Aurora features DJ Cole

With me today is a very popular and successful Nigerian DJ in Ukraine, and if you've never heard of him then my guess is that you've never attended any party in Ukraine. A recipient at the Hype awards for the Best DJ category, Readers, ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you DJ Cole.

Tell us a bit about yourself.

My name is Kolapo Durojaye Soyinka, but I am popularly known as DJ Cole. I'm a professional DJ and also a final year student living and schooling in Lugansk, Ukraine. I was born on the 9^th of July 1989 in the city of Lagos in Nigeria where I spent most of my years until I was fourteen and my dad died in a plane crash in Kano. Then I schooled in Ogun state, Jos and finally Abuja.

Do accept my condolences. When did you decide you wanted to become a DJ, is it a serious or an on-the-side thing?

I initially wanted to become a producer, because I had a couple of friends back at Lagos who were into music production. I spent most of my time there since I was fresh out of high school and was still looking for admission into the university. So for about two years, what with Jamb and its issues, I needed to do stuff to keep myself busy. I already had a laptop with a couple of production software which I used in creating beats, and that's how it all began.

I only ever really got serious about it when I arrived Ukraine. I mean I've invested a lot into it; my time, my money, my energy etc. I also study marketing, and who knows, maybe some day I might fuse the two together and create something good out of it.

Tell us about your current DJ / Production setup. What Hardware / Software do you use?

I use a Traktor sound-card and Traktor 2 software, Sample triggers, Vinyls and a Camera to record my performance. I'm sure other DJs can relate to all the software and equipment mentioned. What was the first event you ever played how was the experience? The first event I ever played was in Lugansk obviously. I had barely settled down in Ukraine when some guys were organizing an independence show. I had this friend called Marvelous, who knew I was into music and stuff so he asked if I could handle the music, and I was like “Sure, no problem.” The place was packed when I got there. So with my laptop, I went to get set up, and did my thing. Now that was just the show, the after party was the next day, and even though it didn't go as smoothly as I'd planned, I still managed to get the job done. I can only imagine how it you must have felt, wondering what songs to play and how the crowd would react, anyways, what’s the best event you’ve played at? That's kind of a tough question because I've played in so many awesome events. But if I must pick one which I consider the best, I'd pick the Hype awards which took place earlier this year. It was wicked that party, really crazy; a lot of Nigerians and other Africans from all the states attended the party. The second best party was the one I attended a few weeks back, The DON'T DULL PARTY in Zaporozhye organized by Zap city entertainment. I am sure you were there because you said you would. The party rocked so much that by six O'clock I had to go out of my way to announce that it was over and I was already tired. Yeah I attended DON'T DULL party and boy do I have a lot of things to say about it. But that's another story all together. When you play is it a planned set? Initially yes, and I used to be nervous, you know that fear of failure or messing up, but recently I think I've outgrown all that, and I'm now more of a producer than the usual DJ where I play from a list of already packaged songs and stuff. Now, I try to remix it live on stage. The long and short of it is that when I get to the venue, I automatically know the kind of song to play. For example if I go to a club with a lot of guys, I automatically know to play a lot of songs from maybe 9ice, Terry G and other related artists. However if there are a lot of girls, I tend to blend it a bit and play a bit of Wizkid, Jamaican dance hall, you know, just go with the flow.

Have you ever collaborated with any other DJs or artist, if so, how was the experience, and where did it happen?

I've collaborated with so many DJs, but the one I can remember clearly, and it wasn't necessarily a collaboration, it was more of an opening, was with DJ Jam Jam when he fist came to Donetsk earlier this year. It was organized by H1 entertainment. I've worked with Baal, who works and schools in Ternopil. I've worked with so many Russian DJs, Arab DJs and so on. I've done a few things with some artists like Preachaz son, who, in my opinion, is one talented dude. I hope to work with him again and again. I was the one that made the beats for his song Oleku Ebano. He mentioned me in the song saying, “DJ Cole on the beat.” but people keep thinking he said “DJ Cole na bitch.”

Who’s throwing the best parties at the moment?

At the moment, to be honest there are some wack parties going on all over, but the people really making waves are Hypnotic entertainment, H1, Ginjah entertainment, and until recently Omiszy and of course Zap city. These guys have never disappointed before.

What’s you favorite track / record / album / mix set of all time?

Dancehall, Chaka Demus and Pliers, BamBam, Murder she wrote. For hip-hop I'd go with Dead Presidents II by Jay Z, and One Mic by Nas, and Tupac Amaru Shakur. In the Nigerian section, I love anything from D'Banj.

Where do you live currently?

I live in Lugansk, in Ukraine

Funniest thing that ever happened at an event?

Last year while playing in a club, this chick approached me and asked if she could drop her bag in the DJ boot then she accidentally hit the stop button and everybody was like DJ Cole, WTF. So in the midst of all the tension and angry stares, I tried to fix everything while the girl just stood there looking confused. It was a funny thing, and I keep getting dissed for it. Another funny one happened when a guy this time came to meet me, and I was thinking he wanted to hail me instead he poured his beer on my laptop. I was so mad, but the party comes first and it had to continue. Back then it wasn't funny but nowadays I look back at it and laugh.

Other DJs you rate?

I think the highest on my ratings is DJ Neptune, followed by DJ flavor in Malaysia, then DJ Jam Jam. I also love the foreign DJ Vice

What do you think about MC’s and their role in hip-hop/dance music culture?

If there is a rapport between the DJs and the MC the party is going to go on smoothly. But in a case where the DJ is doing his own thing, and the MC is doing his own thing too, there will be confusion obviously.

What do you do outside of the dance music scene?

I like to hang out with friends, do random things and talk about stuff. I like cooking, people even say I'm a good cook.

I'm sure you're a good cook, but you'll have to pass my bouillabaisse test before I believe it, lol. What do you dislike most when working?

I hate when people come up to me while I'm working, and asking me to play this or that like I have no clue what I am doing, then when you eventually play it, every other person on the dance floor starts hating on it. Don't get me wrong though, there's a difference between requesting that I play a song and ordering me to play a song. I like it when organizers understand their roles and let me as the DJ do my work because I am supposed to be the people person, I understand what the crowd wants, I don't tell you which club to use likewise you shouldn't tell me what song to play, however I respect all party organizers because it's really not an easy thing to partake in.

This is your last year here right? Are you staying back to continue with the “Djing” or are you passing the deck to someone else, if so, can you briefly introduce the person.

Yeah this is my final year. I'm not staying here; I've got to move on. I really want to do my masters in Marketing, and like I said earlier find a way to fuse the two things I love together and see how it goes. So definitely I'm passing the deck on to no other person than DJ Jizzle. The guy is a cool kid and is loyal to the people he is loyal too, if you get what I mean?

Any advice for upcoming DJs.

I'm also an upcoming DJ myself, however I would like to just say that it's not about the equipment, it's about the music. I don't smile much, but I've found that the best way to uplift the crowd in a party is by smiling and dancing like you're enjoying it. It is important because people look up to you as the life of the party, and the only way you can keep the life running is by playing good music. If you're timid, people tend to see that, and take you for granted.

Anything else you want to say? Any shout out?A big shout out to Hypnotic entertainment, especially Uche, Precious, Emeka and Ebube. Another shout out to my close friend Annabel Omire, Emeka, Harini Aliovna, Preachaz son, Johnson and Fejay Dave. To my uncle my number one role model, my mum and my brother Meyuho Bassey. And also to everyone that has been there for me and has helped me through a lot of things.

I'm glad to have had you on my blog DJ Cole, it was a pleasurable experience, and I hope to have you here again in the not too distant future.

Disclaimer: The picture above was taken from the pictures posted by Ginjah entertainment on the Candy Party.