Dance Taking over East Africa: GetMziki Sessions (DJ Zoom, DJ Ken, DJ Dru)
I have a confession to make to some of you guys. I feel like I have been cheating. Cheating on hiphop and my first love for months now. Honestly its not like I have a real affair really. Its just that my first love hasn’t been as promising as my current love. Real talk – the last few months I have been muzzled into DANCE music its ridiculous. And I am engrossed in it, I am not kidding its not like I just listen to once offs, or just one song and I am cool. I am seriously tuned in to stuff like David Guetta and other folks at Power 109 I feel like that type of shit just gets my blood jumping.
Dance is becoming (or has become) such a phenomenon that all hiphop tracks that hit gold tend to have version or two of a Dance variation. South Africa now brags some of the hottest Kwaito Dance tracks, in Kenya we have people like Just a Band that do a variation or two of Dance and stuff. Seriously I love dancing, I am not one of those guys that you go to a club and see standing by the wall looking all cool and trying to pint. I personally look for real clubs where people get down and grimmy. Lately with the birth of coupe de cale and other forms of music that Louis has exposed me to – I have been getting increasingly intrigued by whats being offered outside the fence.
In Kenya there is mass confusion with whats Dance, whats Techno, whats Rock or whats World music. To me the DJs tend to just mix it all up and call it what seems fit depending on the market value at the current time of their promotion. For years Kenyan DJs and promoters have pushed New Jack Swing as an old school event. Not really realizing that New Jack Swing as a genre is a very small window in the time capsule. That whole Teddy Riley era was the New Jack hustle – but you cant play for me Barry White or sijui Jomanda and tell me New Jack Swing. Carnie really pangad guys – or is it DJ Adrian and DJ Pinye who were responsible for the misinformation and misclassification of New Jack vs Old School vs Soul???
Either way I had to narrow down a top 5 DJ sets that I listen to over and over again. And considering we are in DJ month I figured I would share these sets with you guys. These are not Urban African Tracks by any accord and as such I cannot really validate why I am posting these mixes. However the DJs who compiled these sets are Kenyan and have been holding it down for a long time.
DJ Zoom is a veteran Dance/Rock/Techno DJ and a close friend of mine – currently based in Aussie representing Blackstar Aussie. Zoom has been consistent at dropping hits and mixes for years. I really wouldnt expect anything less from Zoom, I am just excited that he is back to making mixtapes and DJ sets even if its just for fun (Btw Zoom this is the BEST DANCE mix I have heard in a long time – real talk). DJ Ken (Kennedy Kariuki) is a newbie DJ – one of the few people who inspires me really. He has been consistent at hitting me up and making sure I listen to all his mixes and pay close attention to his details. However evidently I have lengad the other Genge Mixes he sent me – and I am posting the mix that I listen to DAILY from his compilations… Thanks for being patient with me/us. DJ Dru is part of GetMziki so it goes without saying he does mixes for us to challenge himself and to inspire other DJs who use GetMziki. The Dance Mix was really a mockery to get Zoom to start making mixes – it looks like it worked well he he he…
Listen to DJ Zooms August Confessions here: (My favorite ****)
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Listen to DJ Kens EA Dance Sessions here: (My third favotire ****)
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Listen to DJ Drus Dance Mixdown here: (My second favorite ****)
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ps. Notice how there are a few DROPs or little name dropping on these sets, maybe the hiphop DJs can learn something from Dance DJ’s // These guys just stuck to providing the music as is. Let the Music play on – Love it…
DJ Mista Dru – March Maddness Fix (GetMziki Exclusive Mix)
TOM – Uhuru Clothing & DJ Mista Dru – image courtesy of 2Kat Events
Dru (Andrew Siro) is like my brother from another mother – I think I look out for this cat more than many other of my own relatives. Dru was recently in the US to do a tour of shows but we cut his tour short due to many other complications from promoters and unsure investors. I wont get into the gory details here because I don’t wish to disrespect anyone – however I hope in future that all these Kenyan events in the US get streamlined one way or another with some professionalism.
I think the problem we have in the US is eveyrone thinks they can be a promoter, everyone thinks they can put the acronym DJ infront of their names and makes them a DJ… and every DJ or most DJs think they can be promoters – so the market right now has just gotten a little bit clustered with people who know what they are doing and people who dont know what they are doing.
None the less – Dru wanted to share his MARCH MADNESS mix as the few of us root for UCONNNNNNNNNN (Not sure how many of you watch NCAA but there is a RELATIVE OF MINES there called Hasheem Thabeet). Ukimuona mwambie namsaka…
Enjoy the mellow grooves here
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The HEAT is on – DJ Mista Dru // Thanksgiving Promo Mix
image courtesy of Straight Up Show – KTN Kenya
Traditionally for many Kenyans living in the US, Atlanta has always been that one place that they re-treat to when they need to catch up with old friends and family. This year is not any different, as part of the on going tradition, the event organizers will always bring DJs and artists from East Africa to usher in the events as approximately 5,000 Kenyans gather in this small town to celebrate Thanksgiving festivities (which is on Thursday 27th – but the parties are the whole weekend)
This year GetMziki worked closely with 2Kat Entertainment to put together a package that we felt would be different, would be interesting, competitive, and for most part TIGHT. Although we don’t use this website to push “events as such”, we try as much as we can to stay neutral (as you’ll notice a lot of other DJ mixes being published and pushed here – KMadness, DJ KillBill, DJ Slim).
However DJ Dru who has flown from Kenya and has been touring, is currently in Seattle this weekend. Dru who will be at the Truly 2Kat Thanksgiving Extravaganza has been working on DJ mixes from his hotel room just to feed the people. So we decided not to hold onto these sets any longer and we will share them… for more information visit: www.trulythanksgiving.com
listen to the New Dru Thanksgiving Promo here:
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DJ Mista Dru – Local Motives
Some 2008 Local Motive from DJ Mista Dru, his US tour is slated to be one of the few interesting Kenyan DJ tours. Most Kenyan DJs come to the US on tour and do the same thing thats being done over and over again. Meaning one event will have like 15 DJs so you never really get to enjoy the headlining act. Hell I cant remember when was the last time I saw a DJ from Kenya play for more than two hours.
So the Dru Tour is something we have been working on for a while and we hope that the experience will be worth all the hype – For now Enjoy some of his DJ Mixxes made specifically for GetMziki
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