Sho Mag Afro House Magazine
With roots reaching back to it’s spiritual home of Seshego, a small township in Polokwane, South Africa. Katlego Ngoepe better known as “Katlego Swizz” has emerged as something of a polymath of the deep, driving electronic afro aesthetic in South African underground house music scene. ‘On The Spot Light’ we have ‘Katlego Swizz, Surreal Sounds head honcho’ and a man with passion for developing musicians. Welcome to it…
Sho!Mag: Thank you for taking some time out of your busy schedule to have a talk with us. Can you tell us who is Katlego Swizz and where is he from?
Katlego Swizz: Well it’s my pleasure. I’m born & raised in Polokwane, at a small township called “Seshego” ko Zone 4.
Sho!Mag: For you where does the love of Music come from especially House Music? How did your journey start and what drew you to house music?
Katlego Swizz: J Ok it all started back in the late 90s where growing up was something else, there was a guy by the name of William, and we used to call him “Willy Pere (Horse)’’, he used to be our fix in regards to new music around our block as ‘youngings’ growing up. Every graduation party, 21st Birthday Shandis, he was our fix guy. Then around 1998 ‘Dj Fresh’ released his ‘House Flava 1’, and I must say that record caught my attention. I was like: “What the hell is this? What do they call this type of music” ..
Then, around the year 2000 ‘Iggy Smallz’ dropped the ever so amazing album/compilation “Another Late Nite Sensation by Solantis Spice” (R.I.P) then that really changed my life. All 13 tracks spoke to me in a crazy way, which they still do even today. I started having this illusion of knowing the main people behind this recordings/music to a point where I used to know the track I.Ds off by heart even with the labels that released this music. Then as time went by, around 2003/4, there was a brother who inspired the thought in me of actually becoming more involved in this deejaying thing, his name is ‘DJ Beef Madcows’, also from here in Polokwane, literally not far from my house. In 2009, ‘Problem Child’ a.k.a ‘Ten83’ taught me how to Deejay, and gave me information about all the relevant fundamental tools I may need to be a pro deejay that I am today.
Sho!Mag: For the benefit of someone out there who might not be know you. What would you say is your role in House Music? Are you a Music Producer or A Deejay or just someone who happened to fall in love with the sound of House Music?
ANS: I’m a label manager by day for Surreal, and a deejay. I’ve started tapping into composing my own music which I’m loving the journey and challenge, I have a track which I produced and it actually took me a period of 6-8 months to complete from actually creating it, mixing it, mastering and even creating a dub version for it. I really take my time on the production side, I don’t want to rush into it because I know how much of a precious thing it is to me.
