System Unit is all the rave in Gospel circles these days. From DJs to events to radio and TV, this somewhat green outfit has caused enough waves in the last 6 months to warrant attention. But just who is System Unit? And where did they come from? Are they a creation of publicity avenues or are they actually worth noting?
De facto group leader and double Groove Award winner Hey-Z thinks it’s about time the industry noted their arrival:
“We’re here to stay,” he says. “Ever since we started, people have been trying to buy us out, to cut deals…because they could see the potential this outfit has. We're greatful for the work all the guys who've gone before us have done, but...we believed in God and believed in ourselves…(now) We’re taking over…”
The core part of the group is made of up of four artists, each credible in their own right: Mfalme runner-up DJ Mo and DJ Sadic (formerly part of SK Blue’s Kitenge Band) are quickly making a mark on the turntables; Groove new artist nominee Alemba is still riding on the success of Pages Za Bible and Hey-Z is probably one of Gospel music’s hardest working sons, with a couple of Groove statuettes under his belt.
Sharing a history that goes back further than being students at DJ Nevs’ Spinrej, the quartet came together in December 2009 to form System Unit, with their first big gig being the year-ending Groove Party. Come January, and KTN came knocking at their door, offering them production for a gospel music video show, The Sound. It was to be a short-lived relationship though, and the group spent most of the following months in school outreaches.
According to Hey-Z, the really significant doors started opening in April. He explains:
“The Groove nominations were a really big deal for us. They gave us an opportunity to really (publicize) our work; participating in the Groove Tours was just great…”  That, and DJ Mo nearly winning the Mfalme crown, were considerable image boosters for the group. With their names on the Groove ballot, Hey-Z and Alemba got the platform at the Groove Tours, with DJ Mo almost always on the decks. More would follow – System Unit was tipped by Safaricom as the Gospel unit for its Face-Off gig, probably one of the biggest concerts this year. Around the same time, CHAT Award wins followed for DJ Mo and subsequent Groove Awards for both Mo and Hey-Z.
Come June and Alemba was the MC at the Safaricom 7s, significantly raising his profile as one not only in Gospel but in entertainment circles across board. With all these successes, it was only a matter of time before airtime followed for System Unit. On Truth FM, the outfit has two shows, Friday evening (Replay, 6-9.30pm) and mid-morning Saturday. On Sundays, they host Capital FM’s The Sound as well as NTV’s Crossover show, the latter originally hosted by K-Krew who have since decamped to Citizen TV. Hey-Z points out that their success in building the brand has been a result of ensuring that they credit their individual successes to System Unit:
“Everyone of us, whenever we win anything, we point at System Unit. Yes we are individuals with unique strengths, and we are using those strengths for System Unit…plus, we have a system of accountability, there are people advising us, running the business, doing marketing etc”
That diversification and accountability may just be what this group needs to stay afloat in an industry that has a tendency to consume to extinction the best of ideas. We can only wait and see. Meanwhile, System Unit is certainly making the Gospel entertainment scene a lot more interesting.
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