Jamaica’s music space is ever-evolving and growing. A space that has seen the rise of many a global ambassadors, innovators and standard bearers of music that is identifiable, indelible and above all uniquely our own. Our history of disc-jocks has been just as prolific, with individuals and camps carving out their fanbases. Selectors and sounds like Stone Love, Tony Matterhorn, Nikki Z, Chromatic, DJ Kenny, Black Chiney, ZJ Sparks among others have carved out fanbases from their mixtapes, shows, and personas. In comes the new breed of DJs who show no signs of letting the standards fall.
More in tune with music from all over the world, these young upcoming acts have done their bit to build fanbases around genres that, a couple years ago would never have gotten played on the streets of Jamaica. Afrobeats provide a smooth yet energetic alternative, with similar sounds familiar within reggae and dancehall; with soca invading our consciousness and having hardcore, dedicated fans raving to the pulsing beats, the copious amounts of rum and the waistlines moving in all directions.
In comes, DJ Kashmatic; a 21-year-old son of Kingston, Jamaica, and one of the identifiable faces behind one of the biggest events of the year and he and his team are arguably responsible for kickstarting the growing vibe of online parties. This came from a place of necessity, as with the onset of the global COVID-19 pandemic, gatherings and movements have been severely limited and, in some cases, restricted altogether. Kashmatic and team took the anticipated event Big Par, and capitalized on a vacant space; online parties. With the restrictions on gatherings, and with hype and anticipation very much in the air about Big Par, an unorthodox decision was made to host a juggling session with the same line up to play at Big Par. Over 100,000 tweets later, 29,000 live listeners across 30 countries and a trending online topic for hours, its safe to say #BigParOnline was a massive success. Today we had a quick chat with the versatile DJ to have an idea about his mixing philosophy and what the future holds.
Most DJ’s in this era got their introduction from Virtual DJ then moved to Serato. Was it the same for you ?
Kashmatic: It actually was. That Serato transition was a key moment in my life as a DJ as well, for that’s when I seriously said to myself, let’s do this and see how far we can go.
In the outpouring of love on social media for you in recent times, it seems that the ladies have a special love for your style of “juggling”. How do you balance the timeless challenge of the Jamaican DJ; Gun Tune VS Gal Tune?
Kashmatic: I feel like I play both very well but playing for the ladies is and will always be a major priority for me whenever I’m booked for an event. Once the ladies are happy, everyone’s happy.
Even as a versatile DJ, is there any genre or BPM range that you find needs extra concentration to play?
Kashmatic: For me, Soca music between the BPMs of 75 – 82. I always make it out safely though so no complaints there.
Name an event locally or internationally that you can envision yourself “shelling” in the near or distant future?
Kashmatic: Dream Weekend or Coachella for sure.
Once you further establish yourself as a DJ, any plans to delve into other areas of music?
Kashmatic: Definitely, I’d like to experience music from almost every occupational stand point related.
Finally, with all that’s going on, any post Corona mixes or content we should be getting hyped for?
Kashmatic: Yeah, naturally. Always cooking something up in my mind so let’s see.
The future is bright for the young DJ, and as time goes on, we can only expect him to have a much larger presence in the music scene. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram at the handle @KASHWIDDIMATIC, and be sure to check out his Soundcloud where he drops mixes and experiments with music. If you like what you hear, book the game changer at bookkashmatic@gmail.com or reach out at (876) 856-4968.
