By Tshepo Mojela
Early in January 2022, the people of Zone 6 in Voyntin were ushered into the new year by beautiful soul and R&B music at the capable hands of Walman based DJ, Thabang Masenya, Thabi or Mr Cool to those who know him well. We managed to catch an interview on one of his busiest days on set at a New Year’s even at Nathi’s Park, just to get to know the man behind the music.
What inspired you to get into music?
My love for soul and R&B was inspired by my dad and my brother, and I grew up listening to the type of music they played. I was groomed into this kind of music and at this point, it’s my life, I love soul and R&B.
How did you start playing music?
I started around 2018 and I started simple. It wasn’t a matter of saying now I want to start djing or anything like that, but it was just a natural transition where people generally enjoyed and recognised the kind of music I played, so I naturally started to play more for people. So, this is how I started getting invited to play at different gigs for playing this specific type of genre of soul and R&B.
Why soul and R&B?
I specialise in soul and R&B, and that’s not to say I don’t like other genres or anything like that, in fact I listen to all music, I just chose soul and R&B as my specialty. The other reason why I chose this genre was, I realised that it’s not many people who play this genre here in Zone 6, so I felt that this is a gap in the market, and I wanted to fill that gap. There are others that I know of the likes of Manku and Tebogo Leboda who also focus on this genre of soul and R&B. So, because people in Zone 6 are more used to house music, I feel like they haven’t been given a chance to explore more into soul and R&B.
How has your music been received so far from the public?
I must say, most of the time, where I play, people connect with my music selection, and these are usually people who typically enjoy soul and R&B. I realised that this was needed in Zone 6, whereby on a Sunday you’re more relaxed and just want to chill, so you cannot listen to house music on a day like that. People are tired, since Friday house music is being played everywhere, and continues on Saturday as well. So, on Sunday, people generally want to wind down in a relaxed mood and have their lunch while listening to smooth and soulful sounds of jazz, gospel, soul and R&B, so that they can feel fresh and ready to face the coming week.
How has COVID affected your work?
In the past year of 2021, it was a little bit challenging playing at gigs because of the different COVID level restrictions, but things got a little better when the country moved to level 2 and 1, which enabled myself and Peace Manku to play at different places. So, I’ve been playing at a lot more gigs nowadays.
How has been the reception from promoters and event organisers?
Promoters and event organisers do recognise the type of music I play and the vibe I bring to their events. In Zone 6 particularly, myself and Peace Manku are the main djs playing this kind of music. For example, for soul sessions I would play along with Peace Manku, just the two of us, I don’t know about other soul djs because we haven’t been exposed to them yet, and if they are there, we should all come together and so that Zone 6 area can know that there are soul and R&B DJs in this area, and so that we can play together and share music.
Do you get paid for your services?
There’s a challenge, especially here in Zone 6 where I feel like event organisers don’t really consider DJs properly when they plan out their events. I feel like the organisers must start to truly involve DJs/artists and consult to say “look, I want to host this or that type of event” for an example. In that way everyone is on the same page, and DJs are paid their deposit ahead of time. Even though we’re still starting, we need to do better as role players to make this service more professional so that everyone feels appreciated and we all have successful event. So, in summary, you cannot play for free because the work that we do is indeed classified as work.
What are your plans and wishes for 2022?
For now, music is what I do full time, in addition to doing other small projects that generate an income for me and my family. My wish for 2022 on this music journey is: let us grow, as people musically, we need to grow and allow ourselves to enjoy different kinds of music and not just stick to one type of music. You cannot play the same thing each and every day, because otherwise people will just see how predictable you are in your selection, and they will eventually outgrow you. So, we need to grow as a DJs and experience more music that people can learn to enjoy. I think the other thing is that we tend to listen to one track out of an album, whereas there could be nicer songs in that album that are yet to be discovered. So, the work of the DJ is to explore and experiment by listening to a wide variety of songs in a chosen genre.
Do you play anywhere else, or you’re locally based?
I’m definitely looking to grow and if people enjoy my music and would like to book me, I can travel anywhere in the country, it’s a sign of growth and I’m more than willing to explore that.
Where can people find you if they want to book you?
On socials I’m on Facebook as Thabang Clifford Masenya, and my number is 072 071 3694. On Instagram I’m Thabang1171. At the moment I’m not on TikTok.
