The First Long Weekend

Hey you guys,

I can barely keep my eyes opened as I type this. I'm not sure if it's the heat, the long weekend, or the fact that one is not getting any younger; but fact of the matter is that I'm really tired. Hopefully after reading this, you'll have an answer for me. Anyway, the "first" long weekend has come and gone. I have to admit, it was a really good weekend. On Thursday I had a "catch up" session with an old friend and ended up singing wedding songs at another friend's house who was getting married on Saturday. We'll leave the singing of wedding songs for another day. On Friday morning I woke up with a hangover but was happy at the fact that it was a holiday. I spent the better part of the day with family...and "extended family" in the afternoon having meat and beer. What a great afternoon that was. The rest of the day was spent "reconciling" with a few cold ones...LoL

On Saturday morning I woke up thinking it was a Sunday morning...and I'm sure I wasn't the only one. Not much happened in the afternoon but then I had to go and play at the Love Revolution gig in Meadowlands. I had an early set. I'm not sure how the rest of the night panned out because the afternoon was a bit slow. People really need to be in the habit of attending gigs early. The whole idea behind the Love Revolution was a picnic. By 7pm, the place should've been packed to capacity. I could tell when I left that it would get packed later at night but was kinda disappointed by the fact that people didn't arrive "on time". I had to rush off to Rockerfella Lounge for the last Soulful Kollective Night for 2011. When I got there, Cnr537 was on the decks. Looking nice in his summer outfit, the boy was really painting the scene on what to expect later in the night. Pity he had to leave early though. Up next was the talented dj/producer from Tembisa, Copasetik Soul. Oh my goodness, was I impressed!!! From the first track right up to the last one, the boy had a flawless mix and the tracks were simply out of this world. He really kept me on my feet till the end of his set. Bee Kay, the boy behind the compilation Deep Xpressions was up next. I just like it when people always come up to me and  always ask me the same thing; "how come we never get to hear such dj's play on a regular basis?" Up next was Thabang from the Chilla Nathi crew. Once again, I was blown away. Jeez, this guy was on point. By this time, people were starting to come in by the numbers. Unfortunately, due to reasons beyond our control, Deep Xcape could not make it to Soweto on time. They missed their set. This however, gave us enough time to play. I had another one-on-one set with my man Jiyane. Really nice time I had. Zakes TruSole decided that he wanted to join. This now became a one-on-one-one set. A super dope time we had. We took people down memory lane, introduced them to new music; had them sing along to a few familiar tracks; had them throw their hands in the air... Oh my goodness...

We'd really love to thank each and everyone of you for making it on Saturday. We really closed the year of in a beautiful way.

Guys, this will probably be my last blog for the year... Key word being, PROBABLY. If I don't get to chat to you for the rest of the year, I would really like each and everyone of you to have a Merry Christmas and a happy new year. Please take care of yourselves over the rest of the festive season guys. I will see you this coming weekend at the following venues:

23 December: Soulful Evolution @ the Rockerfella Lounge
24 December : 3rd Revibe Party @ the Rockerfella Lounge
25 December: Morris Pub in Dobsonville

Giving Back

Hey you guys,

The past week has been filled with nothing but mixed emotions for me and a few other friends. DJ Leeby's memorial service had a huge turn out. The man was really loved. Once again, rest in peace Leeby. We then got more bad news about another dj that's been in accident. The lovely Y-Me was in an accident on Thursday (08 December 2011). She is in a critical condition in hospital and I pray for her speedy recovery. Please can you take care of yourselves over this festive season guys. We really can't afford to be losing more lives now. Let's not be reckless on the roads. Remember that when you drive, you're not just driving for yourself, you are driving for all the other drivers around you. Be extra vigilant when you're behind the steering wheel.

On Saturday, I attended a very informative music workshop organised by dO iT nOw Recordings at Shikisha in Newtown. The Summer Music Workshop started at 10am and ended at 4pm. What an informative session this was. All the speakers were well informed and we all learnt valuable lessons from this session. Much respect goes out to dO iT nOw for this workshop. Eventhough this was their first workshop, the effort they put into this session was quite phenominal. Special shoutout to Bella, Soul Thabi, Bossruu and 2lani The Warrior. Good job guys. After this session, I headed to Godfrey Moloi's Mansion at Protea Glen for the BBM Picnic, alongside my boy DJ Jiyane. I have to say, the weather spoiled it for everyone on Saturday. One could tell that if the weather had behaved, this would've been one good party. We did however still managed to have fun. I had a one-on-one set with DJ Jiyane and it was really nice. The night was young; Jiyane and myself still wanted to have fun. We then headed to the Rockerfella Lounge for the Noma Yini gig. Oh my goodness!!! This was one killer party. Big up to my boys Big Sky and Bhutz Tunz for a killer party. It was nice to see most of the guys living up to the theme of the party. I saw girls dressed up in their nighties, a pantsula Santa Claus, a lobola negotiator....and of course, the music. I got so caught up in the moment that I really had the urge to play. I don't normally don't this, but because of the fun, I gatecrashed a set. On the whole, this was a killer party. Well done boys.

We are approaching another long weekend guys. As I indicated earlier, we can't afford to have more accidents over the weekend. Please be extra vigilant on the roads and let us try to refrain from drinking and driving. We are hosting our last Soulful Kollective Night on Saturday (17 December) and we have a sweet dj line up. I will send more details on this gig and all the other gigs I will be playing at later this week.

Until then guys, let's all have another productive week.

One Love.

Push Up Ya Lighters

Hey you guys,

Yesterday afternoon I was shocked to learn that a friend and favourite dj to a lot of you had passed on. Seems like almost every December we loose dj's nowadays. I was saddened to learn about the sudden passing of DJ Leeby. I can recall the first time I heard of this guy. While studying at Wits Technikon (now the University of Johannesburg), a friend of mine told me about this dj from the Eastern Cape that was about to take over the industry. He was mostly impressed by the fact that this guy had his own turntables in his room (at res). Apparently his room would always have guests because everyone was fascinated by this guy with records and turntables in his room. He would entertain people who genuinely were interested in music and those who aspired to be dj's. "He is really a nice guy" is what my friend would always say. A part of me was somewhat jealous seeing as I thought I was the only dj amongst my friends at tech. Apart from my friend DJ Linda (Da Gr8), I honestly thought we were the "unique" guys at Wits Tech at the time, and here comes this guy from the Eastern Cape (nogal) about to steal my spotlight. I was jealous no doubt...LoL

This jealousy went on until I left Wits Tech. By the time I had left, the man's reputation was spreading across Jozi. I couldn't stand the sight of this man. He was rubbing shoulders with all the right people and was getting all the right bookings. Our paths crossed later on though when we started playing at the same places and started hanging out with the same crowd. Yes, this Leeby guy was always around and we would never really greet. I can safely say that we kinda "tolerated" each because I knew for a fact that he knew who I was. It was not until we played together on one Thursday night at the Capitol Music Cafe. I remember John Da Baptist calling me so that we'd take a picture with Leeby. The man embraced me like I was his long lost friend and he asked me the "strangest" question ever. "dude, let's have a beer" is what he said to me. Could this have been a dream? Was Leeby really being nice to me? Did he even know who I was? I will never answer that question now. I knew from then that I had found a friend. Our next encounter was when we both played at Port Elizabeth. I remember that Saturday night like it was yesterday. We were just a bunch of dj's and people from P.E. hanging outside a club drinking and listening to music from a car. I didn't really know the guys from P.E that well and needless to say, I was a bit of a loner. Leeby noticed my face in the dark and rushed over with a bottle of Heineken and stood next to me and we started sharing jokes and talking about our "shinanigans" in Jo'burg. A suggestion was made by someone to go hang out at the next club in P.E and Leeby out of the blue ditched his friends and was riding with myself and my good friend DJ De Kok. I will not get into much detail about the rest of the night but Leeby was there, embracing "his friend" from Jozi who wasn't familiar with P.E.

Ladies and gents, I'm not about to lie to you and say that Leeby was my best friend. He was not. Leeby was a guy I got to like at a very late stage in my life even though we were always among the same crowd. This man had a passion for music. He loved what he did and he loved life. I will not say I didn't like Leeby. I really was a young boy who was somewhat intimidated by his talent. This is the only dj I know that would play a Bob Marley song at 12 midnight at ANY club and have the crowd go crazy. This guy would break into a song and have everyone push up a lighter and unite everyone with just one song.

Leeby my friend, I never got to enjoy a lot of times with you, but I got to party with you. We knew the same people, we liked the same things and most importantly we both had a passion for music. I wish I had taken the time to get to know you better. I wish someone can come to me now and say this is all a joke. You were a true soldier my friend and I will miss you dearly. Condolances to your family and all your close friends. Let's all have a moment of silence for the beautiful soul guys...and yes, PUSH UP A LIGHTER and remember DJ Leeby. Lala ngoxolo bhuti!!! You will forever be missed.

Another soldier down...

World AIDS Day

Hey guys,

Today being the 1st December marks World AIDS Day. The statics of people who are infected with the HI Virus is still shocking...especially in the southern hemisphere. We still have a long way to go people. I have of recent, found out that a very close friend of mine is also infected with this HI Virus. Needless to say that I was not only shocked by this, but also hurt. The beauty about his recent discovery though is that it not only shed a light about the seriousness of this disease, but it has also prompted me to be extra careful and really take care of myself and realise that it can get to anyone.

I've also been shocked by his attitude towards this revelation. As opposed to dwelling on his sorrows and feeling sorry for himself, my friend took this on by the horns and confronted this virus head on. Not only is he HIV positive, he's attitude has also changed for the POSITIVE. I admire his courage daily. I'm not sure if I would've be as positive. He has taught me a lot about courage. My blog will not be about me this time. I have asked him to put his point across when it comes to this virus. Once again, I need to stress this point. Being HIV positive does not mean that one has AIDS. It is not a death sentence. I would like for you guys to read this "poem" that my friend wrote and I hope that it will change a lot of mindsets about this virus:

"My name is Luqman and I recently discovered that am HIV positive.L
Should i be angry, cry, sad or even hate the person who infected me?
Maybe or maybe not, what’s point?

The sad thing is that I never thought it will happen to me, as i have always been careful...
But i had to get married to be infected, this thing came into my house & my bed.

But one thing I can tell this invader, you came to the wrong body...
You will do as I say, you are not going to take over my Body...it’s mine and it be taken care of by me.
You are nothing but an opportunistic filth, that has no place in this world..
I will keep going, eat well (as always) excises and make you invasion hell.
Hiv you have to know that you unwelcome occupier....make no mistake you are going to reside here forever....

I might be hiv positive (also life positive)..."

We Party Hard

Hey you beautiful people,

I'm on super nostalgia as I type this. I'm listening to Keith Murray's first album; "The Most Beautifullest Thing In The World". What a super album this is. I say this again, hip hop will never get back to the 1991 - 1997 era. Those were the best years for hip hop. The creativity, lyrical content and overall love for the culture was on some tip. Shout out to the Green-Eye'd Bandit Erick Sermon for discovering the talents of Redman and Keith Murray. 

Anyway, before I get carried away, another weekend has come and past. On Friday I did not get up to much. On Saturday however, the Soulful Kollective had an interview at Rhythm100. Shout out to my girls Miss Pru and DJ Sue. You girls have a beautiful show. Everything was planned to the tee. Yes, I arrived late for the interview, but damn man, we had fun hangin' out with the ladies of house. I see a great future in you guys. Thank you for a killer interview. Later we moved to Rockerfella for what was meant to have been the last Soulful Kollective Night for 2011. Bhuts Tunz kicked off the night. The one thing I like about dj's of his calibre is the level of perfectionism. I spoke to him and he complained about not being happy with his set. Well, it was a different case on my end. I thought the man had a beautiful set. My boy Kay-B was up next. As always, my man represented and blazed some killer local house tunes. I have to confess, I didn't know most of the songs he played but damn they sounded so good. And yes, they were mostly local tunes. Killer set my brother. DJ Sue was up next. What a soulful sister this dj is. She played some killer soulful house tunes. It was nice to hear her play one of her own songs. Damn, this girl can sing!!! Unfortunately Big Daddy Mdoo couldn't make it for the Soulful Kollective Night however, he asked Zakes TruSole to play on his behalf. My crazy friend really represented on the one's and two's. I have to say though, Zakes is trully one of thee most underrated dj's we have in South Africa. Closing the night off was the Soulful Kollective. We decided to have a two-hour one-on-one-one set with the guys. We really had fun. It really was one of the most beautiful Soulful Kollective Nights we've had this year....and yes, this time, I remember everything I got up to...hahahahahahaha. Shout out to each and everyone of you that made it on Saturday. We really appreciate the support you guys are giving us.

The Sai & Ribatone cd is now available guys. It seems like all the distribution issues have now been resolved. So guys, go out in your numbers and get this beautiful cd. This coming Wednesday, you can catch me doing my thing on the one's and two's on one of the world's best deep house radio stations, QH Radio between 15:00 - 16:00pm. Log on to www.qhradio.nl and check me out.

With that said guys, y'all have a beautiful week ahead. I think I ought to hook you guys up with a nice mix just as a "thank you" for following my blog. Thank you for the support guys. Please spread the word.

The Heat Wave!!!

Guys,

Global Warming is no joke!!! The days are getting hotter. Unfortunately, this does not only affect our planet, but it affects our bodies as well. We all get unreasonably tired due to the heat and that affects our sleeping patterns as well. We really need to take this issue seriously guys. Do your best to make sure that you are informed and find out what you can do to make sure you play your role at ensuring that you save the planet. It's not looking good guys.

Anyway, the weekend has come and gone. Nothing much happened on Friday. On Saturday, I witnessed my lovely 5 year old niece graduate from creche (or kindergarten as most of you like to call it). T'was really nice to hang out with the little one's. I have to admit, we really don't give those in the teaching profession the respect that they deserve. The time, effort and attention they give to our children really deserves much applaud. Not only that, I think their salary structure needs to be re-visited. I mean, it was only yesterday that this little girl couldn't even pronounce her own name properly. Through hard work, dedication and attention that these teachers gave her; not only can she say her name but can also write her name now. Much respect to all the teachers out there.

Later that day, I had to go play at the Big Sky and Bhutz Tunz's Noma Yini gig that took place at the Rockerfella Lounge. The gig started off slowly. At some point I was even panicking, thinking that it would not be as full, but to my surprise, as soon as I finished my set, I could already see people coming in. I then went to check out my man QT's birthday party at MeLi's Pub in Pimville. When I got there, the party was already blazing. Fistaz was on the decks. A huge turnout that was. It was good seeing "old" faces as well. Shout out to DJ's Mavusana, Funky Lemon, Bilal and Khotso. It was good "catching up" with all of you boys. I then made my way back to Rockerfella. By the time I got back, the party was blazing. T4 and Big Sky were burning it up on the decks. I have to admit, the boys lived up to the theme. It really was "Noma Yini". We were jamming to anything from the Notorious B.I.G. to Stimela. I really liked that. I didn't know that so many of you could relate to most of the songs that were being played. Much love and respect to Bhutz and Big Sky. Good party gents.

This weekend will see another Soulful Kollective Night at Rockerfella guys. Keep your ear to the ground for more information about it.

Apologies to those of you that couldn't find the Sai & Ribatone cd over the weekend guys. There were some issues with the distribution of the cd. It was only available at selected music shops. The issue should be sorted out tomorrow. By Wednesday, you should be able to walk into most cd shops and get it. If you still can't get it at you local shop, please place an order guys.

Let's all have a productive week guys. Chat later...

The Countdown Has Begun

Hi guys,

Let me start by apologising for sending this blog so late. Things have been really crazy on my side of the world. Let me quickly take you back to my weekend. Not much happened on Friday but it was good catching up with two old friends for a drink...ok, it was beer...hahahahaha. Not much though. I had an early night. Saturday was also a day for chores during the day but then night time came and my boy DJ Jiyane was turning a year older. What a beautiful party the boy had. It was at the Steakhouse in Mofolo and I must say, the turn out was great. When I got there, my main man Big Daddy Mdoo was on the one's and two's. I only caught the last 30 minutes of his set but boy I have to say, I was blown away. Then the performance we were all waiting for; Zano!!! Oh the ladies were screaming...and the birthday boy had his hands in the air as well and singing along...yes, Jiyane was singing along to Zano's tunes. I was standing in the corner...singing along as well. Super performance from Zano. Immediately after that, my boy Zakes TruSole came on. IYOOOOO, what a deep and soulful set. I was really blown away. As per usual, the "spirit" possessed Zakes, and he really did his thing on the decks. I was even afraid of playing after him cause he had the crowd eating from the palm of his hands. The birthday boy's hands were really itching, and he opted to play a one-on-one set with me. What a fun set that was. We really had fun...and I believe the crowd did as well. On the whole, it was really a beautiful party that my man had on Saturday and big up everybody that came to support.

I was slightly disappointed by a few incidents that took place at the door. I fail to understand why people can't just support without wanting to cause havoc. I was happy however to see the guys sort their beef out quickly. On the whole, a very nice party. On Sunday, I had to wake up very early to do the 10km Soweto Marathon. Let me be honest, I was really unfit this year. Even as I write this blog, my muscles are still stiff from Sunday's run. I did however manage to finish the race. Shout out to Tirana and Andries. You guys kept me going even when I felt I couldn't do it anymore. I GOT MY MEDAL!!! Whoo hooo!!! I did spend the rest of the afternoon sleeping though...hahahaha.

Guys we are counting the days till the release of the loooooooong awaited Sai & Ribatone's "Here & Now" cd. 11 NOVEMBER 2011 is the official release date of this beautiful cd. I'm very privilaged because I had the opportunity of listening to the "finished" product and let me tell you, this is one cd you need to have in your collection. Get the Sai & Ribatone -  Here & Now this Friday guys. You will not regret it!!!

Summer Weekends

Hey there you guys,

Another weekend has come and gone and one that I will also document as a good weekend. Yes, I was a bit busy throughout the weekend and I have a few people that are really upset with me because I couldn't exactly spend time with them. All I can say to all of you guys is that I'm truly sorry. In life we all have what is called priorities and I had to prioritise a few things before I could spend time with you guys. Save all those "belated birthday drinks" for some other time guys. I'm sorry once again.

That said though, it doesn't take away the fact that I had a good time. On Friday I kicked off the weekend by having drinks with a few friends at the Green & Gold in Constantia Kloof. When it started raining, I decided to call it quits and head for the hood. My next stop was Waxmus' House Of Wax Sessions at Mmabutho's in Chiawelo. Even though the hommie Wax was a bit under the weather, he still managed to pull a nice session. Big up hommie. Hope you're feeling much better. Later I went to DiSofeng to check out my KayB's Foam Party. What a party. I honestly didn't think there'd be foam there (judging by the weather) but I got there and found foam all over. Katt, Kay-B, my boy Sai, you guys were really on a mission to get me drunk with all the Tecquilla shots hey. Every second person I hugged was wet from the foam. Good to see that we still have people that still party hard out there. Big up Kay-B, you had a killer party my man. Saturday was meant to be a big one for me but I had so much to do. It didn't help that the guys that had booked me for the Bowtie & Stilletto party decided to cancel me on the last minute. Guys, a simple lesson when it comes to running events, always keep your stakeholders at bay with everything that happens with your events. The lack of professionalism really put me off and I can say that I'll be able to work with you guys in the near future. Please get your house in order. Later I went to my second gig for the day, The Soweto Beer Festival. Wow!!! Big up to the organisers of this event. Everything was on point. The professionalism, the hospitality...everything. Eventhough the weather wanted to spoil the event, I was happy to see people dancing in the rain. The point was to have fun, and boy did the guys have fun.

I ended up playing a one-on-one set with my man Claude, and we both enjoyed it to the core. Pity we couldn't play for long. Thank you to all of you that came. Thank you to all of you that came to say "what's up" to me. It meant quite a lot.

Sunday was a day for relaxation. I was supposed to play at DJ Mbuso's CD Launch at Joe's in Alex but that fell through as well. I didn't complain though cause I really needed the rest. This weekend sees my boy DJ Jiyane celebrate his birthday. You know I'm gonna have a lot to say about that. It promises to be a killer party. Why don't you come and join us. I'll be giving you more info about that party later in the week. For now, I'd like to wish all of you a blessed week. Check me out during my escapades in the weekend with my boys...

Piece and love guys...

Stay True

Hi guys,

I hope you all had a good weekend. I have to say, this weekend has to have been one of the most enlightening weekends for me. I learnt the value of friendship over the weekend. So often we meet people in life and claim to be their friends but it takes one, just one incident to learn if they really who they claim to be. All I'm trying to say here guys is that actions speak louder than words; especially when it comes to friendships. Never call someone a friend when you know deep in you that they are not.

Interesting weekend though none-the-less. I would like to send a huge shoutout to Waxmus for a nice party on Friday at Sister Sister. I roped in a close friend of mine (Khotso) to have a one-on-one set with at Sister Sister and I really enjoyed it. Thank you to all of you that hung out with us. Next, we went to check my boy Big Sky's 30th birthday party at DiSofeng. Wow, what a party as well. Huge turn out. It was interesting to see my boy walking around with a bottle of Tecquilla and hugging everyone around. I'm not sure if he does remember speaking to me, but hey man, he had to let go, it was his special day. That was a lot of fun.

I missed out on the Frolic 6 gig on Saturday unfortunately but I believe it was a very good party. Shoutout to Frolic 6. On Sunday I had to play at Uba Ultra's gig at the Panyaza in Dube. That was also a nice party. I still don't know how I agreed to have those Tecquilla shots with Ribatone and Trevor The Japanesse, but hey, I did. Thank you for all the love guys and nice party Uba.

It's a brand new week guys and let's have a productive one. This coming weekend will be a hectic one. I'll keep you updated later in the week. The Soulful Kollective Radio Show #57 will be podcasted on Wednesday guys. My man Sai will be in the mix. Stay tuned for that...

The After Effect

Hey you guys,

What a weekend I must say. People say that for one to experience joy, you need to go through pain. When a baby's born, someone out there dies. Basically the ying yang theory explains it better. I have to say, this Saturday was one of those days where I overdid a bit...well...a lot...LoL. Yes, I had one too many. This however does not take away the fact that we had a dope time. If you missed out on the Soulful Kollective Night, hey, you did miss out. I can't excuse my drunkeness however, I wrote it down as one of those. I had a lot of fun...but too much fun I must say. I don't think I'm ever gonna go through that again because Sunday was a day from hell for me. I was literally sick the entire day. Yes, I did deserve it I suppose so yeah, it won't happen again...hahahahaha. I really am laughing about it but my good friends were there to make sure I got home safe. Thanks to my boys...

Well, welcome to yet another week guys. Let's all go through it in the most productive manner and achieve the best from it. Much love and respect.
And just for a good laugh, check out the look of a drunk dj as well... Hahahahaha... Yes, this is how I looked when I was sloshed but still managed to rock the crowd...hahahahaha... Happy days I tell ya...

Nitelife Saturdays with Blackcoffee

Check me out at Nitelife Saturday's doing my thing with Blackcoffee. What a night. Thanks Sai & Ribatone!!!http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKa2ta6A8dE

Soulful Kollective Night

Hey guys,

Welcome to my blogging page. Thank you for following me. There will nice goodies for you in the coming weeks from this page to keep you entertained for some time. Tell your friends to tell their friends that Brian Blaq is blogging and let's all be friends. Join me this Saturday (15 October 2011) at the Rockerfella Lounge with my compadres as we host yet another Soulful Kollective Night. Oh, you didn't know, Brian Blaq is a member of the Soulful Kollective!!!

As always, we feature the best dj's on the decks. This Saturday will not be different. We have on the decks Deep Xcape. I have to add that these cats have been producing some good music and doing great remixes. I'm a huge fan of these dO iT nOw Recording artists. We've also got Cnr537, DJ Spin The Rockster and my partners in crime of course, The Soulful Kollective (DJ Jiyane and Sai). It promises to be a beautiful night, so yeah, come hang out with us guys. Check out the latest Soulful Kollective Show #56 with my hommie DJ Jiyane in the mix guys...

Let the good times roll guys!!!