DJ Qness Gathers His Biggest Collab Team Yet As He Drops ‘Starry Sky’ with Locnville And K.O

DJ QNESS

Follow DJ Qness, Locnville and K.O online!

DJ Qness

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/qnessdj

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/djqness/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/DJQness

LOCNVILLE

https://contra-banned.com/

https://twitter.com/Locnville

https://www.instagram.com/locnville/

https://www.facebook.com/Locnville/

K.O

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MrCashtime/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MrCashtime

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mrcashtime/

ABOUT DJ QNESS

After a stellar 2017, thanks to success at his MetroFM Music Award win for his Deep House compilation, Essential Selections, DJ QNESS, South Africa’s first-ever celebrity Beats by Dr Dre ambassador is taking over 2018 thanks to his latest Just Music statement, The Art Of EDM.

Regardless of his discernible success, this 34-year-old recording artist and record producer born-and-raised Qhubani Ndlovu, aka DJ QNESS, has never been more relevant as a brand in every sense of the word.

Think tastemaker, brand custodian, influencer and game-changer and the label to attach to each is QNESS. Enviably connected and plugged into some of the freshest voices rising up through the noise, DJ QNESS’ knack for spotting and nurturing raw talent and turning them into polished world-class and competing gems is what makes him a very rare breed indeed.

Not only is DJ QNESS armed with a complete album filled with aural bliss, 2018 is setting up to be the talent’s biggest year, yet. On tour, performing live alongside musicians and vocalists, this DJ’s reimagining the world of electronic dance music and in the process attracting invites to perform across Africa, Europe and the US over the course of the coming months.

Add to that a blinding, out-of-leftfield brand-new track, featuring two of the biggest chart-hugging names – KO and Locnville – and it’s abundantly clear there is no one, or anything, keeping this hit-seeker idle.

DJ Qness has also worked with many greats from Culoe de Song, to Bhoddi Satva, UPZ aka Avi Elman, Quentin Harris, South Africa’s award-winning Black Motion and many more!

His debut album, On Cue Vol 1 (2009) contained the hit songs “Fugama Unamathe” and “Uzongilinda”, both of which went on to get signed by international labels Offering Records (in Belgium 2009 for “Fugama Unamathe”) and soWhat Records (in Tel Aviv in 2010 for “Uzongilinda”) respectively and graced Beatport and Traxsource “Fugama unamathe” went on to be remixed by seasoned international acts such as Culoe de Song (South Africa), Koro (Europe), Aero Manyelo (South Africa), Marie Joly (Europe), and Mzilikazi wa Afrika (South Africa) , while “Uzongilinda” enjoyed remixes from UPZ aka Avi Elman (Israel), Abicah Soul (USA), Rancido (Netherlands), Euan Mitchell (United Kingdom), and Infinite Boys (South Africa).

Cue Vol 2 followed in 2011 and contained hit “Believing” (Qness Remix) by USA’s Kafele Bandele & Israel’s UPZ, which made Top Five in the album charts, before “Imiyalo” went straight in at Number One! “Bambelela” also did well, while “Don’t Go” went on to be released internationally by the UK-based label Makin’ Moves. It in turn got co-signed with remixes from the legendary Quentin Harris from the USA. The song also peaked Top 3 on Traxsource and Top 10 on Beatport respectively. “Time” was also signed internationally to Ocha Records and subsequently released with remixes by Ron Trent (Europe), Abicah Souk (USA), Master Kev & Tony Loreto (UK) and Black Motion (South Africa).

2013’s On Cue Vol 3 included the hit singles “Look Inside” (alongside American Marissa Guzman) and “Everything” (featured Swaziland’s Msimisi). QNESS keeps great company and here he welcomed legendary Oliver Mtukudzi and Kafele Bandele (with whom he had previously worked with on the smash hit “Believing”) each adding their genius to his already blinding mixes.

After the run-away success of his first three albums, late 2017 ushered in the Art Of EDM.  Once again QNESS stepped up and delivered a fresh batch of pure inspiration. “I let what inspires me move me to create,” the 2015 Coke Studio inductee explains. “I wasn’t conscious of it,” he adds, explaining the musical crusade embarked upon. “It just happened! I started listening to loads of new music. I’ve always made work of looking for new music, only this time I was a lot more open to new sounds.”

“The awards are all wonderful confirmations that what I’ve produced to date has real merit,” he admits. “That said though, challenging your audience to listen differently is where I’m at now.”

In a world that’s in a perpetual state of change, DJ QNESS is responding accordingly. “The world’s so dynamic,” he confirms. “It’s difficult to keep up, and my music’s mirroring that.” DJ QNESS is tuned into the possibility of breaking new ground. “When you get the right bass, kick drum and snare, looped around an intoxicating voice, anything’s possible.” All of which is evident in his latest free flow of melody that’s not locked in to any single box. Whether it’s 126 or 90 BPM, DJ QNESS gears up and down, as each track demands.

Famous for his knack for finding new and interesting undiscovered vocalists and lyricists, DJ QNESS brought together, “a lot of different voices” for 2017’s Art Of EDM. “I’m always discovering new talent that I love and want to work with,” he adds. “ From “I Need You”, featuring Matthew Gold,  “How Can It Be Love?” with Zolani from FreshlyGround, “My World” with Kyle Deutsch, “Can You Feel It” along with December Streets, as well as a tune in which Shekhinah features, DJ QNESS is in excellent company.

From humble beginnings nearly a decade ago, today more and more singers and songwriters are reaching out to DJ QNESS for him to mix up an aural feast for fans to consume. Sometimes soulful, sad or even melancholic, right through to uplifting drumming beats guaranteed to make you smile and move too, Art Of EDM is a rollercoaster ride filled with possibility and personal interpretation. “It’s all art at the end of the day,” he points out.

His passport’s already impressively stamp-filled, thanks to chart-teasing invites to play the UK and right across Europe. “For this one,” DJ QNESS guides, “I want to make my mark locally and truly establish myself internationally too.” With the global village a mere mouse-click away today, Art Of EDM can and will be included as part of the world’s bigger musical consideration of 2018. “This album plays out brilliantly with a full band and voices on a stage,” the craft-master points out. “Every live performance is a considered event. An opportunity for fans to connect with the music in a way that is intended to leave a mark that matters.”

With no defined tempo, no rule-book, or agenda other than to please, DJ QNESS has cleared the tower and is headed chart-ward thanks to a burning ambition to not only grow as an artist, but to challenge pop convention. Paving new electrifying paths for music lovers to explore and make their own, that’s where DJ QNESS is at, and with him a groundswell of curiosity as to just what may come next. Exciting times for everyone invested!

ABOUT LOCNVILLE

Twin brothers Andrew and Brian Chaplin (Locnville or previously LCNVL) have achieved massive success in their home territory South Africa, but after a year spent grafting and building a team in Los Angeles, they are poised to make even more musical memories on a global scale with their latest body of work, through Warner Music South Africa.

Of their signing to Warner Music, Andrew says, ‘Warner is a heavy weight in the game and you understand why when you meet the team. It’s an honor to be working with people that have the same goal and vision as we do and have the means and knowledge to put it together’. Brian adds that ‘this latest album that we’ve put together is the strongest work we’ve ever done, and we felt it vitally important to team up with a label and people who have the knowledge and passion to let the world see and hear the album how it was meant to be enjoyed. I’m absolutely ecstatic at partnering up with Warner and I look forward to many successful years together with such a great team.’

MD of Warner Music South Africa, Tracy Fraser says, “We are thrilled that Locnville have signed to Warner Music South Africa. We look forward to working closely with Andrew and Brian to deliver their musical vision, not only in South Africa, but globally.”

Inspired by the sounds of future dancehall and indeed the deep house scene of South Africa, they’ve produced their new material with passionate up-and-coming talent, such as Hendrik Joerges and Sketchy Bongo from Durban, alongside proven hit-makers

Esjay Jones (Selena Gomez), Trey Vittetoe (Miley Cyrus & Selena Gomez) and Narinder Singh (Timbaland) . The end result is upbeat with a cinematic, tribal feel, giving their hook-filled new material a solid structure and sonic texture to haul their fans, new and old, into 2016. This is truly evident on the new single ‘Grapevine’ – a slice of rolling electro-hop that glitches and twists before dropping into old-school dub and back, underneath their signature matter-of-fact rhyming.

‘Grapevine’, which was mixed and mastered by Ariel Chobaz (Justin Bieber, Drake & Nicki Minaj) and features vocals by Sabi (who has worked with Tyga and Chris Brown) gets it’s debut on Apple Music and Beats Radio on 12th February worldwide. Whereafter it will be available on iTunes exclusively for 7 days before being made available across all digital download and streaming platforms.

Awards

2011 – Won Best Newcomer (MK Music Awards)

2011 – Won Best Newcomer (South African Music Awards)

2011 – Won Best Selling Album (South African Music Awards)

2013 – Won Best African Act (MTV Europe Music Awards)

2014 – Nominated Best Pop (MTV Africa Music Awards 2014)

2016 – Nominated Best Pop (MTV Africa Music Awards 2016)

2017 – Nominated Best Pop Album (South African Music Awards 2017)

ABOUT K.O

Ntokozo ‘K.O’ Mdluli was born in Soweto, Johannesburg to Thembisile Mdluli and Jabulani Mdluli but his family was based in Piet Retief (Mpumalanga) where he spent his growing years. K.O’s early music influences were greats like Snoop Dogg and Nas, it is these artists that made him want to be an MC and dreamt of one day being a Hip Hop great himself and so the journey began…

K.O began pursuing a solo music career until he met his former band mates Ntukza and Ma-E at Vaal University of Technology, where he graduated with a PR degree, the three of them formed the group Teargas and have to date released four critically acclaimed, award winning and commercially successful albums; ‘K’shubile K’bovu’, ‘Wafa Wafa’, ‘Dark Or Blue’ and ‘Num8er Num8er’. The success and popularity of Teargas helped build K.O into a star and through his various collaborations with other artists K.O became the most prominent member of Teargas. Some of those collaborations include ‘Run Jozi’ with AKA, ‘We Rolling’ with L-Tido amongst others.

In 2013 K.O alongside Teargas’ Ma-E teamed up with music and marketing executive Thabiso Khati to start Cashtime Life, an allencompassing entertainment and lifestyle company with a 360 degree approach that will exclusively focus on urban youth culture entertainment. K.O was the company’s first artist; his breakout single ‘Caracara’ featuring KiD X (another Cashtime Life artist) saw the rise of K.O and the birth of a new South African Hip Hop/Rap sound. The term Caracara is a township colloquial for the VW Caravelle mini bus; back in the 90s the Caravelle was a symbol of cool and a party vehicle of choice. Since its release the song has gone on to change the landscape of South African urban youth music, the song helped usher in a new era – not only did the record top digital sales charts, it also became the first song to ever top all 5 EMA charts – SA Local Music Top 40 Playlist, SA Local Music Top 40 RAMS, SA Television Top 40 Playlist, SA Top 100 Playlist and SA Top 100 RAMS at the same time, Caracara was also the first South African Hip Hop/Rap music video to reach a million views on YouTube. All these milestones helped Caracara become the biggest record in South Africa in 2014 and by far the biggest ever South African Hip Hop/Rap song.

When it was time to launch his follow up single ‘Son Of A Gun’ K.O pushed the envelope further by strategically partnering with Twitter as part of a massive global campaign to launch Twitter’s audio service called Audio Card – a native Twitter app that allows one to stream audio within a tweet. K.O became the first African artist to partner with Twitter and once again partnered with Twitter when he premiered the music video for ‘Son Of A Gun’ and has since formed a continuous working relationship with the social media giant.

K.O’s critically acclaimed debut solo album ‘Skhanda Republic’ had critics and fans alike calling it an instant classic, the album produced 6 major hit records (Mission Statement, Caracara, No Fear, Son Of A Gun, Skhanda Love and One Time) and has surpassed platinum sales. This project led to his brand being expanded throughout the African content, the UK and the US (SXSW in Texas) through a series of live performances and PR runs in the said territories.

Since the release of ‘Skhanda Republic’ K.O received accolades from fans and the music/entertainment industry at large;  • ‘Skhanda Republic’ debuted at #1.

• K.O won three SAMAs at SAMA XXI
• Record Of The Year – A first for a Hip Hop/Rap record
• Best Rap Album
• Best Collaboration
• Voted MTV Hottest MC Of The Year for 2014
• Voted #2 African artist to watch by BBC 1 Xtra
• Voted #2 Coolest Local Music Star by the youth in the Sunday Times Generation X survey
• 5 Channel O Africa Music Video Awards nominations
• 7 Metro FM Music Awards nominations.
• 2 MTV MAMA nominations
• Best Hip Hop
• Best Song
• 1 AFRIMA nomination.
• Best Male Artiste in Southern Africa

K.O also played a major role in the careers of fellow former Cashtime Life artists like KiD X, Ma-E, Maggz, DJ Vigilante and Moozlie by personally producing, overseeing their music and imaging. He also helped take the Cashtime Life branch into fashion by actively being involved in the designing and marketing of its highly popular t-shirts and a collaboration with leading street wear brand Head Honcho for a line of accessories. He has since taken his passion for fashion to higher heights by launching his very own clothing line recently, simply called Skhanda Republic which is clearly inspired by his own music. The range is accessible through various urban wear outlets and online.

In his constant quest for growth and exploring new adventures, K.O recently released his much anticipated sophomore album called SR2 (Skhanda Republic 2 in short) through a new venture between his newly established imprint Skhanda Republic and major label Sony Music Africa on his birthday, the 13th of October 2017. The project is deemed as KO’s most candid and personal body of work to date in which listeners are afforded front row seats to his back story as an aspiring black man and his rarely seen vulnerable side. Led by hit singles “No Feelings” and “Call Me” ft. Nigerian AfroBeats artist Runtown, the 12-track album sees KO keeping the list of featured artists to a minimum with only internationally acclaimed deejay Black Coffee, new South African RnB sensation Shekhinah and the aforementioned Runtown. The first single “No Feelings” was recently nominated for Video of the Year at the 2018 South AFrican Hiphop Awards.