Vibing on vinyl

Tareeq Musafer Playing his funky music for the world

Q: How did you get into the DJ scene? A: I got into it because of my love for music. It all started back in the 1980s after the riots here in Sri Lanka. Schools were closed and I was at home, much like during this pandemic. And like most of my friends, I spent a lot of time watching television.

I remember this scene from a movie called Thank God It’s Friday where there was a DJ called Bobby Speed – and I asked my dad what he was doing with the records and he explained what was happening. That’s what stirred my initial interest.

Q:

Having worked in Colombo’s night clubs for ever so long, are there any interesting stories you would like to share with us?

A: Most of my best memories are from incidents in the ’90s when I was in Australia and I got to meet a lot of amazing DJs. I was in my early 20s when I was in Melbourne; and as a DJ who was exposed to the world at the time, I can say that a lot of fun stuff took place!

Q: You’ve built this amazing space with The Vinyl Cafe... How did the idea first come about?

A: The Vinyl Cafe’s relatively new and is what you’d call a ‘lockdown project.’ Before that, I used this space to set up the DJ Academy, which I started in 2007. In some ways, you could say it’s a natural progression of the academy.

With the lockdowns in force in the last 18 months, I was looking for a space to play my vinyl collection so that people could listen to the records. I wanted to offer them a few DJ workshops and provide music lovers with a new experience.

After the [last] lockdown was lifted and my property was no longer on rent, I was able to take that idea and make it a reality.

Q: You also conduct workshops for children... Can you tell us about this venture?

A: The workshops were inspired by my kids since I wanted to share something I loved with my own children. And because it was such a wonderful experience, I decided to include other kids as well.

That’s how Musical Minds was born. The workshops provide a time of fun for children, and allow them to learn something new and even unique.