Local muso breaks onto
A LIFELONG love of music saw eSikhaleniborn Mbheki Ndlovu aka "Mr Joe" take to the decks in 2004, quickly cementing himself as a top South African artist before taking his sound abroad.
“The feeling you get when hundreds of people are dancing to your music is priceless. I find myself overflowing with joyful, euphoric energy that is amazing and godly at the same time – it is definitely a feeling that can bring out the best in you as a DJ,” said the dance musician, specialising in Afro, melodic and techno sounds.
His most recent performance at the Down the Rabbit Hole festival in the Netherlands made rounds on social media for his impressive music and funky dance moves.
Starting out in high school under the family nickname Mjo, Mr Joe followed his passion and went on to study Music Production at the Soul Candi Institute of Music in Johannesburg.
This opened up many opportunities for the DJ, including joining Metro FM for the Urban Beat programme for two years.
From 2016 to 2018, Mr Joe released an EP with the Watergate Records label in Germany, and released music with Culoe De Song’s Compilation where his song "Lost in My Dub" gained local and international support from world-renowned DJs and radio stations.
This was a huge boost to the producer, who would go on to release more music with international labels.
“In 2019, I landed my first gig outside the country, in Nigeria – a big leap forward for me as an artist to expose myself to more cultures. “That same year I was able to open my own events company, LYTUP, which hosts amazing night experiences in Johannesburg,” he explained.
In early 2020, Mr Joe bagged his first outdoor event – the Wolfkop festival in Cape Town - and made a debut performance at one of Kenya’s prominent clubs, The Muze, before Covid-19 halted his progressing career.
“Honestly, it was a sad time as I had great shows lined up and plans that became delayed. “It was not easy overcoming that, but I was grateful to have positive people around me and God walking me through the storm,” he said.
While the Gauteng resident rarely plays in Zululand, he has ambitions of working with like-minded creatives and won’t rule out great collaborations in time.
“I have received so much support from local fans, which is one of the things that keeps me going as an artist,” he concluded.
*Open your PixzAR app and scan the framed image to watch Mbheki in action
on stage in the Netherlands