Disc jockeying for a living

From performing at birthday parties and wedding events, Sam Kamphulusa is now up there. He is a disc jockey (DJ), who answers to the stage name DJ Wayne.

Born on October 13, 1998 at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital, DJ Wayne has distinguished himself on the decks. While many DJs are obsessed with international music, a date with the artist gives you a muddle of both old and new local hits. Here and there, the artist connects his audience to the globe, but he ensures they are not lost to foreign glitters.

His sessions bring to life some forgotten hits and as you watch females wriggle to Zonze Zonse by Allan Namoko or Oraruwa by Saleta Phiri, it tells you how creativity galvanises ignored gold.

No wonder, he is a priority to event organisers. He has performed at several events and is a guest DJ at top clubs. He says his rise to stardom has been catalysed by his efforts to be the best.

“To rock the dance floor, you need to be passionate about music. You need to understand what the people want and if you succeed to please everyone on the dance floor, you become a favourite,” he says.

DJ Wayne did not find himself in the career by mishap. As he says; “This is what I wanted to be”

“This is a dream come true. I want to be among those who will make this career recognised by youths”.

However, the dream came true after years of resistance. He says his mother did not like the idea of him becoming a DJ.

After his secondary education at Nanjiriri Community Day Secondary School, DJ Wayne proceeded to The Polytechnic where he obtained a diploma in purchasing and supply.

“My mother saw a future in education which was contrary to what I wanted. And to please her, I went to The Polytechnic. I had no choice, but to follow my heart,” he recalls.

He traces his background from monitoring and inquiring from other DJs. This, he says, exposed some of the gaps that created his niche. He started by performing at weddings and birthday parties.

He explains: “The response was great and this is what gave me the courage to concentrate on the career. I realised there were spaces I could fill and I am happy that I made it.”

Serious dejaying begun in 2002 after Chez Ntemba, Culture Club, Amazon and Cyclone, among others, recognised his talent. In 2014, he performed during the Big Brother Africa (BBA) Hotshots eviction show at Blue Elephant.

“I have a variety when on the decks from local to international. You need to be prepared to meet the likes of every patron and this is where my strength rests,” reveals DJ Wayne.

On several occasions, he has been among local DJs recognised to perform at the annual Sand Music Festival.

“I have never gone to any music school and neither have I read any music book. My talent is just natural and is complemented by my passion for the career,” he says.

The artist describes disc jockeying as an attractive career, saying depending on monthly bookings, he makes a lot of money. He brags of making a living with proceeds from the career.

He tips the youth not to look down upon themselves arguing that performing at a club does not associate you with everything that happens there.

“People are making it big through different talents. Many have been saying I can’t make it in this career, but here I am. With art, everything is possible provided there is passion,” he says.

The DJ is on a mission to create new DJs. He says he is offering to help those interested in the trade.

“We need to promote entrepreneurship among the youth. After school, we should not all wait to be employed. They should try deejaying because it is well paying and sustainable. People will always need to dance,” he says, sounding optimistic.

The Lilongwe-based artist is inspired by South Africa’s Metro FM’s DJ Man, whose real name is Ishmael Ibrahim. Locally, he is enthused by Malawi Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) Radio 2FM’s Kondwani Chisasa.

DJ Wayne says it is time education institutions started offering courses that prepare students for disc jockeying. He said a crop of urban music artists has created enough fodder for DJs.

He, however, laments that most artists are obsessed with international music and this has left the country without a music identity. He has so far partnered DJ Maya of Jacobs Entertainment for the course. The initiative will see the two bring international artists to work with locals. Their first assignment is to host Nigerian actor Mike Ezuronye next month.

DJ Wayne comes from Traditional Authority Nyambi in Machinga.