Spinning wars

As the Mfalme deejay competition threatens to go as flat as a beer left out in the hot sun, the turntable game continues with its musical, writes STEVENS MUENDOKicking off on a sluggish note this time and reigned by uncertainty, the future of Kenya’s biggest deejaying competition Pilsner Mfalme Competition stutters on.DJ Krowbar.Even after commencement dates were rescheduled and pushed to July when the competition kicked off at Rezorus, before moving to Spree (Eldoret), Club Rio (Mombasa), Three Steers (Meru), Wizards (Machakos) and Twitter Sport (Nakuru) among others, the hype and swagger that previously accompanied Pilsner Mfalme competitions is glaringly absent. In fact, only a few showbiz fans have been following the weekly town-to-town gigs, some of which are hosted in little known joints with no credibility like the image of the competition.Dubbed The King Moves the Crowd, Pilsner Mfalme III was themed around a concept that aims at providing a compelling and engaging experience to consumers, while developing deejaying talent and positioning it (deejaying) as a worthwhile career choice. The competition aims at reaching 1,000 deejays countywide out of which six will battle it out for the coveted title of Pilsner Mfalme. The winner of the competition will also walk away with a brand new souped up van and deejay equipment valued at Sh2.6 million.The concept is not convincing as the process through which Kenya’s next big deejay will be selected is not fair enough.As witnessed, the showbiz career-landing pad has a twist on the tail. Professionalism and critic judging has been replaced with a sales (consumer) driven idea where not the best, but the competitor, who can garner most followers to shout the sound meter level higher, carries the day. So the guy with more "friends" wins, at the expense of one who could have immense talent.Gone glamourDJ Kamjo.After attending a number of the town-to-town auditions and seeing the dismal crowd participating in this selection (compared to previous years), it would be hypocritical for one to pamper this spinning competition with praises and in this, neither the organisers nor the reputable deejay units Code Red DJs and MOB Deejays can thump their chest about. Something must be done urgently to safeguard the image of the noble idea."Honestly, I don’t see how the competition is helping to expose up-coming deejays as claimed," says deejay Hassan of Homeboyz, who runs the show Homegrown on KBC TV."When you ask consumers to shout loud for the deejay they like, you may not necessarily get the best, but the one who merely selects music, which resonates with that very crowd. Besides, competitors who have cash can import crowds to shout and help them win the Sh2.6 million," adds Hassan who is also an affiliate of Homeboyz deejaying unit."The process can hardly get you a real club deejay but rather, a sort of scratch-juggling emcee," he notes.Even after winning last year’s edition, DJ Nelly is still hustling to get his career to stabilise, posing more questions whether the competition is of help, even to the eventual winner.After all that crowning glamour and attendant glee, Nelly, who had to relocate from Mombasa to Nairobi, said he was finding it hard to get a sponsor for a show he started at Homeboyz Radio. "I am not working for Homeboyz per se. I just hustled for a show as an independent deejay not as a Homeboyz Deejay and I’m looking for sponsors to support the show," the soft-spoken deejay told a gossip columnist. His predecessor deejay Krowbar formerly of Kubamba Krew had to scale his way up the hard way before cutting his niche in a rather crowded industry.The clamour for deejaying in urban Kenya is at its highest pitch ever as the once despised profession becomes one of the best paying jobs in the showbiz industry.DJ Hassan. Phenomenally, pulsers are ditching traditionally reputed careers as they join deejaying academies. Some are even known to quit their jobs and follow this ‘calling’. To them, the craze is viewed as cool and one that pays well, not the dirty nightclub hustle it once used to be.Cashing on the windfall, kids from well to do families are now joining the fray as aging pioneers give way to techno savvy-young chaps, who are now leading this deejaying revolution.going soloIt is no longer deejay outfits on the frontline as it was the case three years ago. The big cash is now tilting towards individual deejay now ruling TV and radio shows, showbiz corporate gigs, church crusades as well private functions. Fallouts in top deejay units have become commonplace as established individuals, who happen to be the main attractions in such outfits break-away to start solo deejaying careers, which are more rewarding.Though it seems to have been kept under wraps, a few months ago, top deejay affiliated to MOB quit the stable for solo career, a move one of the outfit’s directors DJ Space downplayed. "When someone feels that they need more space to grow, we can’t stop them from moving. Like any other deejaying outfit, amateur deejays join us to learn deejaying skills and when they feel that its it time to move, they do that at their own peril," Space told Pulse.However, it is his rumoured differences with celebrated MOB member DJ Nijo that raised eyebrows. Nijo, a founder MOB member together with Gordo have now established themselves as solo deejays with Nijo’s Untamed Party being rated as one of the best monthly gigs in Nairobi.Likewise, deejay Wesley left Homeboyz where he had been running the H2O show as well as major corporate gigs."When you are working for a deejaying outfit, there comes a time when you become a brand and start experiencing conflicts with the brand you are working for. That is why I had to go solo," remarks Wesley, who is also the head of music production at One FM."Going solo helps one establish their own brand. It is a good thing if you do it at the right time," he adds.Wesley notes that deejaying has become trendy among the young people due to the technological advancement attached to it, saying the business now pays."Young people like music and everything associated with it and most of them venture into deejaying to fulfil that urge," Wesley quips.Another celebrated young deejay, Kaytrixx, also left the Code Red stable last year and now runs his own gigs. During an interview with Pulse, the versatile deejay, who is popular for the KTN’s Str8 Up show blamed the Code Red alleging they had been underpaying him.Big GigsKaytrixx joins a group of young fresh deejays who are dislodging the veterans. Among them are Kay D, Joe, Hassan, Kamjo, Enruff, Saddiq and Mr T. Deejay Joe was recently voted the best Media Deejay in Kenya. The hitherto little-known Capital FM mix master shocked many after he brought the roof down in South Africa where he hosted the Big Brother show two months ago. "I have been hosting concerts all over East Africa as well as in Nigeria and Ethiopia. I am looking forward to going international and that is why I have been marketing myself through Youtube. The rates for a gig ranges from Sh25,000 to Sh200,000 depending on the nature of the assignment," says deejay Hassan.He adds: "I do advertisement jiggles for radio as well as street mixes. Technology has made things easy for deejays, as all you need is a laptop, a VIC and a video serato software to do video mixes. The software is affordable to most people." Kamjo, who does weddings, private and corporate gigs as a stand alone deejay reasons that deejay units only benefits the bosses and not the deejays who work for them.On a regular weekend, he notes, a popular deejay can make up to Sh200, 000 from gigs. He gives Kaytrixx as an example saying the much he earns as a solo entrepreneur since he left Code Red is, by far, more. "Units can only use you to make money for themselves. They don’t pay much; neither do they give you a chance to be seen as a brand as it is all about their achievement. An individual deejay can make Sh150,000 per gig," notes Kamjo."Once a deejay builds his own identity and establishes themselves as a brand, they can use this to their advantage in instances where they are required to pitch for deals. Going solo is the way forward," he affirms.

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