Interviews

I was kinda proud of my Dune Rats interview!

The Witness 17/4/2013

The Witness 4/ 4/ 2013

A day before he was set to play in Durban for the Uber Cool pre Splashy party I managed to steal five minutes of Niskerone’s time away from the recording in studio. Can I just say that I was so super nervous to speak to him … Because I love this man!

So I want to ask; Niskerone? Your name is Mark Stevens, where did this name come from?

Yeah, it was a name I have had for the last fifteen years or so. It is just a name I grew up with.

You are so young to be so successful

Thank you, I believe it [my success] comes from my love of music. I work really hard and any success I have had has come from hard work and luck.

Where are you from originally?

I am from Michaels Plane.

Yeah? Do you think you have been very lucky?

Yes, I have had some awesome encounters and lots of luck.

I stumbled upon a survey of DJ’s by DJ Mag, for the top 30 South African DJ’s and you, sir, were number 15.

I think it is more a reflection of my fan base. I don’t believe it is an actual reflection of my music. I have worked very hard. But I am very humbled. I am an everyday dude, nobody special.

I am looking forward to seeing your collaboration with Miki San at Splashy this year.

Yeah I think this Splashy is going to be insane, it is my second time there so yeah, excited.

Who are you most looking forward to watching at this year’s music festival?

To be honest my schedule is so tight this year. I won’t be able to see half the acts that I want to. I am flying in, then I have to do the drive then I do my thing on stage then I go to Jo’burg. And I am the biggest music fan.

Oh no, so you won’t be staying with us?

No, it sucks. I would love to stay and enjoy the music.

I actually hadn’t heard of Miki San until I saw you were going to play with him. What can we expect out of this collaboration, a bit of rap?

Yeah. I have been working with Miki for a year, a year and a half now. He usually MC’s or hosts my shows. He just adds something extra to all of the shows we do together, and to my music. He just brings in such a crazy element.

Tell me, who we should be paying attention to in terms of electronic dance music in South Africa?

My favorite people at the moment are Sibot for sure. Also the Das Kapital set is amazing. They are two of my favorite. I am really feeling them. I really like artists that do something different. That is what interests me. Don’t just mix stuff together that doesn’t interest me, give me something different.

Just before you go, please tell us something that we don’t know about you.

Um, Ok, I guess people don’t expect it, but I am actually a very private guy. I don’t know I can’t think of anything.

Oh come on, everybody says that.

Ok I love meat!

You love meat?

Yeah I eat too much of it, I love red meat. I eat it a lot.

So I expect to see you all on Friday at 11pm for the Niskerone ft Miki San set at the Uber Cool Dance Valley at Splashy!

I have already told you what an absolute pleasure it was meeting this talented musician, so as promised, here is my Durban interview with Das Kapital.

Because this  article was initially printed in a family newspaper, I was not able to include the real nitty - gritty, where we chatted about drugs sex and I actually use the 'C' word. So here is the unadulterated version. For the PC version see my page below.

Should we start this thing?

Yeah I'm keen to start.

This is always a little awkward, I don't know, let's talk about music I guess. Where you one of those angsty teenagers who listened to Blink - 182 in your room alone?

No

I listened to them...

Well I had [the album] but I was never like "Blink-182 speaks to my soul". I never listened to As I lay Dying. I listened to Blink-182 when they did their first album because Travis Barker is a phenomenal drummer and I listened to them for their musicality...

Yeah, I think he is amazing.

There were those two songs off that album (proceeds to hum). I bought that album just because I liked the drums on those songs.

He is an amazing drummer, I must say though that I did not buy the album. I actually taped them...I was like 13 and cassettes  were in!

You should never copy music... Tell me it was at least from a hard copy?

So you still buy music?

Yeah I do. A lot of dance records. I buy to support my fellow artists.

Do you support local music or do you download everybody else and buy local music?

I support everybody in South Africa - and every other artist that I like.

I must admit, I support South Africans and download the rest... Please don't judge...

Well I mean there are a few artists that I know who send me some of their work. The thing you learn with dance music is that it is not about who has what or who plays what. It is about who has that shit that five people in the world have, you will hear a tune tonight that has not been played anywhere else in South Africa yet. That's the point, I know that it's not just going to be like playing Levels...

Yeah well everyone loves that...

I have never played Levels once.

Really? I am going to check that

I have never played levels once and that’s a fact...

Really

I have never played a single version of levels EVER.

I'm going to check up on that...

You can check any mix, any shows ever. I have never played levels in a DJ booth ever.

I think I will definitely check that...

I like the song, I think the beat is good, but I only heard about it when it was main stream already. It is like a dance industries secret weapon. It’s like one of the biggest tracks around the world but I won’t play it just to please the crowd, I want to give them more.

Tell me about the music?

 People often come up to me and they are like “brah that remix you did was so awesome”.  It’s not a remix, but thank you, I am glad you liked it. That’s what counts.

I’m not going to sit there and be a boring DJ and drop three songs on top of each other. I take DJing really seriously. But I also know that other people are just there to listen so hopefully they are having a good time. That’s all that matters. The end. It doesn’t matter what genre I play, as long as they (the fans) are having a good time. Like I told you I will not play Levels just because the crowd reacts. I want to play music they haven’t heard before, but something that will make them go “shit I never thought I liked dubstep before” or "Yeah I like dubstep, I like drum 'n bass, but I have never listened to house music - when you played house it was great”. That’s what counts, because I know there is good music in every genre. That’s what I want to expose people to. People think I'm an electro DJ. I'm not. I am a DJ that plays music from fucking, 110 all the way through to 175 BPM, it doesn't make a difference.

At this point we are interrupted by a pretty, but pretty annoying groupie. She says something in groupie language that I can’t understand then she’s off to look for a lonesome DJ.

I think she’s on drugs...

Are you on drugs?

No I'm not. People think I'm on drugs all the time but I just have a really big work ethic. After this really intense week that was a really shit time in my life, people were on Twitter saying “Hay bro I heard you like the drugs #true/false”? And I just wanna say “You know what, fuck all of you! You don’t know me. I don’t do the drugs and if I did, you wouldn't know about it because I'm not stupid! Fuck you!”... But then I realise I'm being unreasonable. The point is if I was going to do drugs I wouldn't advertise it because I don’t want to make other people do drugs. I don’t want other people to see me smoking in a photo and think smoking is cool - Smoking is shit, drinking is shit, and drugs are shit. If you do that - good for you, I have nothing against you. I am not going to judge you. I just don’t condone publicly making a point of getting people to do that shit. Pop music now is about drugs, sex and all of that shit. I love drugs and sex as much as the next person, but I am not advocating it! I am not selling drugs and sex to teenagers. I am selling you a good time. I am selling you dance music.

So Dance music – That’s what you are?

I'm about selling dance music. My craft is dance music. Whether it is chilled out and mellow and you are having cocktails on a Sunday, or it is Friday night and you are literally bleeding out your ears because it is so loud. Either way, to me, it means something. And I respect the culture.

Tell me about yourself

I'm male, average height, I like long walks on the beach... not really. I'm an in-doors kinda guy. You know how most people are tanned and you can see a definition between where their tan line ends and their body begins...

Let’s see it!

See what? I am one colour! I am one shade of white thank you... I have spent three years in-doors writing music so it’s pretty much understandable. I come out at night, I have a little bit of a shirt tan from driving, but that is as far as it goes.

You have a shirt tan from driving? Impressive ... I don’t even have that. Um we all want to know, are you straight or are you gay, or are you both?

Um, I am entirely straight. I say that because I have been offered (sex) by men a lot. Mainly by men who are like, “ Oh when you turn 25 you will realise you are gay”, and I have to say, “ I appreciate that you would like me to be gay but I'm not”.

But you are kind of pretty though

You know I have worked really hard to resemble whatever I resemble. I don’t know what I look like but I don’t for one second think that I'm particularly good looking and I am being genuine. Just because I have spent years feeling like, “meh I look shit”. Well, let’s call it high school or like primary school.

Where you made fun of?

Well no, maybe in primary school, but then I kinda grew up a little...

And then everybody wanted to be you?

Haha. No. Then I started doing my own thing and stopped giving a shit about everybody else. And then suddenly all the people who normally wouldn't have five minutes to talk to me, come back to me after school and are like, “Oh you’re doing so well for yourself, ah isn't that great”.

And that’s when you say, “Fuck you thanks for being such a bitch at school you cunt”. Sorry but I hate those people - and I reserve the ‘C’ for a special kind of a-hole! And I think you are sexy as hell... (professionalism)! Somebody hands us a shot of tequila and I realise that professional me left the building a few sentences ago and that I really should just have fun now. 

What do you want people to know about you?

I want you to tell people I'm a nice guy.

OK. He really is a nice guy! So ladies next time you see him don't just fling your crusty knickers at him, say something intelligent to win his heart... And he loves Jagermeister - So get him drunk on that! 

This is the published version of my interview which
 I also designed in The Weekend Witness 2 /02/2013. This is a version your kids can read.