Music
M
Shane Makanjera
any people who have been commuting around the capital may surely have heard the husky voice that is normally buttressed by the continuous Shona slang “Usadaroooooo” or a cowlike bellowing, and wondered what has become of local radio. Dj Smylie has been slaving to make sure that he has the most popular weekend shows on Power fm. And it has paid off. The Power FM vinyl spinner’s sharp live mixes on Saturday night’s Dancehall Ignition Party have gained a serious cult following. Like a true reggae star, Smylie works like a mad man. There is virtually no dull moment with the hoarse-voiced deejay as he is always getting up to something. He works hard and plays hard. For example, apart from his radio and club gigs, he stole the limelight from the Jamaican reggae artiste Mr Vegas’s flawed show late last year. With this year “gig-loaded”, Smylie is bound to be one of the main attractions in many summer sessions to come. The Parade’s Shane Makanjera (SM) met with Dj Smiley (DS) and the dreadlocked disc jockey divulged his little secrets. SM: Tell us about yourself. DS: My name is Ngonidzashe Machingura, I grew up in Greystone Park and attended Vainona High School with the likes of Dino (Mudondo), Sanii (Makhalima), David Chifunyise and Nesto (Ernest Manandi) among others. In 2000, I went and stayed in the United Kingdom (UK) before returning back home. SM: Why did you return? DS: Home is best.
SM: Are you married? DS: No comment (laughs), I won’t say a thing. SM: How did you get into mass communication? DS: I saw an advert in the press, applied and the rest is history. SM: What else do you do? DS: I’m a producer, an artiste and I also do club “dee-jaying” with my crew the
I? wa? t?u?? t? ?e? ?eco??i?i?? a? ?rs? a? ????? wa? ???i?e? ??po???? .
Legendary Sounds. SM: What training do you need to be a Deejay? DS: One must get vocal projection training and also learn how to deliver good speeches a n d
how to maintain confidence. SM: How do you stay creative? DS: I don’t even know, maybe it’s one of those God-given talents but I always strive to introduce new acts every time. SM: What’s better, talent or qualifications? DS: I’d say talent because one should be passionate about it and have this natural vibe. SM: What challenges did you face? DS: It was tough to get recognition at first as there was limited exposure. The other challenge is that of studios. We also had very few studios and some of them were just of poor quality. SM: Who inspires you? DS: The people and the things that happen around me keep me going. SM: How do you focus on your goals? DS: I just try to stay focused, not forgetting my goals and keeping my eyes on the prize. SM: Where do you see yourself in five years time? DS: I will be the biggest Dj in Africa if not the whole world, promoting Zim Dancehall to di World (with a Jamaican Patois accent). SM: Who is your favourite artiste? DS: Locally, I will not say who my favourate artiste is as that will compromise my position but inter nationally, I would say I - O c t a n e . Popcaan is also mad! TP
Page 16
The Parade - Zimbabwe’s Most Read Lifestyle Magazine
February 2013