Sho Mag Afro House Magazine
Sho!Mag: Ladies are definitely doing it for themselves and from where we stand, ‘they are on point’. Any plans of having a ‘Surreal Sound’s First Lady’ soon?
Katlego Swizz: Well yeah, but that lady has to be very conscious about music, she has to have that conscious ear for music. Most importantly she has to be open minded to new sounds because I tend to have a very broad musical understanding and expect nothing less from those we work with.
Sho!Mag: You have worked with a lot of talent and upcoming House Music Producers and have also played a major part in grooming and ultimately bringing out the best within them. According to you, what does one need in order for them to make it in this industry?
Katlego Swizz: Discipline, taking things easy, not rushing anything, understanding how the business works ‘I still learn this everyday’, understanding yourself as a musician, understanding your sound & being attentive.
Sho!Mag: How is it like working with so many talented Music Producers and Deejays within your Label and how do you ensure that talent is properly managed and natured?
Katlego Swizz: It first starts with knowing where they come from, understanding their dark side. Everyone has their own dark side, so I think this actually gets me to be closer to them and attaching their personal issues to the music they do. Weird as it may sound but this is my formula, I mean if you want to work with someone you never met before in your life and for a long time, you have to know ‘them on a personal level’. To me that is what makes the connection to be even stronger.
Sho!Mag: Are there any particular music projects you are currently working on? What can we the public expect from Katlego Swizz and Surreal Sounds Music in the near future?
Katlego Swizz: More music, more young talented musicians from across the world, not just around South Africa. There is an ongoing project that we are pushing as a label titled “Within Da Beats”, a project where we unearth never heard before creatives. So far we have released music by ‘Stereotic’ from Polokwane, South Africa, the mighty twins from Richards Bay, South Africa “OU & Sizz”, ‘Baardman’ from the U.K, Newcastle and Denilen from Germiston’, South Africa. We have some of other guys on the way to check out: “DeepSouls” (Alberton), ‘’Mike Pieterson’’ (Amsterdam), “Tribe Franko” (Alexandra, Johannesburg) and couple more.
Sho!Mag: Placing you ‘On The Spot Now’, is South African House Music heading towards the right direction? Are we growing or going backwards or just standing in the same spot we were years ago?
Katlego Swizz: Musically, yes!!! we are growing, I have a lot of faith on that aspect. We only need support and backing from the corporate industry. By creating platforms which can be able expose to the world, the talent we have in the underground house music scene.
Sho!Mag: Closing it off, what would be your final message to some ‘young talented bedroom producer’ who is trying to crack open into House Music Industry? Lets face it, they have a huge role to play and House Music is in their hands.
Katlego Swizz: Keep making more beats, more than anything understand your sound, know potential labels that may be the right plug for your sound, search for anything that may take you forward – every right tool you may need, take this as a hard-labour job cause in some way it is. Understand the value of your work, put a price on it if you have to. I constantly search a lot online for anything that may take me and the team forward, it’s not an easy ride but we are the only hope we have to house music.
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Contact Katlego Swizz: k.ngoepe@icloud.com
