The Tembisa faces who put the township on the international music map

Tembisa has come to be known for bad things in many parts of Gauteng and many deem it a non-restorative society.

This is an image a lot of Tembisans are seeking to erase by advocating change through community-building projects.

One can assume that a contributing cause to the dilemma is the lack of positive role models who can set a positive example to the youth.

You would therefore wonder if Tembisa has enough role models who can spearhead the crusade of change and become the beacon of hope in this lost generation.

Smartology Musiq is an agent of such change that seeks to display raw talent which comes straight from Tembisa.

Orators of this world would say dynamite comes in small packages and that is more than true when you meet the two reserved souls behind the Smartology sound.

Nichodemus “DJ Ology” Ngobeni and Abel “DJ Smart” Kgafe may seem shy but the tentacles of their unique music skills have touched many music fanatics beyond the South African boarders.

Dj Ology said before they came together to form a brand called Smartology Musiq, the two artists were musicians in their own right.

“We are childhood friends but I got into hip-hop music while I was studying in Limpopo. I left Tembisa to attend school in Giyane and that is how we parted ways for a while. When I came back in 2008 I found Abel doing his own music projects and I liked his taste in music. We decided to venture into a collaboration which gave birth to Smartology Musiq,” said Dj Ology.

DJ Smart said at the time he was experimenting with various music beats because around 2005 hip-hop support had dwindled for some reason.

“I wanted to produce music of all genres but when we decided on a music group we both agreed on house,” said DJ Smart.

Working together the duo have produced many famous songs that earned them a name in the South African music industry.

They said at the beginning they would play their own songs at local events and parties to test the market and they got a positive response from music lovers.

DJ Smart said that is where they developed a career in DJing to add on their skills.

“In our first project we had beats that had no vocals and we accidentally met a VOT news anchor who came to us for help to create a news reading demo for her.

We heard her voice and thought of an idea, namely her speaking on the beats we had. That is how Tembisa Flow was born. The song had a huge listenership as it was played in every corner in Tembisa and as a result it created more opportunities for us. It got us recognition and we got to work with influential names in the music industry,” said DJ Ology.

They said many of their famous songs were engineered in a garage studio and they received much love from the locals who were amazed that the two could create such professional sound in a garage studio.

“We secured an interview with Oskido on YFM and got the chance to work with ‘Mavallous DJ’. We contributed to his album with a track called Marvelous Dance which was produced under Soul Candi.

“Thereafter we became very active in the industry and we started to take our brand more seriously. Many young musicians were inspired and identified with our sound.

“We received many requests from young people who were interested to work with Smartology Musiq,” said DJ Smart.

DJ Ology said Smartology Musiq has given young people a platform to express themselves and explore their talents. As a result, their brand was expanding.

“One day we had a surprise visit from a Zimbabwean musical theatre group called Kwabatsha who wanted to commission work to us and we delivered what they requested.

“After we finished their theatre song we proposed to produce a project in collaboration with them and that is how we came up with a song called Zvangu Zvamuka. We managed to release the song as a single and it became a hit.

“The song became so big that it caught the interest of many DJs who eventually did their own remix versions. Mash O was the first producer to whom we gave lyrics so he could remix the song and create his own version. That is how we contributed to Mash O’s album called Herbal 3 All Stars that was also released under Soul Candi,” said Smartology Musiq.

Smartology Musiq also released a song called Siyaya which became a number 1 Afro House on Traxsource Digitally and also got to Traxsource BillBoard sitting at number one for three months.

Smartology Musiq became recognised by international DJs who showed interest in their song titled Senseless Song which got air play from international radio stations and was blasted in clubs like Djoon and Ibiza.

“We (Smartology Musiq) also released a song on iTunes working with Pearl Cutten a vocalist from Denmark who is well known in her country as a jazz singer and a very talented vocalist. We have shared stages with the likes of Oskido, Black coffee and international big guns in the music industry like Abicah Soul,” said DJ Smart.

Smartology Musiq released a song called Chabatwa which became a banger in Zimbabwe playing in national radio stations and getting fans moving on the dance floor in many clubs.

“At the moment we are working on a single called Deeper than the Ocean and it is playlisted in a number of South African radio stations.

In the project Smartology Musiq is working with a Vhenda artist named Bellafonte and a percussionist called Thulisa The Drum,” said DJ Ology.

Little do we suspect that the good music we listen to is actually produced by ordinary blokes from Tembisa.

“To all young up-coming Tembisan artists we want to say: Stay true to yourselves and the craft what you are working on. Remember to stay humble and let the hard work do the talking for you. ‘Impossible’ is just a word, not destruction so keep your head up. Stay away from abuse of alcohol and drugs. Let God lead your way,” said the Smartology Musiq crew.

For bookings call 078 980 0799 or send an email to Smartologymusic@gmail.comInstagram @ Smartology_Musiq

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