Zimbabwemetro.com had the opportunity to get in touch with one of the young promising DJs who is breaking up the ranks and rising meteorically to stardom in the music industry. He is known by many as DJ Bronx he has displayed the quality and acumen that is needed in the music industry by his well articulated and well thought “mixes.” He is now based in Holland where he is pursuing his career at the highest level.

Real Name……..Brian
Location…………Netherlands
Occupation………Full time Dj/Remixer/Mastering

1. Please give us a background of how you started and how you have managed to keep it intact?
I was born in April in the land of Music – Africa and was set ablaze by the tempo of the music which l used to listen to when l was a kid which comprised of Jazz and old school house taken from my father`s collection . The vibe and the tempo of two different genres was the impetus for my experiment at a tender age of 13. The passion l got for music grew inside me and in 1999 l decided to take it to the next level which was then to become a professional disc Jockey, I played my first ever gig at the famous Alkatraz night club at a Sprite DJ competition. I then attended a UK Redbull Music Academy which is an international recognised academy and has branches in most parts of the world. I was awarded a scholarship as one of the top students at the academy which made me to pursue both my studies and my career abroad.

2. What is very first thing which you don’t have to miss when you want to be a successful DJ
Ok Identity is the very important thing, who you are and your style, you really need to be different from everyone else and don’t copy anyone if you want to make a name for yourself you really need to be creative and innovative at the same time. Adapting to changes and making sure you keep abreast of all the new songs and new releases so that you might be able to make the crowd have a good time because certainly people need to enjoy themselves out there when they go out and the responsibility is with the DJ to deliver. A DJ who has earned his/her name in the industry is known by his own trademark, e.g. Black Coffee, Culoe De Song, before one can even see who is playing you should be able to tell from the style .

3. What kind of problems have you encountered in conjunction with your rise to fame?
I have had many problems in getting where I am today and trust me it’s a tough industry and once you want to take it professionally you need to be very strong mentally and have great support alongside you. The first challenge i encountered was convincing my parents that i was intending to be a DJ, and trust me no parent wants to take their kid to school only to hear him say he wants to be a DJ just from nowhere. Every parent wants to hear his kid talk about being a Doctor, Accountant or even Marketer or something and not a DJ. I even remember being sent to my uncle for him to talk to me because they believed I was being crazy, but luckily I explained what I wanted to do and how I was planning to achieve it and he ended up being the one explaining to my parents, even though they were sceptical about it but they gave me a go-ahead.
Secondly I had hardships in getting a place where I would be a resident DJ as a starter it took me like a year just to be given a chance not even a slot, l was more like the guy who comes in if one of the DJ’s is having a gig out of town or when he was sick, so you can imagine you just have to be coming to the clubs every day even during off days so that they see that you really want to be part of the team, but I got it going after some time.
And lastly once I was in the industry you know there are guys who have been in there for years but as a new guy you know you can do better but you just can’t get in there and show it you have to be connected honestly guys the music industry is so complicated it’s not simple as it looks but wit time you earn your identity, respect and people know who you are together with some other Producers so you get more invites. They say sometimes you have to start afresh in order for you to fly again and that is exactly what I did when I moved to Holland,

4. We understand you are located in Holland wouldn’t it be better if you were located in South Africa considering that the market for House music is very good there? And please what are the advantages and limitations for being located in Holland?

South Africa is where every great Producer and DJ wants to be, and trust me l have been all over but the only place on earth were Deep House and Soulful are appreciated the most is South Africa, talk to any Producer from the likes of Manno, Rocco, Ralf Gum, Boddhi Satva, the list is endless but for me the biggest move I made was relocating to Holland because I can say it’s the heart of entertainment in the world and that’s were I told myself it’s my responsibility to spread the word and love of Deep House and Afro because they have so many followers of Funky, Hard Soul, Minimal, Deep Techno, Hardcore and Techno but very few people know and acknowledge Deep house and Afro. I like the challenge because it was not easy getting to set my foot in it, but now I can play in a festival were the line-up is all funky and hard dance house but still stick to my identity and now people know me for it.
As for the advantages Holland hosts the world`s wonderful Amsterdam Dance Event amongst other events were all the big Producers get to be in one city all at the same time. The other advantage is that once u set your foot in Holland you are assured and guaranteed you will be in the industry for a long time but however you can’t make it if you don’t have quality in your finger tips because in all corners you will be surrounded by producers and established DJ’s.
The one and main limitation is exposure and getting good agents to market your work out there but again it’s all about quality once you don’t have quality you can’t stay in the industry for long because in Holland all guys in the industry are all on point and in all the time. Competition is another limiting for a lot of people is this industry because I realised that the some DJs and Producers in Holland are playing the other types of music are big fans and lovers of Deep house but the fact that there is too much competition for hard fast House music that’s why they opt to play other staff.

5. Where do you usually perform the most, domestic or international and which market would you consider the best?
I am more into International performances though I appreciate domestic the most because people back home are the ones who made me who I am today and for that I owe them a lot. As for places I have travelled for business they involve the likes of Belgium, Spain, Denmark, Italy, Norway, and Germany going east as well Singapore, Malaysia, Japan and China. prefer Belgium and Spain in the in my international portfolio because they just love the crowds, very outgoing, flexible, so responsive and they love as well as appreciate Deep House and Afro-Beat they are into anything that has rhythm and nice beats and the scene is very live..

6. Considering the situation in Africa both Political and Economical do you think it limits your abilities to show the world what you (group) are made of?
I am into spreading the love of Deep House And Afro so to me any place is not a problem to perform i have performed in places where people do not know about Deep house but at a certain point they get into the rhythm because i believe there is no genre in the world that comes with a smooth and seductive sound like Deep house I can put all my investments on it. However truth be told it would be very better if things were better back home especially the political situation at the moment is the binding factor for success and also it mitigates the rate at which our economy should be growing.

7. Who inspires you?
My greatest inspiration is Boddhi Satva an amazing AFRO DEEP house producer based in Belgium, he is in the middle of it all and he has it all be it promotion and helping out all the people who love and wish to grow in the industry, which is what I am trying to achieve as well, It has never been about the money or the fame but about the love of the genre, I am willing to even play for a small amount of money if the people want me somewhere but having a tight budget yes I need money to survive but if it’s not there I would not be so selfish in a way that I will end up sitting on my music than to play for a small fee.

8. What motivates you to continue considering the competition in the music industry in your generation?
Its exciting as well as scary when you in the industry because you face a lot of competition of which my main target is to come out top and what motivates me the most is my identity, I am happy with the responses of the clubs and festivals I attend which means they like what I do and how I do it, which is more like pushing me to be better each and every time. Basically both negative and positive comments from the fans and the Producers are what keeps me on the run and with that I really take feedback into maximum consideration because they mean a lot to me.

9. Lastly where do you see yourself in the next few years to come? Do you think you will be able to survive the competition?
Honestly it’s a very tough and competitive industry considering that very great producers and DJ’s are found each and every day, but I will have my mark as well in it all with experience and my style, that is what keeps everyone in the game so one way or the other I will need to change a few things so as to cope up and survive the competition.

10. Thank you so much DJ Bronx we wish you all the best with your career, what would you want to say to all your fans out there all over the world?
All I can say to my friends and fans out there is that lets support the industry in any way possible and I greatly appreciate the support I am getting from everyone out there. It is my promise to you that I will payback with better quality each and every time the reason being that without quality I cannot impress you. It is however my responsibility again to keep DEEP AFRO alive and I will do that as long as I am alive…… (From DJ Bronx in my own words)

Here are the links to the booking agencies:
djbronxbookings@gmail.com
deepbookings202@gmail.com
afrodeep@gmail.com
afroagency@gmail.com

Here are the links to Bronx`s music and radio station links:
www.myspace.com/bronxvandeepsoulful
www.danceuk.fm
www.soundcloud.com/bronxdj
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