THE AFRICAN COURIER. Reporting Africa and its Diaspora! The African Courier is an international magazine published in Germany to report on Africa and the Diaspora African experience. The first issue of the bimonthly magazine appeared on the newsstands on 15 February 1998. The African Courier is a communication forum for European-African political, economic and cultural exchanges, and a voice for Africa in Europe.
Deejaying used to be a male-dominated affair. Not any more as women are gradually joining the fray. Philly Ojalla aka DJ Aisher, as she is popularly known by her fans, is giving male DJs a run for their money.
She stole the show at the Battle of the DJs contest in 2016 in Frankfurt, pulling the biggest crowd to the dance floor among all the competing disc jockeys at the only DJ contest in the Black community in Germany. Since then the sky has been her limit.
Prince Ade Abiola of Sea Never Dry Entertainment, organisers of the Frankfurt show, said he had never seen a female DJ of Aisher’s calibre. “She was simply incredible,” he said. “Her performance was unmatchable by any standards.” Aisher’s victory in Frankfurt has gone down as the first time a female has won the annual contest.
The Berlin-based Aisher arrived in Germany in 2011 and has since become one of the most sought-after DJs in the Black club scene in the federal capital. Her meteoric rise to deejaying fame can be attributed to her ability to read the mood of the audience and carefully pick the music that fits that mood. This is unlike most DJs who compile a list of songs in advance of their engagement. The soft-spoken DJ also rarely uses pitch fader or vinyl mixing on tunes she believes sound better if played in their original format.
Born in western Kenya, she took to deejaying at high school. She had stumbled on a DJ contest and become fascinated with the art. She thereafter preoccupied herself with music almost to the exclusion of everything else and would play different rhythms to her friends’ delight.
Performing as a disc jockey quickly became a hobby. This led to invitations to birthdays and parties. She then acquired a small controller to acquaint herself with the technical aspects of deejaying. The rest, as they say, is history.
“I did not become a DJ by default, but by aspiration,” she states, in her unassuming voice. The demand for DJ Philly Aisher’s services has been rising unabated since her victory in Frankfurt. The sky is now her limit.
Mickie Ojijo
For more about DJ Aisher, visit her Facebook page here
