Get Your Groove On!

All work and no play makes Sandy`s blog boring right? Well i just thought I’d put a Disc jockey on our blog to spice things up.

If you`ve been around the block for a while then you would have heard of our very own Jimmy the bald headed guy. Yep, he`s bald headed alright but he`s got some bad collections of African music.

He`s going to be telling us a little about himself and what it takes to be a Dj shortly but in the interim get your groove on.

Click this link for some of Jimi`s cool mix

zSHARE - Naijamix Select 33.mp3

    What is your real name?

Olujimi Akinniyi

   Where exactly is Jimi based?

United Kingdom

   How and when did you start disc jocking?

!999

  What`s it like to be a Dj in the U.K?

Very rewarding and fullfilling.

   How do foreigners relate to African music? Do you think they appreciate our beat, language and style?

Foreigners respond positively to African Music. I could even say that they do more than we(Africans ) Afrobeat for example,  is well partronised by the whites than us.

    Is there a school for Dj`s? How do you acquire the skill?

Not that I know of even though there are some vocational curricullum fused into the secondary schools but by and large it’s all about the interest and passsion really. And that is how you acquire your mixing skills.

   Is it lucrative to be a Dj or is it just done for the love of music?

Primarily for the love but it could extend to a lucrative business. But really it has worked out for most of us (Naija Djs) as an alternative source of income. And also a very good platform to spin off some other concepts that could transform into good business ventures. In my case, Deejaying has helped me  venture into Live Music Promotions and also Music Distribution.

    Is there anything else you could see yourself doing outside this?

Well it has to be related Ah mean has to do with Deejaying. I actually started out as a journalist( which I still am) and that led me to Deejaying. Now I am a media manager. I feel blessed because when it comes to Naija music, I write about it, and also deejay it. I could also present and produce it and I could also manage the Artist.

   Any other Dj`s you admire?

Number One is KC  aka First Choice KC.  He is the biggest UK Naija Dj on the scene and he actually trained me. He recently opened a classy wine bar. I also rate Dj Abass because he also transformed from Basic Deejaying a Media Manager. Lastly is Dj Akin the owner of what I know will soon become the  biggest Naija Music Website  for downloads it’s called wetin-dey.com.

I admire him because he is given everything he has into promoting Naija music. He used to be an “Oyinbo” Dj not even knowing one Naija song as in five years ago. And just at the slightest introduction, he went as far as creating business ventures for it.

 Which Nigerian artist in your opinion will you say has an international appeal?

They all have (trying to zero in on your concept of “internationalism”). And I believe that the more Nigerian you are about your music, the more potential you have to be internationally recognised. What the most popular Nigeria music genre internationally. Is it not Afrobeat? And we know how Sunny was well recognised too. And we have ASA rocking the so-called international scene with her “ contemporary Jazz style laced with Deep Yoruba Lyrics” and belive me that was how the French introduced her to the world. Despite the fact that she started her career in Nigeria. For Three prior, it became a big Question Mark on how she could make it.

  What`s it like living in the U.K compared to living in Nigeria?

Secured.  Very comfortable but not fullfilling. As for me sha! It’s like I’m a stranger after over twenty years in the UK. I would rather come home and lay my bed properly so that I can sleep well.

 Any dreams you would like to share with Sandy`s blog?

Really I dream that Nigeria should be a better place us. Yeah! And our Entertainment Industry to be more  standardised than it is. I always pray that managements  and media should put in more conscious and dedicated  effort in promoting our own thing. Not importing anymore foreign ideas or concepts.

 Finally, our popular question. Who is your own female sex icon.

As long as my wife ain’t seeing this, Mercy Aigbe

Well people once again another promise kept.