“There was a time…” they often say. A time, when ordinary folks valued the simple act of going out for a few drinks and some good old clean fun. Such pure moments of pleasure were once offered by Botswana’s cities, towns and villages. However, this organic form of entertainment now seems lost, never to be experienced again.
On the last Friday of every month, the GabzFM Classic Jams presents parties that come as an attempt to revive this forgotten culture of organic entertainment. This initiative manifests itself as a space of entertainment that is available for a mature crowd that now yearns for days long gone amid today’s tainted forms of amusement.
The GabzFM Classic Jams parties were put together as an extension of the Friday night radio program on GabzFM from 6 to 9pm, showcasing the likes of DJ Dolphus (Dolphus Nasha) and Moggie (Moganetsi Mabe). Moganetsi speaks with a nostalgic gaze in his eyes as he describes his relationship with music being one who has actively contributed to the growth of the Botswana music industry in his capacity as a DJ and producer.
“I have always loved music and I did it for the love. I was one of the people who sat behind the production of one of the biggest and first local music groups in this country; Tribal Monks.”
Many Batswana over the age of thirty probably carry plenty colorful flashbacks about the ‘good old times’ at clubs such as Midus Touch or 585 (well known discos from the 80s in Gaborone), where they used to dance the hours away.
“We have a lot of young Batswana DJs and that is positive but they tend to miss the point,” says Dolphus Nasha. “The role of a DJ is to give the crowd music that is fresh and to take risks. A DJ shouldn’t just play hits.”
According to Donald Saberane, the main organizer of the GabzFM Classic Jams parties, these events come as an attempt to attract an older crowd and the younger people, who carry old souls and want to have fun in a more mature way.
The Sunday Standard spoke to DJ Vinny Da Vinci and Christos about the state of the Southern African music industry at the launch of their latest collaboration, titled Generations, which was held at Botswana Craft on Friday, November 24 2006 in conjunction with the GabzFM Classic Jams.
DJs Vinny Da Vinci and Christos are the faces that sit behind South Africa’s ground breaking House music label DJs at WORK. The pair has contributed immensely to the state of electronic dance music in Africa and went on to represent Africa on the global plane. “I have been playing as a DJ for eighteen years now and I think Africa as a whole has great potential when it comes to music,” stated Da Vinci. Christos went on to elaborate saying, “The guys from Detroit and Chicago inspired us, yes. But, now we have our own fresh flavor that we can market to the rest of the world as something that carries our signature as African DJs.”
The sight of an overflowing dance floor, in a dim, luminous nightclub, with good music, is one that often carries a mind-blowing air. It sends a rush through one’s back and elevates them to a level where they are able to forget all things external and immerse themselves in a moment that is shared by those present. Such, is the birth of a genuine “groovist” whose pulse has tapped into the timeless heartbeat of the bass-line.
