Wednesday, December 15, 2010

So you wanna be a DJ?

As promised in the last post I present the loud, the filthy the one and only... DJ Mezzanine.

Bernard Knight is a close personal friend and has been involved in the music scene for more than 15 years, being involved in numerous genres of music from gospel to dubstep, his latest project as Mezzanine or M3zza9 is growing in leaps and bounds I managed to steal a few minutes of his time for you to get to know the man behind the filthy bass

What’s up Mr B thanks for your time.

What & who got you get involved in the music scene?

Hey what’s happening everyone? I can’t say exactly who it was that got me into music, but I reckon it was just something in the rhythm & groove. Had to be that ‘cause according to my mom I got my head stuck in a toy drum at like 18months old. They should’ve known then I’d end up a basshead.

What made you choose the stage name / alias Mezzanine and is there a reason behind it?

Yeah, if anyone knows what a mezzanine is you’d know it is often the space between 2 floors in a building, so the name came out of that concept. I always seem to be in limbo between two things, not a boy anymore, but not really sure if I’m a man, not white but not black either... even the music I’m currently playing is sort of the middle ground between hip-hop & electro... Also the mezzanine is usually where the important unseen things happen.

Do you have any influence in helping up and coming artist’s get their name’s out there?

Definitely. From a production point of view, I’m always keen with helping people get out there. People can contact me on email or Facebook if they wanna colab or learn, or even just get their track listened to & played on air. I predominantly produce hip-hop, but am dabbling in all sorts of stuff at the moment. I mean I produced a reggae-rock track for The little Kings that got played on 5FM. So, yeah definitely can also put people in touch with people who know people.

MuthaFm, Cape Town’s “underground” music station has signed you on to do The Flip Side on Monday evenings how did that project come to be?

Lol... The strangest thing is that I decided last year to put DJ’ing on hold to focus on production, as the DJ industry is really hard to get into an maintain. But along the way I have made a few good connections & gave the right people demos I guess. Also, as I mentioned earlier, I’ve been pushing my production under the name “mezzanine,” & I reckon the right people heard about it. The best thing to do if you’re trying to get noticed in the music industry is to keep busy in the industry.

What does the Future hold for you and MuthaFm?

Well, let’s just say the future is very promising. More than that I cannot give away right now, but something that is coming early next year is that we are going live, which is going to bring a whole new interactive aspect to the Mutha FM experience.

Having listened to your sets there is a strong local influence in your tunes are there any local artists you would like to collaborate with?

Yeah... Unfortunately too many to mention. I’m digging South African music at the moment. The world is looking & I think we’re getting better and better. Every new project that comes out has a better sounding end product. I would dig to do a track with Die Antwoord or Isaac Mutant (which may just be happening).

Do you have any side projects that you’re currently working on?

Yip. I’m currently in the process of starting a production & promotions company. Then also busy signing artists for my record label “Malignant Music.” Unfortunately there are only so many hours in a day.

Any suggestions for people wanting to start out in the music scene?

Keep on following your dream. Be patient but keep working. Keep busy. Don’t get dissuaded by disappointment & realise that this industry is full of haters. Most people that have really made it in the industry did it through HARD work. There are no shortcuts & easy breaks. At least if you don’t expect them, you’ll be pleasantly surprised if you get one.

How can people get in touch with you and keep up to date with your gigs?

Facebook Bernz Knight or email mezzanine@malignantmusic.com

Any last words?

Thanks for your time Ian, and hopefully catch all of you at Rock the River NYE, at the Berg River. (www.rocktheriversa.co.za), and listen to my show Mondays 10pm-12am @ www.muthafm.com

Thanks for your time bru, Good luck for your set at the Brass Bell this Friday!

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