music
DJ Qness
From the very first single that Qness released, to his very first live set, he brought out the proverbial ''right place and right time'' saying of being a critically acclaimed DJ and Musical Producer.
His debut single titled ''Fugama Unamathe'' which was featured on legendary DJ Mbuso’s Phezulu Selections Volume Two album earmarked him as not just a producer, but a true musician and DJ who understands what to bring out in a song and in a set to actually rock a crowd.
Hailing from the dance-cultured streets of Johannesburg in South Africa with just his ''music'', his ''mind'' and ''God-given talent'', Qness first entered the musical scene as an R ‘n’ B singer in a boy band at school, before he moved on to do hip hop in upper grade with some high school friends, where he was also the producer for the band, until he finally got catapulted into dance music when he first heard the Oskido’s Church Grooves First Commandment.
This was the time when he started to experiment with dance music, particularly House, quietly at home, while analysing the scene which at the time was mostly dominated by international renowned DJ’s and producers such as Louie Vega, Nick Holder, Masters at Work and many other House greats.
With his PC at home, a music-making programme called Fruity Loops and a small portable electronic keyboard, he began the musical journey that was to take charge of his whole life and take him to subways he had never ever dreamt of before. While studying Information Technology and Computer Programming in the city of Johannesburg, he juggled between his books and music, but it only took him a matter of time to realize how deep his love for music had grown. He couldn’t keep up with his studies, but with his parent’s guidance he continued with school, while secretly developing his musical skill.
Meanwhile, he had started going to clubs and getting acquainted to the party scene around Johannesburg and Pretoria. The loud speakers at the clubs and the sight of one man behind a set of decks taking charge of the crowd just fascinated him and that’s when he truly realized how deep his love for music had developed, and he fell in love…he fell in love with the decks.
Come 2005 and the dance scene in South Africa just blew up! Producers sprang from everywhere, penetrating the clubs, radio stations, taxi ranks and many other mediums and Qness could only celebrate the music. He had started working seriously on some projects and looked up to and idolized guys like DJ Mbuso (whom he still credits as having given him his first break into the scene), Black Coffee, Oskido (who is still and always will be a key role model in his career), Christos, and Jerah, while internationally he has looked up to Dennis Ferrer, Boddhi Satva, Manoo, Osunlade, Kerri Chandler, Frank Roger and many others too many to mention.
By 2008, Qness had already acquainted himself with some of South Africa’s most influential DJs and producers, and he had received a lot of guidance from industry influential people such as Ricardo Da Costa of Soul Candi Records, DJ Mbuso himself, as well as Euphonik whom they were peers at the time.
His first break came through when he did his single Fugama Unamathe, which featured some indigenous African vocals and lots of congas and Afro-beat influenced percussions. The song featured the amazing UK-based vocalist Oluhle and went on to become a critically acclaimed crossover dance hit not only in South Africa, but abroad as well. Small UK stations began pumping the song and other countries like the USA, Australia, and Canada followed and before he knew it, he had an international hit on his hands.
He has now worked with the likes of Soulistic Music and international label Innervision’s Culoe De Song, Phezulu Record’s Dr. Duda and Mono T, Ocha Record’s Mzee, Aero Blackwhole of the Blackwhole family and DJ Mbuso, of course, to mention but a few.
The success of his timeless dance classic of 2008/2009 ''Fugama Unamathe'' in South Africa has already been followed up by his new single ''Uzongilinda'' which also features a talented vocalist who goes by the name of Malehloka and the single has been featured on premiere South African dance label Soul Candi’s Best House Flavaz of the cream of South African producers compilation, which is a collaborative effort between Soul Candi and leading television broadcaster SABC 1.
Qness firmly believes that he does not make songs, but makes music, which can be listened to and appreciated by all people of all walks of life which is why he has bee able to break into the international market at such grassroots levels and at the very inception of his career.
He has rocked crowds at home in South Africa with good music and massive sets and is now looking to rock the international arena, both with his music as well as with his sets as he has had the privilege to be initiated into understanding and mind-reading not just the South African market, but the overseas and international one as well. Qness continues to make music, ''and not songs'' as he puts it and is on his way to becoming a true ambassador of African dance music.