We have finally shared a moment with one of the talented, interesting and tribal specialist DJ’s from the Nelson Mandela Bay. Kuhle Mbashe; who is originally from Qumbu in the Eastern Cape (a place formerly known as the Transkei), introduced us to his journey as a musician and how he ended up in Gqeberha. “Due to my mom’s work life I spent the first few years of my life in Port St Johns before moving to Port Elizabeth, currently known as Gqeberha in 2001. I have lived here since but I visit home at least twice every year”.
Before we speak about you, who is your favourite artist besides yourself and why? “I don’t have a favourite artist mainly because I don’t give myself enough time to follow the artist instead, I follow the music they make, for example I hear a song playing I’d try and find it on YouTube and search for more songs like it. So, it’s not necessarily the artist but what they made and how it made me feel at that moment”.
And what do you think upcoming artists can do to make sure they understand the business side of music? “The business side of music requires a lot of time to know and understand, there are artists who have been in the industry for decades and they still know the basics of the music business. Fortunately, there are many platforms on the internet where experienced artists share information on how you can navigate through the industry. So, as an artist at some point one has to take time and educate themselves about the business side of the music industry”.
Now back to you, when did you commence with doing music, what inspired you to start, including which is your music genre and why you chose to go for your music genre? “Officially, I started making music in 2018 as part of a DJ duo called “Breaking News”, where I worked with my good friend Siyamtemba Njoloza AKA King Hlakes. Prior that, I was focusing on animation at school because I loved drawing. Also, I was part of the school choir and won a couple of awards for Tenor solo. It was in matric when I realized I like music a little more. So, I enrolled for a 3-year Sound Technology course which I graduated with a Diploma in Sound Technology. 2020, it’s when I debuted as DJ T.S.U - dropped my first EP titled “Suns and Stars”, where I worked with amazing artists namely Av Raincandy, Joliza BhacaSoul, Ncebakazi Lwandle.
It was a Tribal House Ep and I chose this sound because it’s one of the genres we can say is truly African and is inspired by our culture. As time went by, I met some other artist’s who happen to make the same genre. I was fortunate enough to work with a guy from Botswana called Afro Mosque and we collaborated on a 2 track Ep titled Escape where we worked with Av Raincandy. Most recently, I have released a track titled Equilibrium featuring Radiance and Dejavu - it was released 20th Jan 2023 and it’s available on all media platforms”.
Challenges - what has been the most challenging thing about being an artist in your experience thus far, and how are you navigating through those challenges? “My biggest challenge is navigating my brand and my music to it’s appropriate audience, because with tribal being new to most people they might not resonate with it as much as someone who appreciates more tribal sounds in their music. So far, social media has been my biggest advantage to push it and track responses as of yet - because the data from the socials can tell the age group, geo and gender etc, and that helps me know exactly who listens to my music so I can target them. Thus far, I can safely say that numbers growing, gradually”.
Tell us about the singles you have dropped thus far, and how has it been received by the public? “The latest single is called Equilibrium, I have 2 vocalists on the track Nontokozo Pandle AKA Radiance and Vuyolwethu Lamani AKA Dejavu. Both these ladies have their own unique styles of music but they were able to come together on this track and make something totally different. The misconception with Tribal House music is that vocalists tend to acknowledge their bloodline and forefathers, which is not wrong because that’s where it began but what I like to do is tell stories that we all go through on a daily so that people can relate. Equilibrium is a story about someone who is going through a very unbalanced time in their life and nothing seems to work, so initially we are hoping for a better tomorrow in which you will find equilibrium and centre your life the way you want”.
So, what are your music journey highlights so far? “My Biggest highlight is being in the top2 of the Trufm TruTalent Search in 2022. It made me realize that there are people out there that are rooting for me, even though I may not see it. It was a humbling experience especially since I entered with the hopes of getting my name out there, little did I know that I would go so far in the competition. Ever since then, it has been an amazing confidence booster and it left me with the responsibility of always putting out quality work to thank those who follow and support my journey”.
When can the public expect a full album from you, and where are you performing during February 2023? “It’s still too early to tell, I have a lot of learning and growing to do before I focus my energy to making an album. I really respect people who drop full albums and have them successful in this fast-paced industry. So, until my music can stand on its own 2 feet and the audience starts requesting an album, that is when I will know it is the right time. In February I’ll be working on releasing more music and jumping on more collaboration with artists from all over”.
Lastly, when not working on your brand as a musician, what do you do to keep sane? “I dabble in a variety of things; I’m a qualified Sound Technician so I do a lot of freelance work in that field. I am Head Technician at Ekse Community Radio, which is an online radio station from Gqeberha - that is starting out; run by Abantu Development Agency. I am also completing a 12month learnership in Film and TV Production, so there are quite a few things to keep me busy. I don’t want to be just another face on TV, I also want to understand what goes on behind the scenes and how everything else is put together”.