By By Nadine Robison
The guy who is 100% focused on his DJ’ing career wants nothing more than to make us dance until our legs give in. “I will succeed no matter what, I will not look back.” Katleho Ramahanetsa, better known by his stage name “DJ Banze” has been in the local limelight for quite some time. The 24 year old Deejay born and bred in the East Rand, in a small town called Phooko in Katlehong makes music that will leave your eardrums buzzing and your feet tapping long after he has left.
Where it all started for Katleho
DJ Banze took an interest in music while still in high school; he attended Mphontsheng Secondary School where he says music played a big role in his high school experience.
When asked about the name ‘Banze’, he tells The Open Journal that it was given to him by his Grandmother when he was a young boy, after a naughty monkey on her favourite TV show.
He described himself as being quiet yet mischievous during his high school years and jokingly tells The Open Journal how he was beaten by his Magriza (Grandmother) for getting into trouble as a teen. He spent a lot of time watching his cousin Dj at the local tavern.
“My older cousin used to play gigs in taverns [he] always gave me his laptop to mess around with some beats and I’ve wanted to learn more ever since then”, says DJ Banze, this is how it all started for him.
He brags about his amazing mentor Tumelo ‘Fong-Kong’ Letshoke who works for Red Bull, he proudly mentions how Letshoke taught him the very important basics of Deejaying, and is part and parcel of the success he is striving to be today.
His big break!
His first big gig was in 2012 where he played for his first crowd. He hesitantly tells The Open Journal that it was not as amazing as he had anticipated, but he was very grateful as it kicked his Deejaying career into full swing.
“I became the chairperson of Mixx Masters in 2014 and started teaching others how to DJ.”
He suddenly becomes extremely excited as he starts telling us about the Red Bull competition he had won and then went on to take second place at the nationals.
He describes this as the moment that brought his Mother and Aunt to tears as they were proud of him. DJ Banze has won countless competitions ever since and performed at many events.
Banze performed at Ragg events, fresher’s, and is also the resident DJ at UJ Sports events like rugby, netball, soccer. “I became the resident DJ for UJfm in late 2015,” motions Banze. This is the same year in which he won campus clash which he spoke of very proudly.
What inspires your music?
DJ Banze mentions that his mother was a lover of old school house music and played it in their home on days when they spring cleaned together, he goes on to say that old school house music is in fact his favourite music to play at gigs as it reminds him of his mother. “My mom is my biggest fan, she really is,” says Banze.
He speaks proudly of how his mother and aunt are his biggest fans and how they give him the extra nudge to keeping rocking the best music in Gauteng and around Mzansi. As much as Banze is a deejay, but none of the renowned Deejays he looks up to in the industry. He has so much respect for artists like Black Coffee and Shimza, but he is ultimately inspired by Hip-Hop artist AKA.
The Banze Brand
DJ Banze emphasises that he wants to be his own person, create his own unique brand and not be a shadow artist mimicking other DJ’s styles.
Deejay Banze has ventured into business as an endeavour of expanding his brand by designing T-shirts and caps. This clothing on the fore reflects the Banze brand which is thriving on a large scale.
He will be on TV deejaying live on Fan Base SABC 1 from 18: 00 on 14 April, 9 June and 16 June 2017.
His Fears and challenges as a full-time DJ
“I do not believe that being a DJ will secure me financially,” says Banze. He finds it quite challenging as he does not always get paid on time or even at all sometimes. He says that his secret is friendliness but mostly his set.
It is important for him to have the perfect set that will rock the crowd and leave them wanting more. He shares with The Open Journal that his priority is to make people happy through his music.
You can find him on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook
For Gigs contact him directly on:
Tumelo (Student Brand Manager) 084 6150284
Katleho: 078 754 0814
Youth Chronicle 