The South African producer and DJ had revellers singing along to his mix. PHOTO/ANDREW KAGGWA
There are two distinct groups of Ugandans who consume music and go out for shows; those who love the popular Ugandan, Jamaican, and everything Nigerians have to offer, and those who have sophisticated tastes.
They choose the artistes they consume carefully, have their own sound, artistes and DJs –these are the people you may have seen at Ric Hassani, Ya Levis, and all the shows people claim are for planned kids.
Friday was about such an audience at Club Guvnor. From the well-lit I&M Bank photo backdrop on the Industrial Area Street to a Don Julio tequila truck prop, it was clear the venue was ready and probably the vibes.
But there is some unspoken code with these events. B 9pm., the time communicated for the show to start, the venue was visibly empty, and even some of the set-ups were still taking place – a Ugandan thing probably.
But a few minutes to 11pm, they slowly started trickling in, some alone but many in groups. They are happy people and have a thing for fashion; they show up and make their presence felt, either through the noise because they are loud or when they try talking you into taking one of their pictures.
Organised by ShoNaLe, the people behind the Shorts na Lesu festivities, the main performer of the night was Mas Musiq, the South African producer and DJ. He is one of the DJs whose catalogue is supposed to speak for itself but somehow still needs an introduction.
At the entrance, for instance, at other events, it is easier to see the venue staff working but having fun, at times more fun than their patrons. For instance, during the Afrigo Band performances at the same venue, the waiters are busy, but they clearly enjoy the music and usually steal a couple of stage glimpses. But then there was Mas Musiq. You could read the room, some people understood the man, others were fitting in, and there were those who were there to strictly work.
However, Mas Musiq actually has a commendable catalogue, one that only made sense when he started playing. He has done amazing songs such as Zaka and Mthande, but unfortunately, all the two songs are alongside DJ Maphorisa, who is more widely celebrated in the African dance music scene than Mas; thus, it is easy to see why people even failed to notice he was on the songs.
Mas Musiq took to the stage at about 2am. Yes, it was that late, but people were still coming in. He took the audience through his catalogue, and in what could be surprising, they sang along to many of them; it was clear they were enjoying every part of the performance, and so was he.
Mas Musiq is a pioneer of his sound; he is known to many as the king of Amapiano, but before he made it a sound that introduced him, he heavily played with the subgenres that gave birth to it, such as House, Garage, and Gumboots. He still lets these sounds influence what he puts out today. The results are usually a grounded sound that has its roots in their Kwaito but is still Electronic and Dance.
But before his performance, there were Ugandan DJs and MCs who kept the audience engaged throughout the night; however, one man’s presence, Kamali, cannot be stated enough; he had the audience eating out of his palms way before the man of the night could arrive.