Langa’s new king of electronic dance music

Since the age of 16 Bekwa has been spinning records and mesmerising crowds from Guguletu and Langa. His musical journey began in in 2009, the year in which he joined a DJ collective by the name of AfriPulse.

Founded by the late DJ Phura, AfriPulse recruited Bekwa as part of their song production team where he learnt how to make his first beats using Reason software.

From there, the young DJ started making his own beats and releasing his own songs with help from Gugulethu’s biggest DJs – Kenny Dolo and Siphe Tebeka.

“In 2010, I met Siphe Tebeka and Kenny Dolo through DJ Brookiez. Because all of us were using the same software, I kept visiting them in Guguletu as I was trying to learn how to master the art of using that specific kind of software,” he says.

Speaking on working with Siphe Tebeka – who has also graced the stages of Tomorrowland and the Glastonbury Festival – Bekwa says, “Siphe is one of the few artists who understands me. Every time I’m in studio with him, we always teach each other stuff, and we easily agree on things. We’re always looking to collaborate,” he says.

In 2013, the duo released their first track together – No Control. Bekwa is currently not signed to any record label and releases his music himself, a trend that seems to be spreading in the music industry.

The 23-year-old DJ played at this year’s Cape Town Electronic Music Festival (CTEMF), where he was youngest DJ in the lineup. CTEMF has gained international recognition.

“I’m not sure how it happened,” he says about getting the gig. “But I think it’s because of the mixes I started releasing last year over Soundcloud. Playing at the event was the greatest thing ever.”

“In 2013, I was somewhere in the crowd jamming at the event when it was held at the V&A Waterfront. In 2014, I got selected for the CTEMF Ikasi Connect Project, and now in 2015, I got a chance to perform on one of their stages … When I was on that stage, it felt like I was in a dream,” he says.

This was also his first time playing at an event of that scale. After playing at CTEMF, Bekwa at last started to see his six-year music career moving forward.

“It was so exciting, because I was on the lineup with very experienced and well-travelled artists,” he says.

Last year, Bekwa was involved in a CTEMF’s Ikasi Connect project. Producers from the townships were recruited and taught how to better their DJing and music production skills by providing them with better studio facilities and world-class equipment.

“We were a group of eight people, myself and Siphe Tebeka included. The two of us are now working on a collaborative EP that will be available online in the near future. We have received a lot of support and help from the Red Bull Studios Cape Town team, who have given us permission to use their studios so that we can record our music,” he says.

Electronic, dubstep and techno music is not the most popular choice of music in the townships, but somehow Bekwa still pulls in an audience.

“It’s tough pushing my sound in the townships. I took a different direction by choosing electronic music, which doesn’t have much of a following in Langa or Gugulethu,” he says.

“Electronic music is the kind of music you hardly hear in townships because the people say that it’s ‘too white’ for them. But what matters in this industry is being different,” he adds.

Bekwa is one of many artists who feel that township musicians and DJs are often overlooked when it comes to city event lineups, as well as some of the biggest music festivals in the province.

“It’s always a challenge for us even though most of the well known artists come from the township – people like Black Coffee, Culoe De Song and DJ Spoko, just to name a few. I think one needs to get in touch with the right people, and [you] must know how to communicate with people, and know how to sell your craft,” he says.

An organisation that has tried to change this and is beginning to succeed is Bridges for Music, which surprised Bekwa with a studio recording session with one of the world’s biggest electronic music DJ duos – Tale of Us.

Could Bekwa be selected by Bridges for Music to represent Langa and South Africa at this year’s Tomorrowland Music Festival? Only time will tell.