Mohalenyane Phakela
IN celebration of his birthday, DJ Mekonko, in partnership with Hunter’s Gold cider, is set to host a massive music extravaganza at Lehakoe Club on 28 June.
It will be the fourth consecutive time the renowned spin master celebrates his birthday in style, with South Africa’s big names expected to join the festivities and entertain revellers.
In an interview this week, DJ Mekonko told the Weekender this year’s edition will be better than any he has held so far, with four artistes from South Africa and an array of local disc spinners lined up.
While the three previous celebrations were strictly Deep House sessions, this year DJ Mekonko has added a twist to the line-up by incorporating Hip Hop deejays.
“We always had Deep House celebrations as it is the sound I normally play and love,” said DJ Mekonko.
“But having realised the prominence Hip Hop has been given by revellers in local clubs and parties, I decided to call on the Hip Hop deejays so that different tastes can be catered for.”
Ordinarily, the birthday-boy should be the one getting presents, but DJ Mekonko will be giving away a lot of freebies at the party, courtesy of Hunter’s Gold cider.
The House star-studded coterie will comprise of Stereo Candi’s DJ Claude and Metro FM’s T-Deep from South Africa. T-Deep has blazed Lesotho a couple of times before at DJ Mekonko-organised events. The duo will be lining up against local acts Sir Schaba, Kopper, Harris T, Thoxie, Tshepzadj, Oozysoul and Charma who will be playing Deep House.
The Hip Hop contingent will feature Mr Spike and Coley da Guru from South Africa playing alongside Lesotho’s number one Hip Hop mixer PabloDJ.
DJ Mekonko who has more than 10 years in the music business under his belt, believes his career has become a “blue-print” as he has rubbed shoulders with the likes of French music veteran DJ Rocco and Ralf Gum who hails from Germany.
DJ Mekonko has also developed a special bond with a number of South African deejays with whom he shares music ideas on a regular basis.
It is through hard work, DJ Mekonko said, that he has earned the respect of his peers in the industry.
As a parting shot to up and coming DJs, Mekonko said there is no excuse for failure since he grew up in Teyateyaneng but managed to penetrate Maseru’s hectic night life scene.
“If I have made it, so can you,” he said. “Be passionate about everything you do and , believe me, hard work pays.”
