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Q&A: MILLER SOUNDCLASH FINALIST ANKLETAP

With Miller Genuine Draft

Over the next few weeks we’ll be profiling the Miller SoundClash finalists; getting to know the DJs who will be flying to Las Vegas to compete for a chance to play alongside Dannic at Drais! Today we are speaking with the entry from South Africa, Anketap!

Tell us in one sentence who you are and where are you from?

"I am the “Tap Master” and I hail from a small town in the North West of South Africa called Potchefstroom, although I now consider myself a Johannesburg boy having lived in the city full time for 8 years."

Where did your love of music first come from?

"My love for music has always been part of my life for as long as I can remember, however my love for house music and DJ culture started in my early high school years when I found myself wanting to learn how to speak vernacular african languages and found that local house tunes were a great way to expose myself to the various languages in the country. Once I heard my very first Local house song in early 2002 I was instantly hooked to the genre and found myself wanting more and more as time went on. "

How long have you been DJing?

"Its crazy to think that its been a decade already but I first started to DJ in 2005 using nothing more than a laptop and a pair of cheap headphones."

And do you produce music too?

"Yes, production is something I have been working on in recent months although I have no formal training. Have had a few singles realesed over the past few years with the help of other producers in my stable (Spunk Records) and am currently working on a new Solo production to be released for the first time in Las Vegas with vocals by the world renound Lazarus Man (Dynamic Records)."

What’s been the highlight of your career so far?

"There are so many to choose from but if I had to choose one it would be New years eve 2013 in Botswana when I played to 55,000 people sharing the stage with the Likes of Martin Atjazz, The Layabouts, Copyright and Sandy Rivera."

Tell us about the success as a DJ you’ve had in your own country. 

"I have seen steady growth of my brand as a DJ in South Africa over the Last 5 years. I have gone from being a part time club DJ and campus radio DJ to hosting one of the biggest breakfast Radio shows on South African commercial radio (Rise N Tap on Yfm 99.2). In addition to that I have also hosted two separate Dance and Live mix Radio shows on Yfm and have now played at some of the best venues all across the Country. I have shared a stage with all the biggest names in our industry and also some international heavyweights. Have also played at major sporting events around SA and was the official team DJ to the Spanish national side during the FIFA 2010 world cup."

How does it feel to win your local Miller SoundClash competition? Tell us about your experience in the competition so far. 

"It feels great. It was something I really put my mind to and wanted to win very badly. Iv been following the competition for a long time now so to have won Soundclash South Africa is a real career highlight for me thus far."
 

How much does it mean to you to have made it to this stage of Miller SoundClash?

"I entered this competition with the main goal of making it to the Vegas finale to represent my Country. So to have made it this far is a huge honor to me and has been a huge motivation for me going forward not only in the competition but also in my career as a whole." 

How do you plan to stand out over the other DJs in Las Vegas? How will you be preparing for the finale? 

"Other than with my brightly coloured Mandela shirt, I am hoping to stand out through my energy and abitily to pass that energy on to any crowd. I am preparing for the final by spending lots of time in studio producing some music for my set and also searching for those heaters that will send the Vegas crowd into a frenzy one fist pump at a time."

What makes you unique compared to the other international finalists? 

"I think what makes me most unique is the fact that I come from such a Unique Country. South Africa is an amazing place to call home and has so many different cultures that all merge together to create a very special type of person. What also makes me stand out is the fact that I have a large range of talents other than just mixing and producing in that I am also a radio presenter, TV Personality and stand up comedian."

Tell us a bit about your home country - how is the electronic music scene where you are from?

"Well in South Africa the DJ culture has always been a very special one. Currently we are seen as one of the House music capitals worldwide and is only getting bigger each year. When it comes to electronic dance Culture South Africa is fast becoming one of the worlds best destinations and we have seen massive growth in the genre over the last ten years. There is a large amount of electronic dance music that gets playlisted on commercial radio stations and played right throughout the day – Where else in the world would you hear a Blasterjaxx tune at 6:00am on national radio?  We are the first Country on the entire continent to have hosted Ultra Fest and are already gearing up for next years event which will be the 3rd Ultra in SA. We have also hosted some of the biggest names in the EDM scene and they continue to return year after year to an amazing reception from the South African public. Another one of the Major highlights in our EDM scene was when Armin Van Buuren brought his State Of Trance 500 show to Johannesburg and sold out the in less than 5 hours. The culture has become so big here that people save up for years in order to fly out and attend the big festivals all around the world and you will almost always see the South African flag flying high at events like Tomorrowland and Ultra Miami."

Be sure to follow the finalists progress and support your favourites in Las Vegas by following #MillerSoundClash on Facebook.