First, we shall introduce the DJ. Oh, it is just the DJ

He was a testament that a DJ may not necessarily need hits and famous songs to have an engaged audience, but the skill and ability to sell them a new sound.

At that time, the wave of electronic music was only picking up in Africa, and like whiskey, the audience was taking it in small doses, sometimes totally stripped down.

The beginning

Electronic Dance Music (EDM) in Africa has emerged as a vibrant and dynamic genre that has gained significant popularity and recognition in recent years. Combining traditional African rhythms, instruments and vocal styles with contemporary electronic production techniques, EDM has created a unique and exciting musical landscape on the African continent.

This can be traced back to the influence of international artistes and DJs who have introduced electronic music genres such as House, Techno and Trance to African audiences. Over time, local artistes and producers began incorporating these genres into their work.

South Africa has since created a number of house music variations.

“Sometimes it is just the vibe, the energy that makes the music captivating,” said a reveller during the just-concluded Fate De La Musique concert on June 25, at the National Theatre.

Fête de la Musique, also known as World Music Day in other markets, is one day people of different walks of life come together to celebrate the gift of music and its diversity. Much as many artistes took to the National Theatre gardens’ upper stage, it was hard to ignore two acts; Blinky Bill from Kenya and iZaya the Creator from Uganda.

Bill Sellanga, alias Blinky Bill, is a Kenyan artiste, DJ and producer. He is primarily known for his work as a DJ, Electronic music producer and founding member of the music collective Just A Band. iZaya, on the other hand, is an Electronic artiste, producer and performer from Kampala, Uganda. His style of music is influenced by ‘80s Disco, 80s pop, Afrobeat, Ugandan cultural rhythms, and Electronic music. His music birthed a genre called Retro Bass, which fuses African rhythms, ‘80s pop and EDM.

The two were among the performers at the National Theatre, and they have one thing in common, they are both DJs and producers.

They are part of a larger group of DJs that have taken on performing at the forefront as opposed to staying on the sidelines and playing tracks for singers.

Not an entirely new phenomenon, DJs have always found their way onto Ugandan stages, dating back to the time of Akon and his DJ Benny D during a Kampala concert. Benny D had such an impression that he later came back to Uganda without Akon. He was an opening act for Wyclef Jean.

In the years that followed, a number of DJs came around as part of the menu but never as the main course. These included official DJs of American artistes such as Nicki Minaj, Chris Brown and a bunch of others belonging to Jamaican artistes such as Busy Signal and Konshens, among others.

Of late, however, there has been an influx of DJs in the spotlight, some say it was spiked by the Covid-19, then, people were confined to their homes glued to their TVs. Stations such as NTV and NBS had devised ways to keep an audience involved by creating mix shows to start the weekend.

Today, at least a member of each weekend show cast has become a DJ. In the world of live music events, the DJ is hugely important. Nowadays, DJ performers can play at week-long music festivals alongside musicians. Some of them even stage their own solo concerts. Some musicians have appreciated the art of working with performing DJs, despite the fact that most musicians may not be aware of the artistry and talent they bring to the table.

A growing audience

Over the past few years, there has been a growing audience and movement for Electronic music in Uganda. These have built collectives that align themselves with the sounds of Electronic music. For instance, the earliest to emerge were collectives such as Hakuna Kulala, later a label that explored East Africa and Congolese Underground Electronic sounds. Much as Hakuna Kulala has worked with singers, rappers, and instrumentalists alongside DJs, their sound is predominantly Afro-House.

Then there is Nyege Nyege Tapes, whose sound most Electronic enthusiasts have referred to as Gabba music, with faster tempos, shouted vocals and distorted drum pulses. It is heavily energetic and dominates most of the Nyege Nyege festival sets.

Underground Kampala may be the only strictly Techno music collective at the moment.

“Electronic music has been growing over the years,” says Richard Odoi, a Techno music DJ and one of the founders of Underground Kampala.

Underground Kampala has in the past held a number of activities, with the last one taking place over the weekend at Design Hub Kampala.

Odoi says when they started off, they attracted an audience of about 80 people, though as time has gone on, the number has kept growing.

“Our event at the Alliance Francaise’s basement attracted about 650 people,” he says, adding that with more events they have been curating, more Ugandans than expatriates have been warming up to the nights.

Over the past two years, Talent Africa has been part of the greatest DJ performances in Uganda, from Diplo, Major Lazer to the Nyege Nyege.

Ali Alibhai, Talent Africa’s CEO, says DJs are huge internationally and the trend is also catching on here in Uganda.

“Internationally, many DJs are on the same level as the biggest artistes and bands.”

On top of their skill on the decks, some have added that as producers, they also play fresh material. 

“DJs have also become great performers by adding other elements to their performances; such as MCing, hyping, dancing, and adding production and special effects to their shows to make them unique and engaging,” he says.

At the last edition of Blankets and Wine, the Sound Lab served some of the best DJ talent. House of DJ’s James Byaruhanga says what has made DJs appealing is that they play a familiar sound.

“At the moment, DJs are more creative than they were a few years ago, but above all, their energy is high, and the young audience is in sync with the energy,” he says.

Nowhere has the artistry of DJs come to the fore more than at music festivals, where a variety of musicians and DJs are mixed in with hundreds of performance artists. While most artistes may rely on their vocal ability, DJ’s have always used other people’s work and technology. Through sampling and adding effects, they create new music.

Kenneth Mvalye, a DJ whose stage name is Dark Meme, says what separates a DJ from a hit selector is their ability to sell a different sound to new audiences.

This was the case when Black Motion took to the decks in Mbarara where South African duo Roy Thambo Mabogwane and Kabelo Koma, alias Problem Child Ten83, were lead entertainers at the Smirnoff Fiesta. The two make up the legendary Black Motion, a DJ duo that transverses a number of Dance/Electronic music subgenres, but they are heavily renowned for being House or Deep House DJs.

Before them, South African Robot Boii, was in Kampala for an explosive Fiesta show at the Kampala Sheraton.

Why DJs?

Judie Nandekya, the Smirnoff brand manager, says from a brand perspective, they have worked mainly with DJs because their performances are energetic. She says during performances such as Black Motion’s, the energy never goes down because there is never a time when a DJ will slow down.

“DJs are energetic in nature, and most of them are young and deliver something you may not get with a singer, for example,” she says.

Many seem to agree that DJs’ energy is indeed unmatched. Alibhai, for instance, says most DJs can perform for as long as two to three hours and keep the crowd dancing from beginning to end.

Since the Covid-19 pandemic, festivals and all forms of expression arts that gather people have been badly hit. With limited funds to move forward, many started being careful while curating talent. This saw a rise in bookings for DJs compared to before. Some argue that with a DJ, a festival organiser will not have to worry about booking flights and accommodation for a band since most of them are one-man shows.

Byaruhanga, however, says DJs became trendy after Covid-19 because they utilised the internet space by sharing their mixes on streaming platforms such as Spotify, Tidal, YouTube, and Soundcloud, while others still marketed their work on social media platforms.

“But you also notice that a singer is limited. A singer will only do his catalogue, while a DJ has a wider catalogue that includes all other people’s songs,” he says. 

Bright future

The DJ bug has caught on and both Ugandan DJs and audiences have improved. For instance, the DJs have worked on their craft and presence, while the audience has also started demanding more than just hits.

“It is great to see that Ugandan DJs have also raised the bar with their craft and are taking it much more seriously than before,” Alibhai says.

He also notes that Ugandans now understand DJ culture and appreciate different music genres and DJ performances.

“You can clearly see this at festivals such as Nyege Nyege and also with the increase of DJs who fly in to do shows.”

Nadekya says, “The future is bright as the audience is already plugged in and it is vivid with the way they dress to these events.”

Alibhai believes local DJs still need a little work if they are to tour and play elsewhere.

“To see more Ugandan DJs touring internationally, the DJs need to master their craft, build up their brands, be unique and creative in their performances, and lastly, promote their brands internationally.”

Performing with gadgets and a presence seems to have changed the way many people perceive a DJ. Will this leave the industry the same? That is definitely a topic for another day.