SIX YEARS ON: DJ Smoove still cherished

It is six years this week since the internationally acclaimed DJ Smoove passed away tragically in a car accident in Harare.

Born in Zimbabwe, he spent a lot of his time outside the country where he honed skills as an expert spinmaster, attracting the attention of some of the world’s best artists.

It was in hip hop that he created a powerful niche and a critical part of the movement for a big minute. His authentic mash and scratch skills meant the sound was treated masterfully with dedication.

One such was when he mixed a set at the Book Cafe, doing mad sick willy things to the classic happy by Tehn Diamond featuring Jnr Brown. Check it out below.

If he wasn’t mixing on deck, he was doing it in the studio with artists ranging from Sizzla to Hope Masike giving existing songs a different treatment.

While his skills will be talked of by the eardrums it hit in places like USA, Japan, Jamaica , most of Europe namely Holland, Belgium, France, Switzerland, Spain, Germany, Russia, Croatia, Poland, Denmark, Sweden, Finland and so forth! In Africa his decks took him to Tanzania, Ghana, Kenya, Namibia, Mozambique, South Africa, Malawi, Morrocco, Nigeria, Botswana, Swaziland, Zambia among others, it is his personality as a unifier that stood out.

DJ Smoove pictured with Jamaican star Sizzla

Smoove spent many moments trying to bring people together especially in the industry. Where there was conflict he would attempt to negotiate a truce and finding a place to be OK, even great.

It was that let’s work attitude that endeared him to those who knew personally.