The man behind the decks ‘’DJ Abza’’

1. When did you start DJing - and what or who were your early passions and influences?

I started Djing at the age of 14. I can’t say there was a certain individual who influenced my passion for music because my influence and passion was drown from the idea of wanting to correct other Djs and the music I grew up listening to and the privilege of entertaining crowds from all walks

2. What do you personally consider to be the incisive moments in your artistic career?

I had many incisive moments but he most incisive ones transpired or incurred when I was doing matric in 2015. My parents suggested that I should take a break from music until I complete matric and it was just something I perceived impossible because that was when I got a record deal from Rawgland Entertainment and the year I was planning to release my First Album

3. What are currently your main challenges as a DJ? What is it about DJing, compared to, say, producing your own music that makes it interesting for you?

My Current challenge is getting a spotlight to shine as a DJ and Producer and also the fact that people I regard as my supporters and fans appreciate freebies more than purchasing and lack of support from home. Getting booked is also a problem I’m facing and am certain I’m not the first DJ to highlight this problem , most of the gigs are not paying hence require me to pop out cash from my pocket. According to my notion Djing is about introducing and teaching people music although some people regard is as a way of making money and fame and again I would prefer to use the word ‘ According ‘ since it’s just my perspective. Well producing my own music is about using my skill but most importantly a way of telling a story. It takes me time to produce a certain a song because it’s about narrating.

4. What do you usually start with when preparing for a set?

First and the most I check the type of event , location and time I’ll be playing and that will be enough to guide me on which type of music I should play or what the crowd might be anticipating from me.

5. How important is building a real relationship with the music you're playing for your own approach? There's so much music out there, is it even possible to build meaningful long-term relationships with a particular track or album?

Having a consistence relationship with the music is a pivotal in a sense that it helps you to be consistence with your fans and promoters. I know lots of Djs who release their own podcasts every month to share with their fans and promoters so that they can get booked so they’re booked according to what they play hence that’s where the importance of being consistence prevail because we are booked according what we play hence imagine how peculiar it will be to book someone who plays Deep House on his podcasts but Hip-Hop when you book them and building a long term relationship with a certain song or album is about the memories but with my case I can’t comment because I search for new music everyday .

6. What makes you decide to play a particular record during one of your sets? Is there a criteria other than pure subjectivity, for selecting what to play at a gig?

First track is the one to determine if the record on the list will be appreciated or not and I strongly believe am one of the few DJs who play international music and love songs on my set so if people bail out the dance floor on my first track I will then know what to do although that’s not the case because you can’t make everyone dance to every song you play especially if you get new music everyday like I do.

7. When there's more music than one can possibly take in, it is becoming increasingly hard to know what constitutes an original and a remake anymore. What's your opinion on the importance of roots, traditions, respecting originals and sources?

Well in that regard I think sometimes it’s due to the dilemma that everyone wants to be unique. It’s difficult to set the distinction between an original or remix especially if you don’t know the original so this is a problem we can’t solve because sometimes the original is not that dope compared to the remix .As a DJ you need to have what we call ‘ secret weapons’ , some call them ‘ can’t gets’ meaning you can’t get them either because he / she is the only one who has it or because he’s the one who produce it and not planning to release and that might be a remix or bootleg of someone’s song.

8. One of the particularities of DJing is that takes people outside their own little box for a few hours, without the option of switching channels, changing the song according to their own taste or remaining within their virtual circle. How do you, as a DJ, make use of this freedom?

Well there are various types of mixing to mention few, we have mega mix which is when a DJ play at least more than 3 songs at the same time and then we have pure mixing which is when one song substitutes the other or blend hence I prefer pure mixing because audience get to hear their songs almost to the end and dance to it without any effects played because that’s what people prefer.

9. How important are not just the entertainment- but also the curatorial functions of DJs today - compared to other media like radio or print- and online-journalism?

Well I prefer pure mixing so I hardly play with effects but there is a time whereby you play after someone who killed it according to the response of the crowd hence that’s when such possibilities can be utilized to make sure that you outshine them all if and also to such the crowd what you’re capable of or just to show your skills and that it’s not just about replacing one song with the other.

10.Thanks to developments in the realm of software, DJing, playing live and producing have moved closer together than ever before, allowing DJs to change a track down the tiniest detail. How do you make use of these possibilities in your sets and is there a benefit?

Yes. I think some do that’s why each and every DJ has his / her own crowd and Fan base. I believe it’s due to the creativity and skill they perceive from that particular DJ and it’s sometimes difficult to know if people really appreciate what you’re doing if they don’t know you. Some would love to follow you as your fans but it’s difficult for them because some events don’t have MCs to introduce DJs

11.Do you feel a crowd is actually able to appreciate the intricacies of complex DJing, if they don't actually know what, precisely, is happening behind the decks?

It’s very much easy to read the audience and I’m capable of reading them. If you play a certain song and they don’t like it they will either bail off the dance floor or start pointing fingers at you so there are many ways to read audience

12. Do you believe in the possibility of "reading an audience" – and how do you put it into practise? Is the relationship with the dancers a collaborative one?

I’m aware of such but I don’t take the into consideration because I believe it’s a duty of the promoter to book relevant people based on the culture of the club and I really can’t comment further because I haven’t yet done any event that was outside this country and I’m looking forward to gig abroad. Regarding crowds I would say people who don’t know me treated me with much respect especially those who knew where I come from

13.Do you feel a crowd is actually able to appreciate the intricacies of complex DJing, if they don't actually know what, precisely, is happening behind the decks?

I think DJs like LP Lepidus who introduced me to international House Music and Rawgsheq the Deejay who taught me a lot about production deserve attention

People can connect with me here

Facebook Page: DJ Abza SA Twitter & Instagram: @DJAbza_SA_ Email: djabzasa@rawgland.com Website: www.rawgland.com/djabzasa