Lockdown Party lifeline for house music artists
With concerns rising from all parts of the country about the survival of artists during the
no-gig period due to Covid-19, DJ Shimza has come to their rescue.
The house music DJ signed a groundbreaking deal with Channel O to help well-known and upcoming artists to bag some money during the 21- day lockdown period, and all they have to do is show up at a studio and entertain music fans online.
The globally acclaimed house music artist, real name Ashley Raphala, introduced the #Lockdown- HouseParty on Friday, which he said will keep masses entertained during the lockdown.
The idea follows #OnlineQuarantineParty, which was streamed online and attracted more than 130 000 viewers on Saturday last week.
The online party featured DJ Maphorisa, Kabza De Small, DJ Zinhle and Black Motion,
among others.
And the same line-up has been used for the launch of #Lockdown- HouseParty.
“It was my idea to have an online party with artists that would be on a normal club line-up to keep South Africans entertained during this tough time and the numbers made me realise that this is what our people really needed, so I knew it had to go on TV. I recruited pH because he is well-informed on the TV and entertainment industry,” he said.
He said the idea was to ensure that Mzansi does not forget its favourite artists during the time when everyone was concerned about their health as Covid-19 threatens the lives of many – but they now aim for the idea to go beyond the borders of the lockdown.
“We are working on ensuring that this partying goes forever. We can change how things are
done and deliver music in any way we can, we can dance and have fun at home,” said Shimza.
DJ pH said they will cover different genres to make way for more artists to be featured.
He said females and LGBTIQ+ musicians were expected to be featured.
“I think that this party opened a path for other guys to do the same thing where, during
this week or so, we’ll see a lot of streaming parties happening. It was great seeing people following what we did this past weekend,” he said.
Arts and Culture Minister Nathi Mthethwa last week said local artists needed to be supported as their industry was experiencing many challenges.
“Due to the current circumstances, there is a strong request from the arts sector for all
media platforms to re-adjust the scale of local music in favour of local artists, a a means of protecting artists’ livelihoods,” he said.
Other commentators, however, said Mthethwa didn’t go far enough to advocate for the sustenance of the industry in this tough time.
