FROM humble beginnings to the decks.
Soweto-born producer and DJ Nhlanhla Fakude, better known as DJ Stoks, told Daily Sun that he started deejaying at the age of 17 back in 2004.
Stoks said DJ Stokie, who is formally known as Setoki Mbatha, was his mentor.
The Orlando East sensation said DJ Stokie's mentorship helped him become popular as he'd take him to the places he used to play.
“Back then I was not that popular. I used to get house parties or school concert gigs, even weddings, but they were not paying a lot. Dj Stokie used to mentor me a lot. I took it from his because they used to tell me that I play like him,” said the DJ.
Stoks said before he became popular, he used to make mixtapes and sell them to people.
“I used to give people my mixtapes written Stoks For The Matured. When I get a gig, I used to take my mixtapes with me and sell them for R100 just to make extra cash,” he said.
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The soulful amapiano DJ said he was raised in a household filled with music, thanks to his parents.
Stoks credits his father's diverse music taste for shaping his own musical preferences.
“My parents loved music. In the house there was always noise. They had their preferences, but my father had a different taste, and I liked his taste more. When I was still young, he used to buy LPs and stayed updated with the latest music,” he said.
Stoks said even at school they knew his love for house music, and he was always updated with the latest music that he even pressured his mother to buy him music when DJ Fresh had new music out at the time.
The Welele hitmaker said he has worked with a lot of artists, but SJ Stokie is the one he has worked with throughout his career and they might release an album.
Stoks revealed that plans for new music were fueled by his recently established recording studio as he struggled a lot before he had a studio.
