Recorded at Red Bull Studios: DJ Dreas - Tangerine
Andreas Ngula Nambambi, better known as DJ Dreas, is a producer and DJ from Namibia who has been making house music since high school. Having made a name for himself at home, he is now looking to get his music heard in South Africa. He recently visited the Red Bull Studios in Cape Town to work on his latest EP ‘Tangerine’ which is out now. Listen to the EP below and read on to find out how DJ Dreas got his start and how he has grown into the artist he is today.
What kind of music was playing at home growing up?
Growing up we were still very primitive, we had our own genres. Well not really our own, we copied South Africa from kwaito, but there is a genre called oviritje and traditional music.
When did you first discover house music at which artists did you get into?
Around 2010 I discovered Heavy K, he was my favourite at the time. He dropped this hot single “Wena” featuring Mpumi and I fell in love with that so I dug into what was all about and I fell in love with his whole style of music.
What came first, DJing or production?
I started producing first. Heavy K inspired me. I was really struck by how that song “Wena” was put together and I was curious and wanted to find out how he did it. So I picked up my first computer in 2012, I was starting high school and convinced my parents to get a computer for the house for school, and I picked up FL Studio. I was just playing around and figured it’s much more complex than it seems like so I just stopped for a while. Then I had a friend who was a house music head just like me and I showed him the software and he said my stuff wasn’t bad I just need to try to do more. So I listened to him and I tried and tried. Then the exponential growth from sounding whack to sounding good was so quick. Within a month I went from being really whack to being able to hear melodies, within 3 months it was full beats and after a year I was already producing beats for local artists. That’s when we knew. So I kept on pushing and I’m here now.
© JONATHAN FERREIRA
So you’re self-taught?
I’m all self-taught with a little bit of YouTube to get the know-how of the software not copying how one does things.
When did you start DJing?
I started in high school. I come from a very small town of about 16000 people. So I thought how can I get my music out in the town and streets and hopefully the bigger cities in Namibia? My friends said I need to DJ at every hot spot. My own music and other people’s music and become a big DJ so I can present people my music. So that’s how I started. My first gig was a high school gig, it was a Valentine’s Ball.
How has your sound evolved over the years?
It evolved from me being heavily inspired by the likes of Heavy K, Black Coffee & Prince Kaybee. Because that’s what was being fed to us in Namibia. So it evolved from that to right now as my own identity which is deeper and quite unorthodox in some regard and very rich in elements. In layman’s terms, it came from a place where I’m trying to copy into something that’s my own stuff.
© JONATHAN FERREIRA
Who inspires you today?
I listen to a lot of Pablo Fiero, he’s a Spanish DJ, he does really good deep, afro house. Black Coffee really inspires me. And a lot of SA deep house artists because in Namibia I’m the only one I know that really makes good deep house. Also Adam Port, Andme, the guys from Germany.
What were you working on in studio?
I worked on a 4-track EP. I had a pianist, vocalists and a bass guitarist. I’m trying to find a balance between very deep and more commercial sounding house, but regardless of how it is, it’s still me. I’m just trying to make the best sounding music possible.
Where do you hope to take your music?
I hope it falls on more South African ears. I feel like I’ve made a good name for myself back home and now I want to penetrate the South African market or at least the Cape Town market more and just spread the music. Hopefully, people enjoy my and my music’s vibes.
Connect with DJ Dreas on Facebook, Twitter, Soundcloud and Instagram. Listen to "Tangerine" on your favourite platform here.
This interview first appeared on Red Bull Music.