EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: A Chat With Grammy Award Winning Producer Brian Soko.

By Byaruhanga Felix (@TheNinjaFelix)

When it comes to movies/the silver screen, youths on the continent have people like Lupita Nyong'O, Trevor Noah and in sports there's people like Stephen Kiprotich the Olympic golden medal winner but when it comes to music (hip-hop/RnB) there's people like Brian Soko, these are people whose success stories will make you to continue holding on to your dream till you've an Oscar or Grammy like Brian Soko sitting somewhere in your crib.Brian is a 24 year old from Zimbabwe whom after 8 years of production and almost  after making 1500+ beats, his hustle has started making sense like the way he puts though to some of us with his Grammy he seems to have gotten it all.

In case you're hearing/reading the name "Brian Soko" for the first time, thank me later after reading the interview below. Brian & his team (The Order) are responsible for some dopest music that you might be vibing to on your playlist like Beyoncé's Drunk in love, Lil  Wayne's No Worries, 100 Favours , Rich Gang's Tap Out, Tyga‘s Show You and back here on the continent production on Caspper Nyovets' Phumakin, K.O's mission statement, Dj Vigilante's Sgelekeqe and Chad da Don's EFT are all credited to Brian Soko.
I managed to chop it up with the Tampa, Florida based producer and we discussed a couple of topics like the challenges in the music business, how he stays motivated (hungry) even after achieving all those awards, how his company   "Anashe Media Group" handles music business on the continent among other things as you can read below.

Thanks a lot for doing this. First who is Brian Soko before the music and how did you start out in the music business?

My name is Brian Soko, I am a Grammy award winning music producer from Zimbabwe. I got into music by rapping at a young age and one day I experimented with making beat and never looked back from that.

Is there any point in your music journey where you felt giving up or switching careers because we all know this business is tricky and sometimes it's hard to earn a living off it?

At no point in my career have I even entertained the thought of quitting, i have invested too much time and hard work into my music to switch to any other career. Even if I had to do something else for money I would still be making music, I did not get paid for the first five years of my career so that's nothing new to me.

There are a lot of challenges in the in the music business and as you shift from one level to the other there's a lot of change in the process. How do you deal with all these challenges and the change?

My team, The Order and my family help me to deal with the various difficulties that come with industry. Mostly when things aren't going my way I try to focus on the music and I believe your are always one hit away from the top of the world.

There's a lot of awards to your name and the entire team (It's the Order) you work with, are you at a level you want to be? Are you still hungry like the day you started out on your music journey?

The Order definitely is still hungry, we keep each other motivated and on our toes all the time. We want to be the best and to have longevity in this industry.

Do you have any special techniques that make a "Brian Soko" beat different from others? Briefly how is a Brian Soko studio session?

I like to think my studio sessions are fun and energetic. I don't think I am  the right person to answer what makes my music different. I think maybe an artist would answer that better but generally my music focuses on the energy more than the emotion.

You've ventured into management with your company "ANASHE Media Group" while you are a part of "The Order". Tell us briefly about these two ventures and how they all fall in line to contribute to your growth?

‘The Order Music’ is my company with my partners Rasool and Dre, we are all producers and focus on the US music market, we’ve been together since 2009, have over 10million albums sold and of course we won a 3 Grammys together for our work with Beyonce. We just opened our own studio in North Hollywood and this represents a new chapter in expanding our brand in the US and making more hit records with the biggest artists in the world.

Anashe Media Group is a company I started in 2013 to capture opportunities in the African music markets. Anashe focuses on management and marketing of primarily producers and allows me to work with artists from across Africa, so far we do work in South Africa, Nigeria, Zimbabwe (where I am from) and hopefully soon Kenya and Angola. Anashe allows me to introduce talented producers to the US music industry.

You've experienced both the African music market and the west (United states) which offer different opportunities. Are there any differences that you fill need to be exploited or gaps that need to be filled in both markets?

In the U.S. I try to add an African element to my music as its very different from them and is considered "Exotic", when I work in Africa I try to take my experience from the States and incorporate some of the structure and methods in making music.  I try to get the songs I do in Africa mixed and mastered in the states and also incorporate some of the marketing schemes I see major labels using in America. In Africa I think we need to improve how we track and pay music royalties to our artists and producers.

What's next for you and your team in relation to taking over the African continent? Are you crossing over to the East & Western part of Africa anytime soon?

I have just released a single in South Africa called "EFT" with my friend Chad. The video recently dropped on Channel O, MTV Base & Trace TV. I have other songs featuring myself coming out this year in that market. I have been working towards crossing over into the East and West African music market soon and I'm sure you will be hearing music from me in that market in early 2016. "If you want to check out "EFT" check out www.IJustGotAnEFT.com"

Any last words for an upcoming producer or rapper reading this interview who also wants to have a Grammy on his/her trophy cabinet?

Work hard, find some like minded people and team up so you can keep each other improving. Also focus on the music and progress and not on the money, the money will come eventually if you work hard and put your music first.

Connect with Brian Soko;
Twitter: @beatsbySoko
Instagram: @Beatsbysoko

Contact writer;
Facebook: Byaruhanga Felix FeliFed
Twitter: @TheNinjaFelix

Email: theninjafelix@gmail.com

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DOWNLOAD: GBESILE - NAVIO x BURNA BOY

DOWNLOAD: GBESILE - NAVIO x  BURNA BOY

By Byaruhanga Felix (@TheNinjaFelix)

The East & West merge forces once again. Navio has been on a mini-tour accompanied with a stretch media/press interviews recently in Naija. With this song we get to see one of his tireless efforts and what he has been to up in Lasgidi. The "God" from the East joins his powers with The "Don Gorgon" Burna Boy on an Aethan beat to deliver what I would refer to a "crossover of cultures" through their lyrics.

On Gbesile Aethan the producer, tries to join two different genres (hip-hop and afrobeat) to cater for both Navio fans & BurnaBoy fans without compromising any of the artists' genre while still making it a heavy energetic track that the continent will vibe to. Gbesile is off Navio's upcoming album titled POWER and it has visuals that may be dropping soon. Let us know what you think about the song in our comment section and also tweet Navio, @Naviomusic about your views of this collaboration.

DOWNLOAD: GBESILE - NAVIO x  BURNA BOY

Connect With NAVIO

Facebook: NAVIO

Twitter: @NavioMusic

Instagram: @NavioMusic

YouTube: NavioVideos

Contact writer;

Facebook: Byaruhanga Felix FeliFed

Twitter: @TheNinjaFelix

Email: theninjafelix@gmail.com

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INTERVIEW: A CHAT WITH DJ CIZA.

By Byaruhanga Felix (@TheNinjaFelix)
You might know him from Radio City, Iguana,Sky Lounge or may be from your timeline you've seen  mention "DJ Ciza". If not, don't worry I got you covered. DJ Ciza is a resident deejay at Radio City FM among other things but ahead of his #CizaBBQHouseParty at Terracota, I had a chat with him about deejaying in a music market like Uganda's, one calling himself a hip-hop deejay and he also shared his thoughts on whether UG corporate companies are willing to spend "bullions" of shillings on Ugandan deejays like the way we've seen Ciroc do in South Africa among other things. 

QN: Who is DJ Ciza away from the decks & at what point did you decide to take on deejaying professionally?

Unfortunately I wouldn’t find the fewest words to sum it up, but am hoping the reader has a description for me after this interview! Let me try J 

Dj Ciza (Born Mwalye Seth) will still wake up to cue a couple of tracks before the day starts, still love me my music (of course,) I love me good Tech, shows and business in many forms – call it making money. I wouldn’t say I initially took deejaying serious up until it had the full liberty (when I joined University) to pursue it with the promise to my folks that I’d finish my degree. Haha! Five pro years down the road, it’s been lots of good times!

QN: What do you usually start with when preparing for a set?

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

Starting out a set, I gotta make sure that first song gets your attention, could be a highly relatable classic, a vocal intro or hell that official Dj Ciza intro. There onwards depending on what set of the night am playing (starter, a hip set or an outro set) every song in there will be there for a reason. I will have listened (I sing along to, at the least 8 bars of every track that makes it to my set, its a lot I know), cued up and track-labeled that JAM. This also varies between a radio gig, bar or concert performance. 

QN: Thanks to developments in the software world, DJing has moved closer together than ever before, allowing DJs to change a track easily. How do you make use of these possibilities in your sets and is there a benefit?

The biggest tech benefit for me is how long it takes to prepare a set, besides hitting you from any angle! The older Djs had to carry actual vinyl crates, remember CD bags? All this has been eased up into one digital library, easily accessible by far – more so, what excuse would one have for not prepping?

QN: 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?

I for one envision my every set in its entirety as a package or a story before I deliver; it wouldn’t be wise to dumps lots of fresh beats in one go. It wouldn’t be wise either to keep a static set. I look for new music to lace my sets with every 3 nights a week. My goal is to make sure you here something new within that three hours set every week, a 20 minutes radio set begs to differ though – In Ciza’s world, 20 minutes can all be fresh and lit!

QN: We've seen DJs that just press play on their laptop and in the process they have given technology a bad name. 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? 

Lets take an example; two gardeners go to the garden to work. One shows with just her hoe. The other shows with a hoe, a rake and probably a spade. The hoe is a necessity – the laptop, the rake and spade are extra tools – a mixer and a pair of decks, turntables or a proper sized controller (my colleague Aludah still calls them toys) Who’s performance would you look forward to? Start off with a laptop (I Did) because well, this Uganda of ours but let’s see progress to that first mixer, controller or just that one deck because the gardener whose style stands out is the one with a rake and a spade. Hardware has a huge role to play in what kind of DJ one is.

QN: Coming up as a DJ in this industry, one of the most difficult things is being relevant and getting people to vibe to your mixes, because anyone can make a mix & upload on sound cloud. How have you managed to get people's attention & remained relevant from the moment you started until today?

Consistency is key, two aspects not left out – The Library (Collection) and Skills (Scratching, Juggling or Drops) among others. Am blessed to host 2 weekly shows on Radiocity 97FM (Where The Fun Is), am also on rotation with a fresh package every other week at Iguana & Sky Lounge (both in Kisementi) as well as Legends Kampala. Now, I believe an actual DJ’s work isn’t on the nights he plays, it’s the other days he’s off the decks listening, prepping, cueing, sorting and forth.

DJ Mixes are extremely helpful as the entire world can find your collection at one point – the mix has got to be good to sell/market itself, like a record – that said, check out my mixes at www.soundcloud.com/thedjciza. I live to Deejay another day.

QN: As a Deejay who is in the industry do you think one labeling him/herself labeling themselves as a "Hip-Hop DJ" would limit their reach especially in a music market like Uganda's?!
I believe it would but I also believe the potential for growth is extreme for example we have the biggest number of 15 Year olds in the world, that’s quite a market! On the other hand, if one brands them a Hip-Hop Dj, then they execute to their best, perfect example is SNMS’s Mister Deejay – Stand Out At It. You’ll also possibly find music from every imaginable genre in my database, am of the view its advantageous to cover a good demographic well.

QN: We've seen Deejays develop their brands, headline events like yours that's happening on 21.Nov, do you think the Ugandan corporates/companies will crossover & use their brands for example in S.A where DJ Dimplez is a Ciroc ambassador, do you see such endorsements for DJs in UG anytime soon?
With corporate cross overs, there’s evidence this has started happening, look DJ headlined events at the beach every weekend, the just concluded Kings Of Turntables, The Mixtape Party and Radiocity’s powered upcoming #CizaBBQHouseParty, the 21^st. Nov at Terracotta. Trust me, the fraternity of UG DJs is also putting in work to make sure Ambassador Endorsements follow through.

QN: As Deejay means you get to work/interact with different artists & as we know sometimes it can be hard due to their big egos. How do you deal with such & any other challenges in the industry?

Yes, we do! The Djs work is to find the good music and give it to the people, as an artist, make good music and we will find that single. They, whoever need to build email databases, avoid handing us flash drives while we are on set, label their tracks – at least artist & title fields plus finally:
Dear Artists: Whatsapp compromises audio quality and Dj Ciza will not move unlabeled track “WA0000201514320” into his library, thank you.

QN: Please recommend two DJs to our readers, whom you feel deserve their attention.

Two lads: ThaDropOut & Dj SlaughterElly

Connect with DJ Ciza
Facebook: DJ Ciza
Twitter:  @DJCiza
Soundcloud: www.soundcloud.com/thedjciza

Contact writer;
Facebook: Byaruhanga Felix FeliFed
Twitter: @TheNinjaFelix
Email: theninjafelix@gmail.com

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Bonga Nange - St. Nellysade x Agee [Download]

Download Bonga Nange - St. Nellysade x Agee

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