Today we’d like to introduce you to Lekan Olatunji.
Lekan, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Most definitely! I have always had a love affair with music, because of the power music has to transcend time and emotions. Music has always been my escape from the reality of situations both good and not so good.
Remembering back to my youth days in Lagos, Nigeria., I was dabbling in mixing old radio cassette tapes, which I was able to record both songs and DJ mixes off the radio using a radio cassette player. Family and friends got a listen to these mixes and began requesting copies of this custom mixes back in the late 90s.
Fast forward to the Summer of 2011, my younger sister was getting married and we needed a DJ, and at this time, I took a leap and purchased a DJ controller; my very first controller (Hercules RMX).
I did a two-hour mix of the popular afrobeat songs of that summer 2011 and gave the CD to the DJ my sister had hired but as you would imagine, the DJ did not play the mixtape at all.
Several weeks had passed and my sister was at another wedding where the same DJ was playing and he was playing the CD I gave him to play at my sister’s wedding. She was a bit taken back as he didn’t play it for her wedding and when she called to tell me this, the idea came to me that I might actually have what it takes to be a DJ and that’s how I started my DJ career.
DJing is all about transferring energy (positive energy irrespective of what’s going on) and setting the tone for the evening. As every DJ knows, there are great DJ sets we perform and ones that are opportunities to learn from. The last few years have been a lot of learning and the next upcoming years are geared towards me bringing creativity to this wonderful art.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has not been an easy path, most of the challenges come from being self-taught and having to learn the craft through the years. Some specific challenges that I had to overcome would be mastering the crowd, transitions between tracks and appropriate song selection. Investments in different types of DJ equipment would also be another challenge that DJs have to overcome.
What do you do, what do you specialize in, what are you known for, etc. What are you most proud of? What sets you apart from others?
I specialize in performing at multi-cultural gatherings with diverse backgrounds in the crowd. I perform all genres of music such as EDM, Dance, Hip Hop, UK Garage with an emphasis on Afrobeats.
I am most proud of bringing all cultures together for however long time permits.
If it moves your body or makes you happy, it naturally gravitates to my fingertips and what sets me apart is the genuine love for the art and the ability to be as creative on the fly.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
I would say a few characteristics that are essential to my success would have to be passion, humility, patience, and creativity.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://soundcloud.com/iamdjblak
- Phone: 2142185230
- Email: deejayblak@gmail.com
- Instagram: @iamdjblak
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/iamdjblak1/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/iamdjblak
- Other: https://soundcloud.com/iamdjblak
Image Credit:
IG – @nafithecreator
IG – @expressionshotit
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