Amapiano DJ and record producer ReaDaSoul’s love affair with music is one that began with nothing but the foursome of a DAW, a dream, and a daring desire to make a difference as a beatsmith. With a string of singles under his belt, he and his music have said hello to the territories of the one-and-only Big Ben and the Brandenburg Gate, among others. Before the days of flying abroad to play a set, Rea recalled a time, less than ten years ago, when he first fell in love with making beats.
“My love for music production started from me being a nerd, just wanting to know how things are done. I started in varisty, around 2016/2017 when I got a decent laptop that could support FL Studio. I started messing around with beats and that’s where it essentially started. I never had mentorship. Most of the stuff was self-taught through the internet, and just trying to figure how songs sound the way they do and replicating what they do,” said ReaDaSoul.
Even though the germination process has been a lonesome one for ReaDaSoul, the other side has been one of plenty and meaningful ties. Connections that have came together and conceived music that has kept heads bopping and hips swaying. The DJ spoke about the creation process of his Khan-assisted single ‘Ngiyahamba Sthandwa‘ alongside Xhepard.
“The song was actually done last year in two parts, and we finished it in February. The crucial part of the song, which was recording and laying out the direction, was done last year. Some time last year, my manager and I had a conversation about how we needed to put out an EP. So we got studio equipment and hosted a music camp, where there was enough space to accommodate a lot of people. I brought over a lot of my friends and made music all day every day.
Initially,‘Ngiyahamba Sthandwa‘ was on a different beat, funny enough. Once we finished the song, Musical Xhepard took the project home and told me he wanted to add a few stuff to it. Few months later, I got the song back and it was on a totally different beat. We gave Khan creative freedom with the beat to sing whatever she wanted. Sounded dope and I liked it,” he said.
Listen to ‘Ngiyahamba Sthandwa‘:
Being an DIY musician and a lover of knowledge in its rawest form, it comes as a no-brainer that his favourite instrument is one that allows him to merge his production know-how with the mechanics of what makes music what it is at root level.
“The instrument I love the most is the piano – the keyboard itself. Because when you understand the theory of playing the piano, then you can apply the same theory to playing any other instrument in the world,” the “Udlala Ngami” musician said.
Growth and music are two things that never grow in a vacuum. Before the era of amapiano, was that of deep house, dance, and kwaito. Rea confessed that his primary diet, before piano ever came to be, was that of prominent house DJs such as the late DukeSoul, DJ Kent, and Black Coffee. He particularly singled out DukeSoul as being his number-one influence.
“My biggest inspiration has always been DukeSoul. He made me fall in love with the idea of producing music, hence my name “ReaDaSoul” because he inspired my name. My greatest inspirations aren’t even people within the piano business but people who I grew up listening to, like Black Coffee. I don’t just think about music in one way, like trying to have the hottest song on the street. I also think about the business side of things, and that’s where guys like Black Coffee inspire me. The two other guys who shaped my technical skill as a DJ were DJ Kent and DJ Molfy. When I started listening to dance music properly, they were my two favourites. I’d downloaded every mix they dropped,” he said.
With amapiano constantly evolving and reaching newer levels of global heights, Rea stressed that the cut-throat game required one to be either ahead of the curve or risk becoming obsolete. Piano from four years ago sounded different from what’s popping on the charts this year, and Rea’s only answer to the question was evolution.
“Adapting, that’s how it’s supposed to be. How to grow. Piano hasn’t been around for too long commercially, yet the songs that are coming out now sound nothing like those that came out in 2019. The sound has drastically changed. Think about “Dubai” by Kabza De Small and DJ Maphorisa, and then listen to “Nana Thula (Remix)”. Those are two completely different songs. The production is different and one may argue the other is better. So for a producer to grow, they need to adapt and listen to what other guys are doing. Moving with the pack if not being ahead,” the producer shared.
When asked what other genre he’d like to dabble in some time in the future, he cited his deep-house roots, and mentioning that he’d like to take the route out of love and entertainment.
“Deep house is one genre I’d like to produce because I grew up listening to it. I’d like to do a deep house project. Not as something to invest my resources in, but as a passion project,” he said.
