DJs set G-West mall alight as Presidential contests get under way

LEKOPANYE MOOKETSI
Correspondent | Wednesday June 12, 2013 00:00

For the first time DJs have been included in the presidential music competitions this year.The semi-finals of the presidential competitions for the Southern region were hosted at the Gaborone West mall and it was never a dull moment at the G-West mall, as the competitors staged breathtaking performances.The contested categories were back track, live bands, newcomers and DJs. 

The DJs performed towards the end of the show.  It was at this stage that DJ Fondo Fire and Chrispin, the duo who ultimately scooped the DJ category, stole the show.When the two DJs started spinning the disks, the crowd went wild.  Hell broke loose as revellers jumped on the dancing floor.For them it was party time when DJ Fondo was on the decks.  No other act had taken the crowd by such storm during the day.   Even before the results were announced it was clear who would walk away with the title in this category. 

DJ Fondo was at one stage the resident DJ at the burnt Grand West club, which is located in the same shopping complex.   Perhaps for revellers he was taking them down memory lane with his Saturday performance.The runner-up in the DJ competition was DJ Muller.The winners in this category and the runner-up will proceed to the grand finale which will be held during the President's Day holidays next month. 

Surprisingly during the DJs' performance, all the contestants performed foreign music much to the dismay of most revellers and the judges.At the end of the show, the judges expressed disappointment that the DJs were not promoting local music. One of the judges said some of the factors that they were looking at were creativity and track selection among other things. 

The winner in the live bands category was Ntirelang Berman, who raised a storm with his acoustic guitar.The runner-up was Afro jazz songbird Nnunu Ramagotsi while the heavy metal outfit Amarock took the third position.In the newcomer category, the winners were the Gospel Boys while Scavenger scooped the crown in the back track section.In the back track, newcomer and live band categories, only the winners will proceed to the July grand finale. 

The winner in the live band category, Berman, said he was well prepared this time around after he came second to Ramogotsi during the elimination stages that were held in Moshupa.  He was aware that this time around it was either going to be him or Ramogotsi again but he didn't want to be the second best.Berman said he gained confidence as he started to strum his guitar.  He confesses that initially he was a bit nervous.'But I got relaxed and started enjoying my set,' he said.This was Berman's first time to participate in the presidential music competitions.Berman said he decided to enter the competitions because he wanted his capability to be assessed.  One of the organisers, Kagiso Makoba, from the Department of Arts and Culture, rated the Saturday gig as a success.  Makoba said that everything went according to plan, adding that they were therefore looking forward to the grand finale where they again expect great competition.The judges also spoke about the high level of the competition.  One of the judges, Ruth Moore, applauded the contestants.'It was very tough.This shows that the industry is growing.The people who won deserved to win,' she said.She noted that the artists were doing well when it came to stage presentation.