//OLD SOUL, NEW GROOVES – DBN GOGO

DBN GOGO

YOU’D HAVE TO BE LIVING UNDER A ROCK TO NOT HAVE BEEN SWEPT ALONG BY THE BUZZ AROUND DURBAN-BORN DJ MANDISA RADEBE. OTHERWISE KNOWN AS DBN GOGO, MANDISA HAS TAKEN THE DJING SCENE BY STORM SINCE HER 2017 DEBUT. BRINGING DOWN THE HOUSE FOR HORDES OF FANS AT FESTIVALS LIKE ULTRA, OPPIKOPPI, AND HOMECOMING AFRICA, HAVING HER NAME ON AN EVENT POSTER HAS BECOME A GUARANTEE OF A GOOD TIME. SHE IS KNOWN AS MUCH FOR HER POPULAR INSTAGRAM ACCOUNT AS THE SOPHISTICATED DEEP-HOUSE AND AMAPIANO SETS SHE NEVER FAILS TO DELIVER. WE SAT DOWN WITH HER TO GET TO KNOW A LITTLE MORE ABOUT THE TRAILBLAZING TALENT AND PHENOMENAL ARTIST SHE HAS BECOME.

InFlight: When did it all begin and why the name?

DBN GOGO (DG): My journey began three years ago, on 28th February 2017. I was extremely fortunate because my first gig was at a major youth social event called Tshwanefontein, in Pretoria. I’ve been blessed to be surrounded by people who believe in me. My friends have been calling me DBN Gogo for years.When I got my first gig, I was stuck at what to call myself and one of my friends said, ‘You have a name, DBN Gogo.’ Still to this day it resonates so well with me because I am originally from Durban and a lot of people describe me as an ‘old soul’. I’m very spiritual and incredibly drawn to wisdom-orientated conversations and experiences.

InFlight: What inspires your consistently fabulous fashion and iconic hair choices?

DG: My style is mainly inspired or motivated by comfor t. I always want to wear comfortable clothes, but I also want to break social norms around plus size fashion and what society dictates as appropriate wear for what some people call ‘bigger girls’. I

custom-make a lot of my clothes and the aim is always to look fly and comfortable in a flattering aesthetic.With my hair, I’ve always been a huge fan of colour. Also, I don’t have a par ticular affinity for accessories, so I use my hair as my signature accessory. From pink, yellow, blonde to grey – I don’t think there’s a colour I haven’t experimented and subsequently fallen in-love with.

InFlight: Please share some of the positive life changes you’ve experienced in your now DJ superstar life.

DG: Honestly, I feel like I have never been in a more comfortable state of being. I don’t think I’ve ever been so in tune with my purpose and just genuinely happy as a person. Life is not all perfect but I feel that I am exactly where I want and need to be at this stage of my life. My confidence has genuinely increased. My independence as well – now being an adult with significant responsibilities.Another positive change has been experiencing my ability to impact people’s lives positively. It’s been beautiful to see my work personified through the meaning of my name. My name Mandisa means to ‘add value’ and the little that I’ve been able to do and help make people’s nights better has been super rewarding. InFlight How has your social media impacted your career growth?

DG: Social media has been such an essential tool. Not everybody will be able to attend all of my gigs, but if they follow me on social media, the impact of what I do still resonates with them. So I work super hard on properly structuring my social media, and filming my sets and stories in a dynamic way. I think it has certainly paid off because it’s helped make DJing look cool again. For a long time, DJs were inaccessible to their fans. You’d see them at the gig, then after an hour or so, they’d be gone. I’ve been able to use my social media platforms to be more relatable and easily accessible to my audience. I also use my platforms to showcase new music and it’s great that I’ve seen a lot of people engage with me on that. I’m super grateful for my following because they’ve helped turn my platforms into promotional soundboards for other artists and musicians as well.

InFlight: What would you say is the thing that sets you apart and makes you such a constant feature in the nightlife scene?

DG: I think I am ‘that thing’.There’s nothing that I do that anyone can recreate.You can’t interchange me with anyone else in the industry. It’s me or nothing. I don’t do gimmicks. I try to always be on my best behaviour, and exude a positive and welcoming mood.

I think people resonate with my realness and I think it’s something we need more of in modern-day society. Real and authentic people are the future. I always work at conveying authentic expressions of myself and making sure I am always unapologetically me.

InFlight: What are some of your favourite fan moments and highlights?

DG: I love my people so much. One particularly memorable fan moment happened at Strongbow Big Picnic.There’s a girl I always engage with on Twitter because she is super supportive. That day, she was at the event and managed to find my photographer and asked him to help her meet me. So to surprise her, I actually went up to her and it was so beautiful. She cried so much out of excitement, and it felt so good to see my presence bring so much joy into someone else’s life.

InFlight: What advice would you give to an aspiring DJ who wants to break into the entertainment industry?

DG: The best way to grow is playing in front of people. Even if it’s the staff at a club, and no one is there, playing in front of people will help. It helps with your body language when you’re in front of the decks. You also get to experience different equipment. In our industry, you can go from a high-end club to a shisa nyama in just one night and you need to know how to manoeuvre in all those spaces. Also, how you intend on

positioning yourself in the industry is very important. Before people hear you, they see you. Make sure you are presentable at all times, even online.

InFlight: Who are some of your favourite South African artists and why?

DG: Definitely Black Motion. The DJ and percussionist combination is amazing and makes for a great experience. Also, the way they interpret the music from the recorded versions is amazing. Busiswa and Sho Madjozi, with their energy and their music. Also, it’s great seeing females, in their niche, just doing the most and killing it. And obviously the Scorpion Kings (Kabza De Small and DJ Maphorisa). They’ve revolutionised the amapiano genre and it has been amazing to see.

InFlight: Who would be your ultimate collaborator?

DG: I would love to collaborate with a hair brand like Expression, and make my own custom colourful hair extensions. How cool would that be?

InFlight: Where do you want your career to take you?

DG: I really believe I have what it takes to be the best and most popular DJ that Africa has ever seen. God willing, with faith and patience, it will happen. Just watch this space.