Voices of the City is a weekly feature that spotlights the everyday lives of our citizens, living and working in cities. By asking the same five questions to all our interviewees, we discover not only how our experiences of the city differ, but also what we share. It is a daunting task to try and capture the diverse experiences of our city’s inhabitants, but we feel that it is a worthy, and necessary, endeavor, in order to better understand the present and future of our cities.
This week, we hear from Gugulethu resident and up and coming Dj, Siphe Messive Tebeka. He however does not wish to be known as a Dj, but rather a young Dance music phenomenon. He has been working on the scene and giving the masses music in the genres of Electro, Deep and Tribal House, Dub Step and Rave. The most recent of his achievements is having gone to play at one of the biggest music events in the world under the Bridges for Music initiative. There he got to mingle with the likes of Steve Aioki and Skrillex. He is most certainly one to keep an eye out for.
Photography by: Faith in a Jar
Q: What about Cape Town inspires you the most?
A: What inspires me most are the landscapes, different races and the culture that exists within the townships and the city. We have an awesome city; as a Producer it’s fascinating to have people who come from a variety of backgrounds and all walks of life. Diversity is what creative inspiration is made of.
Q: Do you have a secret space or place that you enjoy in the city?
A: I enjoy hiking, especially Table Mountain. Whenever I go there I always make sure I get to the top. I want don’t want to miss out on the beauty of the ocean, the city below and the ambient sounds.
Q: What was the last exciting event you attended in the city?.
A: I’ve been to the Colour Festival held at the Parade in th with City of Cape Town CBD. The main concept of the event is to make fun with different colorful powder as part of celebration for the Holi festival and every hour you get to see people coloring each other. And I’ve been invited to and attending other amazing events too.
Q: What frustrates you about the city?
A: There’s a lot that frustrates people, especially the youth. I sometimes feel that the government is not empowering and supporting the youth and that’s one of the reasons why we get young criminals, gangsters, prostitutes and drug users, etc. With regards to the music industry, we are so behind in relation to Johannesburg for instance. So much so that some of us intend to go and live in Gauteng because of the availability of government resources that seem to me readily available there and empowering and supporting the youth.
Q: You can have dinner with one person living or dead. Who is it and why?.
A: Hmmm, tough question. I cannot be specific, but soon I want to spend a day with my mom, my 10-year-old sister and my girlfriend somewhere in the city. I’ve been in a lot of restaurants, clubs and chillout spots. I’m not sure yet. But it has to be in the Motherland.
Catch up with him and contact him under Siphe Tebeka on
: Sound cloud
: Facebook
: Twitter
: MySpace
: Reverb Nation
: YouTube