Shimza: on making moves and hits

A DJ, producer and businessman, Ashley Raphala, aka Shimza, has always been known as authi ya ko (a guy from) Tembisa. Making moves from when he was just a 15-year-old in high school, it seems music has always been his calling. And it is through this very calling and his many endeavours that the now 36-year-old remains committed to uplifting his community first.

We caught up with the renowned DJ to talk about his new hit in which he features Maleh (Malehloka Hlalele), the birth of Kunye, breaking Osama, how he’s counteracted challenges by making intuitive moves and how he’s now at the forefront of making things happen for those that come after him.

WE ALL KNOW YOU AS SOMEONE FROM TEMBISA, IS THAT WHERE YOU WERE BORN?
Yes, I’m from Tembisa, Ekurhuleni, from a small family – I only have two older brothers – I’m the youngest. I started my music career when I started high school – around 14 or 15. During that time, I was constantly learning and doing small gigs. And I think I got my first break during my first year when I entered VO Bertrams “The Next Big Thing”, which took me to the US.

It helped me a lot. The fact that it was on Channel-O was quite dope because lots of people were watching. From there, I became an events promoter, while studying, and doing more shows in Tembisa.

Eventually I did my own festivals, the first being my One Man Show, which lasted for about 11 years. I did other festivals in Tembisa as well and now I’m doing Kunye and Lockdown House Parties which is a result of all the experience I got from the festivals.

WHAT CHALLENGES HAVE YOU FACED IN THIS INDUSTRY?
Getting recognised. But what I did right was being consistent in perfecting my skills and taking every opportunity that was afforded to me, and watching other DJs play.

I don’t think I had real challenges that I couldn’t overcome. If an opportunity didn’t present itself, I would work towards realising it. So, if I wanted to play at Capri, I would go there and play for free, until people knew about me – and that’s how other opportunities would develop.

TELL US ABOUT YOUR NEW EP, FIGHT TO LOVE WHICH WAS REMIXED BY LEGENDARY LOUIE VEGA AND FLOYD LEVINE
My EP is only one original track which is Fight For Love, featuring Maleh. It’s a beautiful song that she wrote very well. She’s one of the people I’ve always wanted to work with. So, to have a song with her right now is a tick in my book of goals – I’m very happy about it.

Fight For Love is also remixed by someone I’ve always looked up to, Louie Vega, which is great. There’s a remix from Floyd Levine, an artist, producer, and DJ from South Africa, based in Berlin. He’s someone that I also really like, he’s got good energy and I think he did very well in terms of interpreting the song in his own way without taking away from it.

HOW DID YOUR COLLABORATION WITH MALEH COME ABOUT?
I’ve always been a fan of hers and her music. I think her writing capabilities are dope. I simply reached out to her. After she agreed to do the song, I sent her the beat.

She wrote to the beat and I reworked it. She was very happy with how it came out and so was I. There’s no big story behind it – just two artists who related to each other and decided to do a song together.

COULD YOU ALSO TELL US ABOUT KUNYE?
Kunye is a record label before an event, which I started. It will serve as a gateway to young, upcoming producers and DJs to share the Afro Tech house sound with the world, and also grow the sound bigger here at home.

I saw the market was saturated with one specific sound. And I felt like there was no voice for the Afro Tech sound, so I decided to be that voice and put the hype back into Afro-house in South Africa. I wanted producers to come back, make more of it and make it mainstream.

We started a weekly YouTube stream during lockdown which did very well – and that’s how Osama came about and went viral. This showed us that although people were happy with what was happening, there was something they were missing. Our platform gave them the style of music they wanted –and that’s how we grew, and eventually hosted a festival that recently took place. The turnout was amazing! So, we’re hoping to grow it beyond the borders of Joburg and South Africa

HOW CAN SOMEONE BE PART OF KUNYE OR THE LIVE STREAMING?
Our past event showed us that people want to be part of what we’ve created, which is why Kunye is going to be a ticketing event. We’re going to target specific days and have outdoor events that everyone can attend by purchasing tickets.

WHAT CAN WE EXPECT FROM YOUR RESTAURANT, THE HANG AWT, IN TEMBISA?
A very unique offering! It’s the township so we are not too finicky but we are very upmarket compared to the normal ndawo ya ko kasi (hang out spot in the township).

Most of the places from kasi are chisanyama based, with no waiters, which is why we went for a full-on restaurant experience that incorporates a kasi vibe, making the balance quite dope – and people love that. Overall, we’ve got a great menu, good food and chilled vibes.

WHAT ARE YOUR OTHER INTERESTS?
I do a couple of things and I run an agency called Just Exist. We work as a solution for big corporates in terms of their advertising, marketing, and outdoor media, by helping them create authentic stories. We come up with great ideas and we offer services to big brands. I’ve got a logistics company called Lekganyo, and I also have a couple of properties that I rent out.

WHAT’S YOUR MESSAGE TO ASPIRING DJS OR FANS?
To the young, upcoming DJs, don’t look for handouts. Always prove your worth to be recognised for opportunities. Opportunities will never just come to you, you have to constantly show what you’re worth to get noticed. Also, do what you love, keep pushing and stay positive.

BY NTHABISENG MAKHOKHA

Images: Stills By Tom