chart, counting us down to the anticipated three-two-one and, most importantly, the song that was to carry us into the new year straight after.

    The moment finally came. I remember my mother screaming around the yard with her sisters, with 100-if-you-lucky shooters in hand, muting the stars with crickets. I remember blocking my ears to cushion the thundering blows of Ama-Bhomu and I remember the sound of zinc roofs trembling under the terror of Malum’ Mthoko’s Telefunken sound system. I may not remember the exact song that played at midnight that year, but the significance of “Ingoma Ehlukanise Unyaka” was something that stayed in my memory until today.

    The space between then and now is filled with many songs that defined the times that never stopped moving. From Brenda Fassie’s ‘Vulindlela’, Mafikizolo’s ‘Bhuti Ngihamba Nawe’, to the more recent ‘Umlilo’ by Big NUZ, and last year’s heavily meme’d ‘Sobulala u Van Damme’. I should also highlight the difference in tastes that resulted in one Metro-FM-listening echelon of our culturally diverse society “splitting the year” to Babes Wodumo’s Wololo, in the same year that ‘Sobulala u Van Damme’ did.

    It is now December 2017. The December of the vosho-induced paralysis and Gin salads, amongst many other things. New Years Eve is around the corner and many of us are ritualistically sacrificing the dick that is to stay in 2017, for the sake of our own wellbeing. More importantly though, we are about to find out which song is worthy of carrying us into 2018, the sonic epitome of alrightness in 2017.

    There are many contenders. ‘Omunye’ by Distruction Boyz, for one, had the entire nation proclaiming their wig-less-ness since the release of their much anticipated album titled ‘Gqom Is The Future’. If you listened to Gqom 5 years ago, back when The Boyz had their phone numbers at the end of their song titles, when GTi driving bhutis tried to silence Gqom ngoba lento inomsindo, you’ll understand why this moment is so important. The Boyz have worked from the start to carve their own space in an industry that was not really about them. Now they have one of the biggest songs and that kind of impact makes me look at them with the same vicarious pleasures my uncles had when they watched soccer players rise from similar circumstances and make it to some big squad or whatever.

    The other big contender is Midnight Starring by Busiswa and Moonchild feat. Dj Tira & Dj Maphorisa (in all honesty). Another Gqom gem. I’ve actually heard more of this song since I have been in Durban and that is very telling. 5-year-olds will scream “please call future baby” with their last niknaks breathe, aunties demand the song like “aw’fake i panty eline lace lapho”. It literally gets more iconic. Those lyrics, those voices, those yebo’s that demand that you agree – it’s all power, with the black femme face we deserve.

    When we reach the pivotal three-two-one this weekend, I would be happy if any of these songs took it. It’s not an easy task to get the entire nation gyrating into the promising arms of a new year. And it’s all the more significant now that it feels like it will be one of our own who will define the times that never cease to move.

  • Distruction Boyz are the Future of Gqom

    Emerging out of the townships of Durban, the reach of gqom has spread over the last five years touching the rest of South Africa and making an impression on the global underground. With pioneers such as DJ Lag and the Rude Boyz having laid the foundation for the next generation of artists, now more than ever there is an appetite for the stripped down, minimal sounds of Durban.

    Having produced Babes Wodumo’s breakout hit “Wololo”, Kwa-Mashu based producers Distruction Boyz’ 13 track debut album “Gqom is the Future” showcases the duo’s intention of leaving a lasting impression on the music industry with one of the most exciting sounds to emerge out of South Africa in the last decade. Dubbed sghubu, a subgenre of gqom, Distruction Boyz’ sound is softer, more melodic, with more commercial leanings than it’s underground cousin.

    The album features collaborations with rising stars and heavyweights of the scene including Prince Bulo, Benny Maverick, Dlala Mshunqisi, Rude Boyz, Tipcee, Cruel Boyz and even DJ Tira. Favourite tracks from the last year including “2 O’Clock”, “Madness”, “Midnight” and 2016’s nationwide hit “Shut Up and Groove” all make an appearance. With relentless grooves and syncopated rhythms, the 13 tracks on “Gqom is the Future” hit you like a freight train and make sitting still an impossibility.

    With “Gqom is the Future” Thobani “Que” Mgobhozi and Zipho “Gold” Mthembu have assembled an album that captures the vibrant energy of Durban and it’s no surprise that the album has been released in time for summer. With promising initial sales, the Distruction Boyz’ goal of reaching Gold seems within reach. Expanding the palette of what one expects from Gqom, the Distruction Boyz have added new elements to what is an already exciting and evolving genre. The only questions that remains is where the future of Gqom is going to take it next.

  • Meet Distruction Boyz: The savvy young producers taking Gqom to a new audience

    By 2012 the gqom style of electronic music had already made a huge impact on youth audiences in Durban’s townships. The new sound rumbled across dimly lit dance floors, reverberated within customised taxis and murmured through beat-up handsets. Inspired by the hysteria/excitement surrounding the new sound, three childhood friends, Manique Soul, Que and Goldmax (real names Lindelwa Mbhele, Thobane Mgobozi, and Zipho Mthembu)  began DJing and producing gqom music together. At the time they were all still Grade 10 high school students.

    Like the many other producers in their area, Manique Soul, Que and Goldmax are all self-taught, having learnt their craft purely through trial and error. It was via this process of experiential learning that the group developed both their mission and their identity.  ‘Pazamisa’ is a Zulu word meaning to disrupt and from this the Disturction Boyz name was coined.

    que

    Although gqom is what inspired Distruction Boyz to start making music it is sgubhu, a ‘melodic’ sub genre of gqom that has gained them recognition in the music industry. Their track 2OCLOCK is a good example of how dark strings, broken kick-drums and repetitive vocal samples, all traditionally gqom characteristics, can be fused with melodic house synths to create sgubhu. Apart from being more melodic than gqom, sgubhu is a more commercially viable sound. The perception amongst dj’s and producers on the scene is that gqom is inaccessible for a mass audience and that its place is in the underground. It’s a fair assessment considering that gqom has mostly been ignored by record labels and radio stations in South Africa, despite the genres widespread popularity in KwaZulu Natal.

    Since starting to produce sgubhu, Distruction Boyz have seen their audience grow and their star rise. They have worked with industry heavyweights like Dj Tira, Mampintsha and Dj Sox and are now closely affiliated with the record label Afrotainment. Both Que and Goldmax believe that they wouldn’t have met Tira if they were only making gqom. Although their focus is now on sgubhu, Distruction Boyz are still producing gqom but are no longer releasing it with commercial intentions.  Que sees it as a exclusive sound, something ‘just for us and our friends when they come over to visit”.

    goldmax

    The young producers now emerging out of gqom’s first wave are more industry savvy than their predecessors. One of the reasons Manique Soul, Que and Goldmax joined forces is because they believed that being a part of a group would fast track both their artistic progression and their trajectory in the industry. New ideas and approaches are key to ensuring that Durban’s new sounds reach a wider audience. Distruction Boyz, along with peers like Dark Dawgs and Da Golddust, are candid  about their intentions. Not only do they want to make gqom accessible but they also see their music as a business. A successful career in the music industry is that much more attainable  thanks to the foundation laid down by gqom pioneers like Rudeboyz, Dj Lusiman, Dj Target No Ndile, Griffit, Sbucardo and Dj Lag.

    Despite Gqom not getting the recognition it deserves, the genre’s contribution and influence on Durban’s and South Africa’s music scene is undeniable. It is a fertile sound which is inspiring new artists and spawning popular sub genres like Sgubhu, Gqom Trap and Core Tribe.