We took some time out to ask budding DJ and producer, DJ Simtronic a few questions about his humble beginnings to his latest single, Njalo. The Swazi-born artist also shared with us what inspires him as an artist and how he ended up competing on the same chart as Ralf Gum’s Take Me TO My Love.
Who is DJ Simtronic? Give us a little background to you as an artist.
Simtronic is young vibrant DJ who started DJing through a DJ competition which saw him through to the top 10 nationally. With that kind of move at the first attempt, I knew there was something in me that I’d found and had to pursue. This was in 2012 and I never looked back since.
How did you start out in your music journey?
From the time of that competition glory, I had many people around me advising me in different directions and what stood out for me from seeing they guys I looked up to was that, to really survive and have longevity as a DJ, you’d need a song that’ll communicate your message outside of your DJ sets.
I then put together my 1st single called Tribal Monks which was a house record under Entity Deep. We managed to get up to the top 20 charts on AfrodesiaMP3, which was then a trusted house music website. I remember at that time we were competing with Da Capo, Problem Child and to be more specific, Ralf Gum’s Take Me To My Love on the chart.
Apart from being a DJ, you make music as well. What inspires your music?
I’m inspired by day to day events in my life because damn, my life is quite the movie. From all the experiences I go through, I’m able to narrow down on a specific subject matter at time. In 2017 I dropped Turn Up Yangempela featuring Bonafidebilli and that was just me expressing how much of a lit man I am.
In 2018 I dropped YaYa fearing 80 Script & Una Rams which is a summer time loving song, appreciating a woman, and now it’s 2019 and here I am touching on the ‘women’ subject again. I guess I love love, something I’m realizing as I grow up.
Tell us a little about your single Njalo. Who did you work with and what is the song about?
Njalo features Lunatik, Renegade & Loomytunezzz and the song is really about spreading love and the feeling one gets when around that one person that they genuinely love. It’s a playful love song with dance elements which can be enjoyed across all age groups and cultures. We might have ourselves a wedding smash hit lol.
You grew up in Swaziland, how do you rate the music scene there compared to South Africa?
Swaziland has a lot of talented musicians all round, the only challenge is the industry there hasn’t grown in value or rather is growing at a very slow pace. I’m talking platforms, venues, events, brand partnerships etc. Unlike here is SA where we have a level playing ground and investment and art are not far apart. This could be a result of population of course but there’s many ways to look at it.
I might be misinformed because of how long ago I left the country but even a ‘Zkhiphani’ isn’t there in Swaziland for artists to have interviews that could benefit their careers at this level.
With DJ’s popping up at every turn, all wanting to make their mark in the industry- what do you represent as an artist and what do you want to be remembered for?
I just wanna be remembered for touching people’s lives positively. People remember how you made them feel, not what you said so each time I engage, be it through music, a gig or interview, I hope to make anyone feel great and courageous.
Any body of work we can look forward to from you in the near future?
As it stands, I don’t see it viable for a DJ album from me but I’m open to creating EPs with my favorite artists and explore some new cool sounds.
Link up with DJ Simtronic on his social media for more on his journey.
Listen to Njalo below!