Qness is undoubtedly one youngster with a lot of potential for raising the bar. His current work is a great example of how skilled he is, doubling up as a DJ he really get a sense of what will work in the clubs. He is already getting great exposure at home as well as international and I caught up with him and really got a true understanding of who Qness really is...
Sef Kombo: For us in the UK who don’t know Qness, Who are you and what do you do?
Qness: Firstly I just want to say thanks for having me; it is indeed an honour for me. Qness is a Musician/Producer/DJ who is just pursuing his musical dream of making “GOOD” music. That is how I would describe myself in a nutshell.
SK: How did you get into the music scene? Who were your inspirations?
Q: Most of us here in South Africa get onto the music scene through compilations. If you are unknown and you create a hot song, the record labels will usually feature your song on a well known and established DJ’s compilation album that way people will then get to know you from there. For me that is how it happened, my debut song “Fugama Unamathe”, which is the same song that made me famous, was first featured on legendary DJ Mbuso’s Phezulu Selections album and that’s how I got my first break.
In terms of inspiration I was inspired by Manoo, Abicah Soul, Dennis Ferrer, UPZ, Boddhi Satva, Osunlade, Rocco, Louie Vega, Frank Roger, DJ Mbuso, Black Coffee and of course Oskido, the one guy I looked up to all my life here in South Africa. Ironically, I was blessed in the sense that God gave me the privileged opportunity of being able to work with the bulk of the producers that inspired me right at the very inception of my musical career.
SK: How would you describe your music?
Q: Here in South Africa, I’ve had people ask me that question numerous times, especially people that have listened to my debut album “DJ Qness - On Cue Vol. 1”. A lot of my music has been remixed by especially very talented and highly respected A-list producers across the world so that kind of confuses people a lot because you can hear a Qness song on radio and it’s deep house, then later on you can hear another Qness tune and it sounds a little commercial, but in a nut shell I believe that the best way to describe my music would be to say I make ethnic-inspired Afro dance music. I fuse a lot of elements into the music that I make but the underlying factor would be that my music is very African and tends to get spiritual at some points. It is more or less a reflection of my being, which is why I make music about issues pertaining to our everyday life matters as we live in the universe.
SK: What is your studio set up like, what programs do you use to create your music?
Q: Funny enough, it is only recently that I really upgraded my studio. When I started, like everyone else I was using a very basic set up. “Fugama Unamathe” and “Uzongilinda” were all created through FL Studio, but I also tend to use a lot of live elements in my music as you would hear on “Fugama”. There is a live guitar on the track which just changes the feel of the whole song altogether. The other thing is that unlike most producers my age here at home in South Africa, I tend to use a lot of vocals in my music. For me the vocal is everything and I am blessed to have had the great opportunity of working with amazing talented vocalists such as Oluhle and Malehloka right at the very inception of my career.
SK: What are your thoughts on the South African House Scene? Where do you see it going?
Q: For me, South Africa is on its way to being the worldwide capital city of house music due to the immense amount of house music being consumed here. In South Africa house is a commercial success and we are actually one of the few countries in the world where a house CD can actually sell gold or platinum. We are a very blessed nation as the industry here has been able to make millionaires and pop stars out of its exponents.
SK: What’s you favourite track at the moment?
Q: I’m currently loving the UPZ mix of Uzongilinda, and like Andy Ward has described it numerous times, “It’s pure sex”. Avi Elman did a great job on that mix and for me he has been a great mentor and role model.
SK: What was the first DJ Set you played? Tell us a little bit about how it went and what you felt.
Q: The first ever set I played consisted of tunes like “Summer Daze” by Nick Holder and for me at the time I just wanted to be famous, lol!!! I had been producing tunes in my bedroom since I was very young, but in the studio no one can see you so for me I wanted to get out and get exposure. I wanted to communicate with the actual audience that buys music and that helped me a lot because from there onwards I would produce songs and go and test them in front of crowds whenever I play.
SK: You were in Europe recently playing some gigs. How did that come about and where did you travel to?
Q: I guess with the international releases people overseas were starting to hear and notice my music hence the opportunity to play overseas arose. I was making “GOOD” music and I guess the people who listened to my music overseas wanted to see me hence the gigs. I have played in Belgium, France and I will be going to Japan very soon.
SK: How was you received during your sets? What was your favourite and worst moment?
Q: I guess playing at home in South Africa is totally different because you already know what type of songs are huge on the streets, when you get to Europe everything changes you have to read your crowd and assume what they will dance to in a short space of time, lol!!! My favourite moment was seeing all those people cheering and dancing to my sets, my worst was when I visited a couple of studios and realized that production-wise we still have quite a way to go in South Africa to emulate world wide production standards in terms of gear, and hardware etc. but however I do still feel that we are getting there. We are actually improving more each and every day.
SK: Is there a big future for Afro Deep house to be successful in Europe?
Q: Yes, I think there is. But we must avoid getting too monotonous and all sounding the same, which is why I always try to be different so that people can tell the difference between a Qness song and any other track.
SK: What is your vision for the ‘Qness Sound’ where would you like to take your music?
Q: I have always dreamt of taking my music to the world and being heard not just at home but across the globe, of which I have somehow achieved especially through my EPs and releases on Traxsource and the other international download sites, but then again for me it is only the beginning. I guess the real challenge that I have now is consistency and keeping my head up, while remaining as humble as possible and counting my blessings each and every day. I want to grow the “Qness sound” and sort of create a legacy of my own, to set a trend that other youngsters can follow through the music that I am making. I want to inspire others and to add my own worth to keeping this universe as positive as possible.
SK: You have now released two EPs, Fugama Unamathe and more recently Uzongillinda, how you feeling about the material you have released for DJs to play?
Q: I honestly feel honoured to have been recognized by these two of my role models Boddhi Satva and Avi Elman, to the extent of being signed by them. I always looked up to Boddhi and to UPZ, but to be signed by them for me was something else. There I was having a dream and one day I pinched myself and realized that I was no longer dreaming, my dream had become reality. To have DJs across the world buying and playing my music is just so amazing. It’s something that I wished for but I never saw it coming so for me it has been great. God has indeed blessed me abundantly and I am forever thankful.
SK: You have a lot of remixes from the likes of Abicah Soul, Marie Joly and Culoe de Song to name a few, how did those come about? Is this something that will continue on future releases.
Q: As long as I continue releasing EPs then the trend will continue. The remixes were mostly co-ordinated by myself and the labels for the EPs. I will continue to work with talented remixers wherever I can for as long as I release more EPs, hey.
SK: What’s in the pipeline to be released?
Q: I’m currently working on the “Miles Away” EP which ironically features a guy called Vindo Vinchento on the vocals, the same guy I co-wrote the lyrics of “Uzongilinda” with.
SK: Who would you like to work with in the near future outside of South Africa?
Q: I’ve always wanted to work with Manoo, Dennis Ferrer, Rocco, Louie Vega and Osunlade. I’ve looked up to them since time immemorial.
SK: Which producers are you feeling at the moment?
Q: Manoo, Rocco, UPZ (Avi Elman), Abicah Soul, Dennis Ferrer, and Louie Vega.
Qness: Firstly I just want to say thanks for having me; it is indeed an honour for me. Qness is a Musician/Producer/DJ who is just pursuing his musical dream of making “GOOD” music. That is how I would describe myself in a nutshell.
SK: How did you get into the music scene? Who were your inspirations?
Q: Most of us here in South Africa get onto the music scene through compilations. If you are unknown and you create a hot song, the record labels will usually feature your song on a well known and established DJ’s compilation album that way people will then get to know you from there. For me that is how it happened, my debut song “Fugama Unamathe”, which is the same song that made me famous, was first featured on legendary DJ Mbuso’s Phezulu Selections album and that’s how I got my first break.
In terms of inspiration I was inspired by Manoo, Abicah Soul, Dennis Ferrer, UPZ, Boddhi Satva, Osunlade, Rocco, Louie Vega, Frank Roger, DJ Mbuso, Black Coffee and of course Oskido, the one guy I looked up to all my life here in South Africa. Ironically, I was blessed in the sense that God gave me the privileged opportunity of being able to work with the bulk of the producers that inspired me right at the very inception of my musical career.
SK: How would you describe your music?
Q: Here in South Africa, I’ve had people ask me that question numerous times, especially people that have listened to my debut album “DJ Qness - On Cue Vol. 1”. A lot of my music has been remixed by especially very talented and highly respected A-list producers across the world so that kind of confuses people a lot because you can hear a Qness song on radio and it’s deep house, then later on you can hear another Qness tune and it sounds a little commercial, but in a nut shell I believe that the best way to describe my music would be to say I make ethnic-inspired Afro dance music. I fuse a lot of elements into the music that I make but the underlying factor would be that my music is very African and tends to get spiritual at some points. It is more or less a reflection of my being, which is why I make music about issues pertaining to our everyday life matters as we live in the universe.
SK: What is your studio set up like, what programs do you use to create your music?
Q: Funny enough, it is only recently that I really upgraded my studio. When I started, like everyone else I was using a very basic set up. “Fugama Unamathe” and “Uzongilinda” were all created through FL Studio, but I also tend to use a lot of live elements in my music as you would hear on “Fugama”. There is a live guitar on the track which just changes the feel of the whole song altogether. The other thing is that unlike most producers my age here at home in South Africa, I tend to use a lot of vocals in my music. For me the vocal is everything and I am blessed to have had the great opportunity of working with amazing talented vocalists such as Oluhle and Malehloka right at the very inception of my career.
SK: What are your thoughts on the South African House Scene? Where do you see it going?
Q: For me, South Africa is on its way to being the worldwide capital city of house music due to the immense amount of house music being consumed here. In South Africa house is a commercial success and we are actually one of the few countries in the world where a house CD can actually sell gold or platinum. We are a very blessed nation as the industry here has been able to make millionaires and pop stars out of its exponents.
SK: What’s you favourite track at the moment?
Q: I’m currently loving the UPZ mix of Uzongilinda, and like Andy Ward has described it numerous times, “It’s pure sex”. Avi Elman did a great job on that mix and for me he has been a great mentor and role model.
SK: What was the first DJ Set you played? Tell us a little bit about how it went and what you felt.
Q: The first ever set I played consisted of tunes like “Summer Daze” by Nick Holder and for me at the time I just wanted to be famous, lol!!! I had been producing tunes in my bedroom since I was very young, but in the studio no one can see you so for me I wanted to get out and get exposure. I wanted to communicate with the actual audience that buys music and that helped me a lot because from there onwards I would produce songs and go and test them in front of crowds whenever I play.
SK: You were in Europe recently playing some gigs. How did that come about and where did you travel to?
Q: I guess with the international releases people overseas were starting to hear and notice my music hence the opportunity to play overseas arose. I was making “GOOD” music and I guess the people who listened to my music overseas wanted to see me hence the gigs. I have played in Belgium, France and I will be going to Japan very soon.
SK: How was you received during your sets? What was your favourite and worst moment?
Q: I guess playing at home in South Africa is totally different because you already know what type of songs are huge on the streets, when you get to Europe everything changes you have to read your crowd and assume what they will dance to in a short space of time, lol!!! My favourite moment was seeing all those people cheering and dancing to my sets, my worst was when I visited a couple of studios and realized that production-wise we still have quite a way to go in South Africa to emulate world wide production standards in terms of gear, and hardware etc. but however I do still feel that we are getting there. We are actually improving more each and every day.
SK: Is there a big future for Afro Deep house to be successful in Europe?
Q: Yes, I think there is. But we must avoid getting too monotonous and all sounding the same, which is why I always try to be different so that people can tell the difference between a Qness song and any other track.
SK: What is your vision for the ‘Qness Sound’ where would you like to take your music?
Q: I have always dreamt of taking my music to the world and being heard not just at home but across the globe, of which I have somehow achieved especially through my EPs and releases on Traxsource and the other international download sites, but then again for me it is only the beginning. I guess the real challenge that I have now is consistency and keeping my head up, while remaining as humble as possible and counting my blessings each and every day. I want to grow the “Qness sound” and sort of create a legacy of my own, to set a trend that other youngsters can follow through the music that I am making. I want to inspire others and to add my own worth to keeping this universe as positive as possible.
SK: You have now released two EPs, Fugama Unamathe and more recently Uzongillinda, how you feeling about the material you have released for DJs to play?
Q: I honestly feel honoured to have been recognized by these two of my role models Boddhi Satva and Avi Elman, to the extent of being signed by them. I always looked up to Boddhi and to UPZ, but to be signed by them for me was something else. There I was having a dream and one day I pinched myself and realized that I was no longer dreaming, my dream had become reality. To have DJs across the world buying and playing my music is just so amazing. It’s something that I wished for but I never saw it coming so for me it has been great. God has indeed blessed me abundantly and I am forever thankful.
SK: You have a lot of remixes from the likes of Abicah Soul, Marie Joly and Culoe de Song to name a few, how did those come about? Is this something that will continue on future releases.
Q: As long as I continue releasing EPs then the trend will continue. The remixes were mostly co-ordinated by myself and the labels for the EPs. I will continue to work with talented remixers wherever I can for as long as I release more EPs, hey.
SK: What’s in the pipeline to be released?
Q: I’m currently working on the “Miles Away” EP which ironically features a guy called Vindo Vinchento on the vocals, the same guy I co-wrote the lyrics of “Uzongilinda” with.
SK: Who would you like to work with in the near future outside of South Africa?
Q: I’ve always wanted to work with Manoo, Dennis Ferrer, Rocco, Louie Vega and Osunlade. I’ve looked up to them since time immemorial.
SK: Which producers are you feeling at the moment?
Q: Manoo, Rocco, UPZ (Avi Elman), Abicah Soul, Dennis Ferrer, and Louie Vega.
SK: What’s your thoughts on the ever growing digital music website AfrodesiaMP3? How has it helped you and has it helped the Afro House scene?
Q: Afrodesia has been the website channelling the Afro house revolution for us here in South Africa. It is through Afrodesia that we have been able to get our music out. My first ever experience (and for many others here) on a digital download website was on Afrodesia. The majority of the labels and the producers here in SA don’t have access to Traxsource, iTunes, Beatport, and Juno etc, hence Afrodesia has been the one playing a very instrumental role in helping us showcase our talent on a digital download level. Digital downloads are, after all the future as CD sales are declining very rapidly so we look up to the guys at Afrodesia a lot.
Q: Afrodesia has been the website channelling the Afro house revolution for us here in South Africa. It is through Afrodesia that we have been able to get our music out. My first ever experience (and for many others here) on a digital download website was on Afrodesia. The majority of the labels and the producers here in SA don’t have access to Traxsource, iTunes, Beatport, and Juno etc, hence Afrodesia has been the one playing a very instrumental role in helping us showcase our talent on a digital download level. Digital downloads are, after all the future as CD sales are declining very rapidly so we look up to the guys at Afrodesia a lot.
SK: I’m sure everyone would like to know, which is the best South African city for clubbing and why?
Q: I think Joburg is still the place to be, although Durban is coming up pretty fast, reason being Joburg is still the place where everything happens first. If Kanye West comes to SA, he will perform first at Joburg, but that is changing relatively fast coz cities like Durban are coming up real fast, lol!!!
SK: How excited are you about the World Cup coming to your country and do you thing such a big event could help the Afro House scene?
Q: I don’t think there is anyone who isn’t excited about the world cup right now. So many privileges and opportunities are arising simply because we are playing host nation this year and for the Afro house scene it is an advantage in the sense that we will get a first hand opportunity to showcase our music to the millions of visitors that will be coming to South Africa.
SK: Tell us some very random that we don’t know about Qness?
Q: Large masses of water scare the hell out of me, for example when I drive next to a lake or huge dam, or even a bridge I get scared to death, but the funny thing is that I do swim in the beach, hey.
SK: Where can we find you online?
Q: Online you can find me on Facebook, just search “Qness Ndlovu” and add me, then on myspace my url is myspace.com/mrqness, while my website is www.djqness.com. On twitter I am on twitter.com/djqness and on skype I am Qness.ndlovu.
SK: Thanks Qness
Q: Thanks to you, my brother.
Q: I think Joburg is still the place to be, although Durban is coming up pretty fast, reason being Joburg is still the place where everything happens first. If Kanye West comes to SA, he will perform first at Joburg, but that is changing relatively fast coz cities like Durban are coming up real fast, lol!!!
SK: How excited are you about the World Cup coming to your country and do you thing such a big event could help the Afro House scene?
Q: I don’t think there is anyone who isn’t excited about the world cup right now. So many privileges and opportunities are arising simply because we are playing host nation this year and for the Afro house scene it is an advantage in the sense that we will get a first hand opportunity to showcase our music to the millions of visitors that will be coming to South Africa.
SK: Tell us some very random that we don’t know about Qness?
Q: Large masses of water scare the hell out of me, for example when I drive next to a lake or huge dam, or even a bridge I get scared to death, but the funny thing is that I do swim in the beach, hey.
SK: Where can we find you online?
Q: Online you can find me on Facebook, just search “Qness Ndlovu” and add me, then on myspace my url is myspace.com/mrqness, while my website is www.djqness.com. On twitter I am on twitter.com/djqness and on skype I am Qness.ndlovu.
SK: Thanks Qness
Q: Thanks to you, my brother.
LINKS
Listen & Buy Qness' Latest Release Uzongilinda (Incl. UPZ & Abicah Soul Mixes) Here
Listen & Buy Fugama Unamathe Here
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