A heart for people and a soul that reverberates with rhythms that express themselves through the languages of house and amapiano are the things that the lattice of Diepkloof-born disc jockey and producer DJ Jaivane’s being consist of. Occupying space not only as an avid student but also an industrious envoy of the faculty of private school piano, the production artisan is set to release his seventh studio album, Onkgopotse, on the 31st of July 2025. With the forthcoming drop, the “Makukhanye” originator seeks to relish his time under the sun, doing what he is passionate about and converting his love for music into hits to keep people’s heads nodding.
Besides his original music, Jaivane is also known for his alternating multi-genre playlists and sets, in which he stretches his understanding of amapiano and soulful house music. Tracking back to simpler days when his ever-expanding catalogue was nothing but a figment of his imagination, the record producer spoke about having his own back during his come-up and hustling his way into the industry with grit and the love for the game.
“I am a self-taught producer that nobody can claim. There’s no one in particular who can say they plugged me and made me the producer and musician I have become today. Growing up, I was just a guy who loved music and decided to learn what it’s all about because I had a passion for it. So, I set aside a bit of money and bought myself some equipment and schooled myself in my own bedroom. Then, I took everything from there,” Jaivane said of his humble beginnings.
DJ Jaivane | SUPPLIED
Creating from an artistic womb that responded more to mood and feeling, DJ Jaivane shared that because of the ever-shifting sound climate of the yanos, he always approached his music by following his heart rather than tracking the sound selection patterns other producers were using.
“If you remember how piano started all the way back in 2008, it was all about instruments and production. That’s all that would be playing. There were influences of jazz with saxophones and guitars specifically that were prevalent in the genre back then. Obviously, the sound evolved with time, and with the changes, people started adding vocals and others added their own flavour by developing their own styles. And because of that, amapiano’s nature of constantly evolving, I wouldn’t exactly say I have a particular approach because I am a person who likes changes. But as much as that is the case, I still stick to my craft.
“So when it comes to making music, it’s always a mood thing for me, and that helps to go with picking the instruments that will be appropriate for the message of the song,” he said.
DJ Jaivane | SUPPLIED
Jaivane opened his heart about how he culled inspiration to make new music, admitting that for him it was not about looking up to one particular trend and artist but allowing himself to be fluid. Listening to a diverse range of music, for him, has been critical to him growing his musicality.
“When I look at myself and who has inspired me, I wouldn’t say there’s a specific someone. I mean, I do listen to anything good, but that’s in terms of all music. I listen to any genre, and I get inspiration from all the music that I come across that’s good to my ear. That’s particularly the reason behind my music evolving: I don’t stick to one inspiration, and I don’t lean on one genre to give me something to think about,” he said.
The producer shared a song from his discography that he cherished most, singling it out for its life-changing impact and for putting amapiano singer-songwriter Young Stunna on the map and the road to eventual superstardom.
“A song I love the most from my entire catalogue?” Jaivane asked, chuckling. “Eish, yho. My favourite song so far has to be ‘Makukhanye’, featuring Young Stunna. That song means a lot to me because we dropped it at a time when we wanted things to really work out for us. We wanted to shine and to see the doors finally opening, and the song definitely did that. I mean, what else can I say? With the vocals on the song, look at what it did for Stunna. Look at what where he is today. So, that song is most definitely the one that does it for me, to this day, because it was a powerful track and we never imagined that it would become as big as it did,” he said.
Listen to “Makukhanye” below:
Already familiar with the terrains of other sounds, DJ Jaivane revealed that the one other genre he wished to try out some day.
“When it comes to music I’d like to make some day, experimentally, I’d say Maskandi. The reason I say so is because it’s very authentic. The sound is so clean when it comes to the output – the people who put out Maskandi are very professional when it comes to what they do in the studio. So, I’d definitely want to do something in that space if amapiano ceases to exist tomorrow or something else happens. Because honestly, when it comes to the production of Maskandi, I don’t think people realise just how good it is and what it takes for it to be the way it sounds. Someday, I’d like to be a part of that in some way,” he said.
