Date: 22 Oct 2021
Time: 15:00 SAST
Place: The Commune, 14 Reserve street, Braamfontein, Johannesburg
Bryan Dumisani Sakhile Ndlazi, known to many as the infamous DJ Bubbles was born & raised in Mamelodi,(a township in the east of the capital city Pretoria) has become a sort iconic figure in the local dance music scene. Since his coming of age and growing up in the golden age of hip hop culture he was destined to follow in the footsteps of his idols DJ Jazzy Jeff, Jam Master Jay and DJ Kool Herc by learning the tricks of how to mix up different sounds on vinyl records.
His journey into music began early in life as both his parents and uncles were avid record collectors and on occasion at family gatherings he’d help out in changing songs when the grown ups had their hands full. That’s why it came as no surprise to the family when he became a DJ while still in high school in the mid 90’s. Later on, township house parties and school dances would be the training grounds to land him residencies in some of Pretoria’s most notable nightclubs.
Recollections of the first encounter with the gentle twirl of the gramophone are imprinted in his technique; the texture of wax indelible in his signature brews of nostalgic homage and futuristic ventures. He gained his reputation as “the go to guy when you want that heat” as a sales consultant at Flipside Records in the late 90’s. During his time as Flip-side he mixed and compiled the critically acclaimed Flipside House Vol.2 and oversaw the release of the follow up mixed by DJ Koti. Soon after, he churned out a steady stream of compelling compilations for the now defunct USM Records and was an instrumental part of the budding Deep House movement of the early 2000’s. DJ Bubbles intent pursuit of a unique, individual sound spanning a period of 25 years now has seen this champion of the underground making guest appearances in and around South Africa’s reputable establishments and music festivals.
Frustrated with the mediocre direction in which popular culture was headed and refusing to conform to dictated trends by major record labels, Bubbles founded Urban Touch Recordings in 2012 with the aim of providing an alternative for the South African musical landscape and the world at large by bringing underground sounds to light through the release of a string of compilation albums of various styles and genres, including hip hop, soul, funk, dub, jazz and house. The label has since expanded its range, and now includes afrobeat, nu jazz, dub, electronica and everything in between.