Putting eSwatini on the house music map with his invigorating tunes is DJ/Producer !Sooks
Kayibiza LOunge
There’s nothing static about music. Its dynamic nature has made it one of the most leading transformative tools available to mankind. A force to be reckoned with. With the increasing dominance of the craft globally, music has given artists a platform to cross borders.
And in the words of internationally acclaimed Afro-tech music duo Black Motion, “it’s a new dawn for the African artist.” One such DJ/producer, who is dominating the music scene one track at a time, is !Sooks – a true testament to the rise of African artists.
The multitalented muso, who hails from the last standing monarch in the Southern hemisphere of Africa – eSwatini, produces music that is fit for a king and has built a career that has rightfully earned him the title of being one of eSwatini’s hottest electronic house music export. Through the power of music, he has managed to traverse borders and take his clean electronic deep house sound to various countries.
His journey has been an intriguing one.
Real name Sukoluhle Dlamini, !Sooks has cemented his presence within the industry by producing banging EPs such as ‘7 Years of Colour‘ under Antidote Music in 2016, ‘A Different Place EP‘ in 2016 and another ‘The Kitchen Will EP’ in 2017 – both released through the label Deepstitched. In 2018, renowned South African house music record label Stay True Sounds, founded by DJ/Producer Kid Fonque, released iSook’s ‘Viking’ EP, which laid a foundation for his debut album titled ‘Symmetry Album – Mzansi House Vol.9‘ the following year – released under legendary House Afrika Records.
Not letting the heat die down, the muso released his jaw dropping EP project ‘Pot Pourri‘ under the prominent United Kingdom stable Atjazz Record Company (ARCo), which charted at number 2 on Apple’s iTunes Dance Chart (South Africa) within its first week of release. Two of its hit singles EVA featuring Dwson and Musa featuring Velemseni featured on Apple Music’s Isgubhu series. And to further polish his sound, !Sooks has enrolled as a sound engineering student at the Institute of Sound in Johannesburg, South Africa, where he currently resides on a full time basis.
The busy bee took time to chat to Frontpage about his rise and future plans.
Kayibiza LOunge: Give us a glimpse into your upbringing and some of the hobbies you were into?
!Sooks: I’m an introvert so I have always enjoyed being in the comfort of my own space. In my childhood it was very rare for me to be with other kids. Yeah sure I was active in sports, especially soccer, but I would find people a little bit weird and overwhelming (laughs). My dad was into soccer and music big time! Music became my hobby, subsequently. I remember when other kids were saving to buy soccer boots, I saved up for those small radio cassette stereos. I started bumping my first cassette and that’s when I knew I freaken loved music. My first tape was Zola’s – Khokhovula 2002 album. I listened to that album a lot as much as I listened to a lot of Kwaito music. We had a radio but I had to start collecting music via cassettes from an early age.
Kayibiza LOunge: Where does the love and inspiration to produce such mesmerizing music come from?
!Sooks: Both my parents were into music. They were both choristers for as long as I can remember. My dad would come home from work and play music everyday, everyday bro! He was an RnB proper-proper old timer (slang word for dad). So I grew up to a lot of RnB and I jammed to Kwaito too. I think that’s where the emotions come from. And like you said ‘mesmerizing music‘, I mix the emotions and the groove elements from both genres.
Kayibiza LOunge: How have you managed to keep your motivation over the years, especially with the last two years of the pandemic?
!Sooks: When it comes to consistency it hasn’t been easy. The last two years did a proper number on us. Covid killed a lot of people but my love and passion for what I do is what got me through. 2019 was a brilliant year for me and so I had already made plans for the years to come. So when Covid hit, it ruined everything. I had to accept that the two years were gone and we had to basically start from scratch. I told myself that I am giving myself another three years to perfect the craft again and coming back harder than before. A lot of people gave up, even the Joburg scene changed a little bit, so we are still rebuilding. The industry is gaining momentum again but I believe we will go back to normal soon. So right now, I consider myself to be in that growth phase of my career again. Music is embedded in me, music is my calling and it’s what I was born to do so there’s no quitting!
Kayibiza LOunge: One of the most intriguing aspects of your discography are the titles you give to your projects and tracks. How do the names come about?
!Sooks: Funny question because I actually get my titles from things that are around me. I get my inspiration from different places, different interactions, and I also read a lot. Right now I’m about to read on something called The Fibonacci Sequence, which is basically about geometry and creating cool melodies. Before this I was reading Fletcher Munson Curves, that has to do with eqs and sound balances. So whatever is interesting, whatever is happening in my life – it’ll form part of a song or project.
Kayibiza LOunge: How does !Sooks prepare or approach a DJ set?
!Sooks: Depends on the set itself or where I’ll be playing. So for example if you look at Swaziland, it’s a different scene to what’s going on in Jozi. Jozi is a bit more diverse and flexible. In Eswatini, I can’t push musical boundaries and explore other sub-genres. I can’t play Dub-techno there or they’ll look at me like I’m crazy. In other places or countries, I can curate a track selection to make my sets interesting. With that in mind, I prepare and I practice big time at home. A week before my gig, I’ll have sorted the set knowing which tunes work for which venue.
Kayibiza LOunge: Knowing how you extensively travel, what are some of the items !Sooks cannot do without – regardless of which country or city you in?
!Sooks: Headphones! I love my headphones dawg. Flash drives, I have like five different flash drives with kinds of music for different sets and venues. God, haha I don’t know if God is an item but I pray before my sets bro.
Kayibiza LOunge: Which artists do you hope to someday work with and why?
!Sooks: Tricky because it changes because I’m always evolving. There’s a legend I’m busy working with for a song on my album. Its not done yet and they too don’t want the news out there yet, until the song is ready for my album. Some names I can mention are people like Julian Gomes, I think we can make something dope plus he’s a huge fan of my drops, and I don’t take that for granted. Stimming is cool, definitely someone I’d like to work with.
Kayibiza LOunge: What are the main reasons for you studying Sound Engineering now?
!Sooks: The course I’m doing now isn’t solely focused on Sound Engineering but it’s like a hybrid course. There is sound engineering but it’s not sound production and there’s audio production. So the most important reasons I took this course is because they have a music business subject where we learn about the importance of things like royalties, copyrighting laws and contracts because I don’t want to find myself in a situation where my work hasn’t been accounted for.
Kayibiza LOunge: Many younger DJ/Producers look up to you and draw inspiration from watching your growth. What pearls of wisdom can you share about this industry?
!Sooks: It may sound cliché but just believe in yourself. You never know what could happen. You never know who’s listening out there. Put your best foot forward always. Be the best version of yourself. Work hard, do your research and read.
Kayibiza LOunge: How would you describe the house music scene in eSwatini compared to the one in South Africa?
!Sooks: It’s two different scenes. In Jozi you can express yourself, and I’m glad that it’s happening in eSwatini as well because it really takes a lot for one to stand out in eSwatini. You need to be mentally strong and be true to yourself. And with Uncle Waffles popping, it did good because a lot more people are taking the music industry seriously. It has also opened up for more female DJs to enter the scene.
Kayibiza LOunge: If you were to be the President of Africa for a week, what are some of the matters you would tackle in that time?
!Sooks: There a few things in Africa that need changing and one of them is electricity connection. If I were President I would make sure things like loadshedding (a blackout that can occur due to electricity constraints) in South Africa come to an end – that would be top of the agenda. It’s really annoying because you find yourself rushing while producing because of the time constraints. It’s an unhealthy way to work.
Kayibiza LOunge: Back to the music. What can fans across the globe expect from you?
!Sooks: More music definitely. If it’s not going to be an album then make it’ll definitely be an LP or EP, which will probably be a prelude to the album or just drop singles. Albums lately are just tricky because everyone is streaming now and people’s attention span is really short. People hardly listen to a full album now and if they do, they listen for a day or two then its on to the next one. But I’m still going to meet with the team to discuss the format of the new music. I’m skeptical about dropping a full on 12 track album but we’ll see how it goes. I’ll keep you in the loop.
