Pre Grietfest 2014 Interview || Muzi

Muzi Chats About Chats About Chasing Dreams

When he was thirteen Muzi started making tunes on his brother’s crappy old PC with 128meg of RAM, using software like EJay, Reason 1, or Cubase 1, which his brother’s friends had installed on the machine. He would spend days sitting in his yard in Empangeni, trying to make beats that sounded exactly as they did in his head. He knew what that shit should sound like. The trick was getting it into reality; making it manifest in the ether. Muzi grew up in this township, where kids either played basketball, netball, soccer, or stayed at home. Rolling through all of this was Muzi on a skateboard, at a time when no-one skated in the townships, and making an early form of the music he makes now in his room. He was an outcast from the get-go. Spin the dial forwards a decade and most kids in the township have skateboards, swag, trying hard to do their own thing, make their own music. They’ve caught up. But Muzi has moved on.

How are you doing today and how has winter been treating you?

- Firstly, thank you guys for the interview. It means a lot to me.

I'm okay. Trying to do this routine thing, woke up late, again LOL. Will get there soon though. Winter has been hella cold but I survived.

•      To start of can you tell us a little about who you are on a non musical front?

- 23 year old from Empangeni. An avid reader. I like to think I'm funny. I'm a drop out like Kanye West LOL . Im an introvert. Just a normal dude trying to make something out of himself.

•      You’ve specialized in a sound that combines the rolling bass of trap, electronic and bass music which is something not on offer by many local producers. How has your sound been received to crowds you’ve played locally?

- I wont lie, the reception has been hella awesome. I play all my own bootlegs, remixes and original tracks, so its always a risk because people dont know my shit as yet but they be vibing to it and I think thats dope. I didnt even know what to expect really, I was just doing what felt natural to me.

•      You’re currently located in Johannesburg, which is a heavily fragmented city in terms of electronic genres. What would you say makes Johannesburg different from other cities in South Africa in terms of the musical palette and diversity here?

- Johannesburg is that type of place where you could have an idea in the morning and see it in fruition by evening. Most of the head offices are here, the record labels, the tv shows, the media outlets etc so thats dope and thats something a musician can take advantage of.

The diversity is there but one needs to find the different music movements that are happening. Theres mainly a rock and urban crowd but then when festivals like Grietfest come through, you see 5000 people packed for some electronica so people here are open to new things.

•      Your remix of Cassper Nyovest’s Doc Shebeleza is absolutely mental, what has the reception been like?

- Aweh y'all have heard that shit ? Dope! Thank you. We approaching 7000 total plays on my soundcloud and like 2000 downloads. That is big to me because it doesnt reflect the number of followers i have, I should be averaging like 500 plays LOL. Cool thing about a track like that is people know the original, so when I play it out, it always works because they can identify with it instantly. Funny thing is, I dont think Cassper has heard it though LMFAO

•      With everyone being connected to the internet and being exposed to new genres and artists especially in electronic music lately, do you see crowds here that would normally opt for traditional hip hop, deep and urban house genres becoming more open minded and adventurous in their choices these days?

- Yeah. That is happening as we speak. I think people just want good music now, no matter what the genre is.

•      This year you’re playing Grietfest which is something of a unique event, catering to genres that don’t often get to be paired with production, stages and lighting of the scale we’ve come to expect from the Grietfest brand. How would you describe Grietfest to someone coming through for their first time in 2014?

- Its where people come together to celebrate their common love for everything electronica. I wouldnt advise them to listen to any music the day before. Save your eardrums, there'll be enough bass for you at Grietfest LOL. I love that people of all races are there too, and it has an awesome vibe man, multiple stages to cater to all your electronica needs. Tell them to check out for this kid named Muzi, i hear he is hella dope too LOL.

•      What is the one thing about Grietfest that stands out for you?

- The out-of-the-box line ups. The International acts they bring are actually credible acts and I like that. People at Grietfest know what they're doing.

•      Do you have a crazy Grietfest story to share?

- I dont have crazy stories because i dont turn up much LOL. Grietfest 2013, I was able to get the floor almost fully packed. I was nervous as hell but I was able to pull that off. Will never forget that :)

•      Which local DJs inspire you and why?

- Haezer and Niskerone. Those dudes leave the dj booth and go vibe with the crowd. I think that is fuckin amazing and fearless. I've done that before, but I want to do it a lot more now after seeing them. Das Kapital, Sibot, Christan Tiger School and Dj NightVision are also dope as fuck.

•      Which international artists are you most looking forward to sharing the stage with at this year’s event?

- Far Too Loud !!!

•      If you had to the opportunity of playing to a genre-neutral crowd without fear of judgment or being booed off the decks, what are some of the songs you’d jump at playing that you’ve always been afraid of trying out?

- My whole set is things I'm afraid to play out hahahah but I always take that risk. Thats the thing that makes djing fun for me, the fact that i can make something a day before, play it the day after, and hope the crowd loves it.

•      What are some of the tracks in you record box that never fail to get the crowd going?

- Uproar, Bundu FX, Riky Rick - Amantombazane ft. OkMalumKoolkat (Muzi Remix) and my Macarena edit. It goes off!!!

Thank you so much for doing this interview .We hope to catch up with you soon at Grietfest

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