Lunga Jelwana aka Kop Afro Soul #DHLAinnerview produced by Lucinda Gail Roux

13.6.16

Lucinda Gail Roux  aka Dj Lusanda is on fire these days. Having given you the Ovylarock #DHCinnerview and the Dj SPYC9T1 #DHLAinnerview, she is on her way to the very top

Here goes...



Casually known as “Kop” by many, Lunga Jelwana aka Kop Afro Soul is a deep house producer, DJ and entrepreneur. Kop grew up in Khayelitsha Cape Town, the second biggest township in South Africa after Soweto. With new talent constantly emerging from Khayelitsha, Kop recently moved back to this vibrant place where inspiration awaits at the doorstep. From the days of Vudu Lounge in Cape Town and Afrodesiamp3.com, to his own tracks being selected by house veterans like DJ Christos, Dino Michael and Tim White for their compilations, it has surely been a soulful musical journey for Kop.

DJ Lusanda: First things first. Tell us where does the name Kop Afro Soul come from?

KopAfroSoul: I grew up with the name Kop and I added Afro Soul from Afro Soul Brothers which is a group we (me and my friend Phira) started after we were in to the sound.

DJ Lusanda: Please tell us more about your brand Kop Afro Soul and Afro Soul Bro’s? What is your brand’s most important value?

KopAfroSoul: Well, Kop Afro Soul is a SA based DJ/Producer, who started as a club DJ and secured residency in local pubs in the townships around CPT. I then grew my brand through my music and associating with well-known brands and DJ's who saw a future and potential in me.

DJ Lusanda: You are a deep house DJ and producer. Where did your passion for music start and how did it lead to you making your own music?

KopAfroSoul: It started back in the days when my family used to play music all the time when I was at home. I loved their sound but my passion diverted to the love of a sound that was different back then. It lead me to listen to a lot of radio mixes and I collected cassettes and so forth. Music production started with ideas and hearing things and wanting to interpret what I heard and felt at the time, but I couldn’t understand how to go about doing so. So then I learned with software how to make music and learned some instruments. I then studied sound engineering and production in 2006 and that's how it all began.

DJ Lusanda: How did you learn the skills of DJing? Did you attend any formal courses?

KopAfroSoul: I didn’t attend any classes at an institution to learn to DJ. Basically I am self-taught and I started playing with vinyls. I crafted my skill with tips and advice from industry professionals and observing them play.

DJ Lusanda: William Shakespeare said: “The world’s a stage and all the men and women merely players!” You have certainly been a player on many different stages. What was your most memorable show?

KopAfroSoul: In 2005, Mabonakude Farm. I was with friends and we drove a long road and got lost. We arrived there and we rocked the party and left. It was really a memorable experience for us.

DJ Lusanda: Music production is quite complicated. Please tell us how and when this journey started for you?

KopAfroSoul: In 2006 when I formally started to work with music production software. After finishing my sound engineering and production studies at College of Audio Engineering, I could fully understand and implement what I've been taught and I could project my ideas and thoughts into a form of music.

DJ Lusanda: What do you regard as the three most important tools (hardware and/or software) to produce a great song?

KopAfroSoul: A professional studio is most important for quality. However, a great track requires good musicians to play instruments, strong vocalists and a songwriter with proper writing skills.

DJ Lusanda: Producers are always working on a myriad of tracks at the same time. Bits and pieces of tracks and samples scattered everywhere on their desktops. I am sure you also have a number of tracks in progress, but tell us how do you decide your track is complete? As in done and dusted.

KopAfroSoul: Many people say you need an external reference or review from an industry leader perhaps. However, I trust my sound and I can feel it when a song is properly done… and dusted, like you say. I will never send or release unfinished music, it’s unprofessional.

DJ Lusanda: As a DJ and producer, you have the opportunity to play and test your own music. What are some of the ups and downs you experience when you play your new material?

KopAfroSoul: I don't really test my music but when a track is done, I will play it, because it comes from within. I am grateful that my music is out there for people to appreciate and that is an additional blessing. It is a great feeling to know that I have achieved my primary objective, which was to get my music out there.



DJ Lusanda: Congratulations on two of your tracks being selected for Deep From The Motherland Volumes 1 and 2 that was compiled by Dino Michael and DJ Christos. How did those incidents influence your career?

KopAfroSoul: I am very thankful to Christos as he has always seen my potential and believed in me from the beginning. This project has inspired me to continue producing and releasing better music.

DJ Lusanda: The 90% local music policy recently implemented by the SABC is positive news for local producers like you. How has this change affected you personally?

KopAfroSoul: It hasn't really changed a lot for me. I still do what I do and I do it the same way as I have always done.

DJ Lusanda: Which track of yours has performed the best so far in terms of radio airplay and downloads?


KopAfroSoul: I can’t really say or name anything specific. Many of my tracks have been circulating and this just makes me want to continue this path of doing what I love and doing it better.

DJ Lusanda: If you could collaborate with anyone (dead or alive) to produce a track, who would you want to work with and why?

KopAfroSoul: It has to be Lebo Mathosa, in my opinion she was the greatest vocalist. She changed the musical path for South Africa as a whole and she was such a versatile female vocalist, a true souvenir.

DJ Lusanda: Who or what inspires you and keeps you moving forward when life gets tough?

KopAfroSoul: This is a difficult one. My late mother was and still is my inspiration.

DJ Lusanda: Any big future plans for your brand Kop Afro Soul, like releasing your own album soon?

KopAfroSoul: All I can say is this summer, watch out. That's all!

DJ Lusanda: Well that’s a wrap. Thank you to Kop Afro Soul for taking the time to share some insight into his musical journey.

Catch Kop Afro Soul on the following pages:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KOPAFROSOUL/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/kopafrosoul
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kopafrosoul/
SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/kop-afro-soul
Traxsource: https://www.traxsource.com/artist/263296/kop-afro-soul
 #ThatsAwrap







1 comment

  1. One of the most respected DJ's with so much drive for success and just good music... Keep it Kop , see u on BET Awards 2020. Vido

    ReplyDelete

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