T MOLKAY ON WHEELS OF STEELS

Thabang Molokomme from Limpopo, Polokwane, Moletjie Ga-Chokwe In South Africa. My Stage Name Is T Molkay, I’m An Upcoming Male Dj. T Molkay Started Being A Dj At The Age Of 16 And Was Inspired By Clifton Lehlogonolo Mabitsela In 2013 And Currently Inspired By Black Motion, Fanzo, Dj Shimza, Dj Kent, Black Coffee, Princekaybee And Mashabela Galane.

I Started Out As Music Listener Since The Youngest Age, And Was Always Crazy About Music At That Time So Later At A Teen Stage, I Adapted To The Dj Lifestyle And Decided To Become A Dj. Everyone Who Heard Me Play Music, Loved The Music I Played For Them, And That’s When Decided To Take Dj’ng As A Career And Follow It As Dream.

T Molkay Started As “Master-T Wa Molokomme” ,He Produced Mixtape And Submitted them to Radios In 2014 At The Of 17, That’s When His 1st Mixtape Was Heard On Moletjie Fm Battle Of Dj’s And Played Several Times There Competing There With Other Dj’s.

My Second Time I Was Given An Opportunity At The 21st Party Of Tumelo Kganyago Which Was Located At Moletjie Mahwibitswane By Dj Moss In 2015 And People Enjoyed The Music I Played, It Was Challenging As I Was Not Used To Live Mixer But Because I Have The Ability To Adapt Quickly Then I Managed To Keep Crowd Dancing…The Third Time I Played Live At An Event Of Rose Bar Lounge At Moletjie Ga-Chokwe Hosted By Matlala Mathetja Known As Mells. For The Fourth Time I Volunteered For The Sunday Deep House Session At Ga-Fora’s Tarven At Ga Matamanyane With The Support Of Mahlatse Manaka In June 2016, I Was Surrounded By Small Crowd That Day Which I Found Amazing When Everyone Happy And Dancing To The Music I Played. For The Fifth Time In November 2016 I Was Also Called To Play On A Sunbake Promotion By Mahlatse Manaka Who Is A Presenter Of Masa A Sele At Moletjie Fm. “He Knows What He Is Doing”. He Also Participated Once This Year 2017 On Energy Fm “The Party District” Hosted By King Gee. His Potential And Creativity Has Been Recognized By Mahlatse Manaka And Gave Him An Opportunity To Showcase His Talent On Moletjie FM 98.6MHZ “Masa A Sele Show” Every Friday From 05:10 – 05:25. Lately I Have Played At Seshego Zone 1 For A Confirmation Party And Local Tarvens Like DE ROCK At Mabokelele And Phela Carwash And Chesanyama At Nobody…

WHEN DID YOU START DJING - AND WHAT OR WHO WERE YOUR EARLY PASSIONS AND INFLUENCES?

I started djing in 2013.... But I have always wanted to be a dj from my youngest age and was inspired by the love of music my uncle had... then later I met dj Clifton in 2013, I was inspired by his creativity for music and he gave me the courage to start my journey as dj....

WHAT DO YOU PERSONALLY CONSIDER TO BE THE INCISIVE MOMENTS IN YOUR ARTISTIC CAREER?

I would say the platform i got to showcase my talent on radio in 2013 when i started My Music Career, i will forever be grateful for the support presenters like Dj Four, Mr Serious, Dj Tshatsha, And DJ Oga Gave me to Promote my brand on Moletjie Fm...The Second best Moment would be the night of The 25th December 2017 when I got My First Payment From an Event Where I was not even on the line up but I was given a slot to play , i was humbled and didn't know what to say when I was asked this, "Can We Pay you now or later when you are done? " although i felt like I was being tested . The Crowd Loved My Performance while some were even poking me to reduce playing more hit songs because they were feeling tired and even Refused to leave the tarven when it was closing time....

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?

Getting Gigs, operating cdjs,radio interviews and also meeting the new crowd.... well this is a bit tricky, but it's always nice listening to your own song...

WHAT DO YOU USUALLY START WITH WHEN PREPARING FOR A SET?

. Well I'm that dj who's always ready to entertain the crowd... so I usually select a track that makes a crowd recognize me and ask "who is that dj?"

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?

The more you connect with the music you like, the more easier it is to play and apply your skills...yes, usually tracks like Mofe Motho By Mujava

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?

When I feel like it will make a great a combination with current track, that’s when I decide to play it...

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?

When I feel like it will make a great a combination with current track, that’s when I decide to play it...

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?

People should be real and respect other people’s materials

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?

mmm lol yeah some do and some may criticize you to a point where you feel like quitting to be a dj but you always have to believe In yourself…focus on doing better tomorrow and the rest will follow.

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 OR, AS DERRICK MAY ONCE PUT IT, A “BATTLE”?

Yes, every time I practice or play live, I remember these words from mahlatse manaka saying “don’t just play…always look at the crowd u playing for”…

WHAT MAKES A STRONG TRANSITION FROM ONE TRACK TO THE NEXT FROM YOUR POINT OF VIEW AND HOW DO YOU SEE THE RELATIVE IMPORTANCE OF ESTABLISHING A FLOW VERSUS CREATING TENSION THROUGH SUSPENSEFUL BREAKS IN CONTINUITY?

As long as you know your track selection, you can have a great transition with your eyes closed…

A STRONG SET CAN BE TRULY BE MORE THAN THE SUM OF ITS PARTS. HOW, DO YOU FEEL, IS THE MUSIC TRANSFORMED IN THE HANDS OF A DJ? IN WHICH WAY ARE YOU ACTIVELY TRYING TO CREATE AN EXPERIENCE THAT IS MORE THAN JUST STRINGING TOGETHER A FEW EXCELLENT RECORDS?

Creativity and skills should be applied to applied to the stringing and make the crowd feel like they are hearing a record they never heard before...

DJS THAT JUST PRESS PLAY ON THEIR LAPTOP MAY HAVE GIVEN TECHNOLOGY A BAD NAME, BUT WITHOUT TECHNOLOGY, THERE'D BE NO DJING IN THE FIRST PLACE. WHAT'S YOUR PERSPECTIVE ON THE RELATIONSHIP AND THE BALANCE BETWEEN TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCES, MUSIC AND THE ART OF DJING? HOW HAVE PARTICULAR TECHNOLOGIES CHANGED YOUR STYLE OF DJING?

without these laptops, some dj’s wouldn’t exist at the moment so I believe sometimes you gotta start from the bottom to prepare yourself for better things and it’s not always about what you have but how you use it. They have given me a better experience to the dj world.

IN HOW MUCH, DO YOU FEEL, IS THE CLUB EXPERIENCE SHAPED BY CULTURAL DIFFERENCES? DO YOU, WHEN TRAVELLING, TAKE THESE CULTURAL DIFFERENCES INTO CONSIDERATION – AND IN HOW FAR HAS YOUR APPROACH AS A DJ PERHAPS EVEN BENEFITED FROM PLAYING IN DIFFERENT COUNTRIES AND IN FRONT OF DIFFERENT CROWDS? whether you are black or white, music is music and we all go to clubs to have fun…mmm I’ve never been outside the country (S.A) but I’ve played in different places around Limpopo so far and I’ve learned to trust that the music I play, makes people happy…some have come to me/promoters saying “this guy knows what he is doing, o tseba ditaba tsage”.

DOING IT MY WAY THE RELATIONSHIP WITH THE AUDIENCE IS CRUCIAL FOR A DJ, AND YET IT SEEMS TO BE A FRAGILE ONE.

HOW DO YOU SEE THE BALANCE BETWEEN GIVING THE CROWD WHAT THEY WANT AND TREATING THEM TO SOMETHING NEW?

Yhoo!! okay lemme say when you are dj, you have to lead the crowd and never let crowd lead you because it can mess up with your setup but sometime u have to listen to the crowd and connect with it…

FOR BOOKINGS: FACEBOOK: thabang t molkay EMAIL: thabangmastert@gmail.com CONTACTS: 084 468 4300 / 076 995 6741 SLOGAN: utlwa fela #mabose GENRE: house music AGE: 21 years BOOKING PRICE: R800 PER HOUR