Ibiza By Night met the dj and produce SHIMZA for an exclusive interview!
Shimza (in the picture below), a charismatic figure within South Africa’s music scene and one of the leaders of house music in Africa, is now making global waves with a forthcoming Cadenza Records EP in July, and an impending release on Knee Deep In Sound. This Tembisa-born artist is one of Africa’s most celebrated musicians and is taking his infectious style of “afro-tech” music all over the world. Heading out on tour across Europe this summer, he is set to perform at some of the planet’s most iconic events, including his very own One Man Show concept in Paris and Lisbon.
Ibiza By Night met Shimza and here you have the interview…
IBN: What is your relationship with Ibiza? What does Ibiza mean to you?
SHIMZA: “My relationship with Ibiza is one funny one! I never used to know about Ibiza, what happens there and who goes there till someone I knew very well started working there. He used to tell me about this place that’s the capital of dance music and how crazy and influential the place was and one day out of nowhere there was an email in my bookings email to book me for the closing party of Destino with Luciano. Once I got there my whole perspective of what I thought it was came to life, till today I see myself back on that island every year.“
IBN: What track do you think captures the true feeling of Ibiza?
SHIMZA: “It can never be one track, there are so many sounds that are played on the island and the fact that different cultures and backgrounds meet there makes it even more interesting. We learn so much from a lot of people there because everyone brings something from somewhere and showcases it on the island. I’d say the exchange of cultures and musical backgrounds that meet here capture the true feeling of ibiza!”
IBN: What was your favourite moment/memory on the island?
SHIMZA: “My favorite moment/memory on the island was me living there for 4 months last year, as it was the best experience for me. I learnt about the island, it’s politics, the different venues and nights, I understood why other DJs were bigger than others. I got to experience that industry in depth, which helped me understand where and how I would want to position myself moving forward. It was a great experience as well because I got to connect with people from different parts of the world and meet some of the most influential and great people in the world.”
IBN: Could you tell us a little bit about how you came into the music industry?
SHIMZA: “I came into the music industry at a very young age, starting out as a regular music listener, collecting music on CDs. I started DJing shortly after and then started collecting my own vinyls and later becoming a full on DJ that lives through that art. It’s been an very interesting journey for me because I’ve gone through many transitions, from DJing on belt drive turntables, using one CDJ and a turn table, moving onto Technics turntables then later used CDJ and now on USBs. That experience has helped me understand my art and has given me the upper hand when it comes to understanding in depth what I’m doing right now. The love of music will always be there and the experience will always set me apart from some DJs that are my age.”
IBN: We’d love to hear about your upcoming projects and where we can catch you in Ibiza.
SHIMZA: ” I have 2 exciting EP releases scheduled for this summer, one with Cadenza and one with Knee Deep In Sound. I will be playing at HS82’s Knee Deep In Peckham event on July 20th and also at Vagabundos with Luciano on August 2nd.”
Thanks Shimza!
If you want to hear a recent Shimza’s performance, here you have it!
Credits: Special thanks to Rozie Steel for the support
