The Ladies that Love Dankie: with DJ’s Nicky Summers and Muva T
By Kamona Mubu
Dankie Sounds, established in August 2021 during the surge of Amapiano, have become a name for themselves within the Amapiano scene, with their musical experience being so uniquely crafted with the use of DJ’s, hosts and an array of instrumentalists. At the core of Dankie Sounds' philosophy, is the belief that a musical event should be more than just a performance – it should be an immersive journey. In their shows, the spotlight doesn't just shine on the DJs and instrumentalists; it envelops the attendees themselves. Join us as we delve deeper into the captivating world of Dankie Sounds through the experience and words of Resident DJ’s Nicky Summers and Muva T.
Nicky Summers
Nicky Summers is a highly sought-after DJ known for her infectious energy and her significant impact on the African electronic dance music scene, particularly in Amapiano. She has a talent for captivating her audience with smooth transitions and Amapiano's contagious beats, consistently bringing passion and vigour to her performances. Despite the challenges of 2020, Nicky remained dedicated to her listeners through live streams and SoundCloud mixes, championing Amapiano. Nicky's achievements include being the first female DJ to play Amapiano at a major UK festival, Boardmasters in August 2021, and performing at festivals like Wireless, Strawberries & Creem, Mysteryland, and Afronation. We First spoke with Nicky about her journey as a DJ and her Journey working with her ‘Dankie Family.’
“Just before lockdown happened I went to Amsterdam. And I said to myself - I’m coming back here and I’m gonna play here often! Now Amsterdam is my second home, which is great!”
What is your story? How did you start DJing?
Nicky explains how she “started dabbling” with DJing in 2018, but took it seriously towards the beginning of 2019. At the time, she was working in radio and also attended loads of Electronic dance parties in her younger days. In Early 2019 She attended a party called Motherland where she was introduced to the sound of amapiano, “and the DJs there, I think they all just came back from South Africa. So they were playing new music. And he played Amapiano for the first time in early 2019. And I was just so in awe, like, people were really dancing. The only places I saw people really dancing were Afro House parties when I went to them.” This was around the time that she was learning how to DJ, and began to practice collecting as much music as she could.
“I would incorporate Afro House and Amapiano together. But I was still very much new to understanding the Amapiano side and how I could make both genres work together. So when I was putting out mixes, it didn't sound great. But when I got the gist of it, progressively with practice I got better.”
She embarked on this new journey just as a global pandemic occurred, but this didn’t stop Nicky from practising and manifesting a future for her DJ career. “Just before lockdown happened, I went to Amsterdam. And I said to myself - I’m coming back here and I’m gonna play here often! Now Amsterdam is my second home, which is great!”
How did you start with Dankie Sounds? How did that story begin and what was your first show like with them?
Nicky states that she wasn’t sure how it all started officially but she knew “where they are now.” However, she remembers that she was first introduced to Dankie by supporting her friend Duo at a Dankie event, where they spontaneously did a B2B set. This was the start to her journey and relationship with Dankie Sounds.
What has been your best highlight playing with Dankie Sounds?
She tells me that it’s the relationship she has with the Dankie boys. “I'm not gonna lie, I love the boys and I love that we always pray together, as long as there's enough time. Before we sit, we always pray together. I love that. They genuinely make you feel so at home. They're like big brothers.”
“ It was like people were exploring and you know, just trying to understand what's going on. And they will remember it. Because again, it's so immersive.”
She also spoke to us about her favourite performance highlight for this year with Dankie, which was their T Live festival Performance. “Yeah we had fun, and what I enjoyed about T Live is that it was really empty at first. Then before we knew it, it was a full house!” The attendees were in and out of their tent experiencing something unforgettable, and to Nicky she explains that “it was like people were exploring, just trying to understand what's going on. And they will remember it. Because again, it's so immersive.”
What has been your highlight as a DJ in general?
“I think about this often as well. Like, I can't believe that it's taken so long for Black women to become DJs, especially when we're so in touch with music, so good with music and so good at being women.” She expresses that from her experience, there were predominantly white DJ’s in the space, some playing Afro House, but “they didn't understand how that actually made us feel, and it just wasn't adding up.”
This sparked Nicky’s confidence to embark on her journey as a DJ.
“I made a tweet. I can't remember what year it was. It could have been 2015. But I said I was gonna become a DJ and play all the songs that I want to hear for us.”Whilst reminiscing, Nicky states that “The highlight of my career is literally just my career as a whole. Like, I can't believe that I get paid to play live music. And to see people having a good time.”
Muva T
Muva, also known as Tarah, is a multifaceted force in the music and entertainment industry, embarking on her journey in 2014. Initially a producer with a background in playing five instruments, Muva transitioned into hosting events and radio shows by 2015. Hailing from a British-born Ghanaian and Lebanese background, Muva T made her mark on the Amapiano circuit as a DJ in 2021, impressing many with her rapid skill development and boundary-breaking performances. Within a year, she appeared on platforms such as EXT Radio, Reprezent Radio, and BBC 1Xtra; notably becoming the first UK-based female DJ to seamlessly blend the sounds of Southern Africa and the Caribbean. Her DJ career continues to soar as she explores diverse sounds and takes her audience on captivating musical journeys, with her technical prowess on the decks marking only the beginning of her promising trajectory. We spoke with Muva about her journey and what it’s been like to work with Dankie Sounds.
What is your story? How did you start DJing?
Whilst working as a presenter, Muva became really interested with how things worked, and wanted to learn how to use the equipment.
“There was a DJ workshop where a collective of women came down to teach other women how to DJ, how to use the buttons on decks etc. After that session I downloaded music and wanted to practise and see what would happen and how it would go.”
From there, she played sets that caught the attention of Jay Berry from Reprezent, leading her to have her first big moment on Jay McGregors show.
“Within the next couple of weeks, I was doing my first mix with Jay Mcgregor, so she literally gave me my first show-off moment, and it was in the middle of a shift at work. I definitely shouldn't have done that, but it was probably the best decision I ever made, because it gave me the confidence to keep moving forward.”
She then worked on marketing herself on Instagram and set up a Soundcloud profile. Looking back fondly, Muva expressed, “within a couple of months I was playing with Dankie, doing so many different things to the point where I even quit my job, because I wanted to take [DJing] seriously. I didn't know it was something I would be so good at, and I've been enjoying the journey ever since.
“Dankie’s just been home from day one. Playing at the first event was incredible. The love that you receive is incredible. The vibe, the energy - it's just always a good time.”
How did you start with Dankie Sounds? How did that story begin and what was your first show like with them?
After her journey had started, Muva started performing with Dankie. She had heard really good things about the collective’s event and she knew people who were attending, so she was intrigued. It was later that she found out one of the founders was an old classmate from college.
“So we had a conversation, and I was like, I'd love to play Dankie! And he put me on. I don't know whether it was, a moment of him being like, impressed or whatever. But he was just like, yeah, I'm gonna book you again. And many people know that when you’re an up-and-coming DJ, you do like a lot of gigs for free. But he was willing to pay for my travel and make sure that I was accommodated for.”
Being thrown into the DJ world without much knowledge about it, Muva met many people along the way including fellow Resident DJ Via Seri, where she built her network. But ultimately, Dankie Sounds has made her feel at home.
“Dankie’s just been home from day one. Playing at the first event was incredible. The love that you receive is incredible. The vibe, the energy - it's just always a good time.”
What has been your best highlight playing with Dankie Sounds?
Muva yet again emphasises how Dankie is like family to her.
“I would say that my best highlight playing with Dankie has been being able to see my personal progress. Dankie Is very much a family. Nothing feels like it’s guarded. Nothing feels like it is too far to reach. The boys have made it clear that anything you want is very much possible, and they support all of the DJs and all of the team with that. So whatever it is you want to do; if you believe that you can do it and within Dankie’s capacity, they basically accommodate it.
“To see myself go from someone who started to DJ after lockdown just for the love of music, to someone that’s part of a collective that also has a love of music, is so incredible. From DJing as an opening act, to moving to a mid and closing DJ with incredible set times. It has just been a very very cool experience.”
Even during times where she felt demotivated, her connection to Dankie kept her going.
“There were a lot of times where I felt like the music industry isn't for me, but Dankie makes people realise it is for EVERYBODY. It is for everyone. So my highlight I wanna say is the progression..definitely.”
What has been your highlight as a DJ in general?
“To see the kind of love that I receive from people; family, friends, consumers - just people that I would never have expected to receive that kind of love from - is very, very heartwarming. So I definitely feel like music is therapeutic. It's helped my mental health, and it's definitely helped my confidence.”
DJing has helped Muva step out of her comfort zone, specifically in social settings, as she makes sure to put herself and her name out there, knowing the positive impact she gains from doing so.
“The fact that you can make people feel something and just make them happy, makes me happy.”
Through their words, Nicky Summers and Muva T have taken us into the world of Dankie from the inside. On the surface, those who have attended know Dankie is an immersive and exciting experience. But at its core, it is built on family values, building and empowering their team to not only put on their best performance, but be their best in all that they do.