mwafrika.com - DJ Touch

DJ Touch

Life is about deciding what we want and going after it with all we've got! As far as Daniel Kariuki's life is concerned, this is the philosophy to live by. Now an integral part of Gospoepic Entertainment and its off-shoot Project DJs, as well as having his own radio show on the national broadcaster, this man that most know only as DJ Touch can testify to that.

The second born in a family of three, Touch felt the pressure of growing up in a setting where all his family members were staunch Christians, save him. But finally, in 2003, he finally heeded the urgings of his parents and gave his life to Christ.

Growing up in Nyeri, DJ Touch had early role models in DJ Kev and DJ Kaggz and would spend hours listening to their radio shows. He also got his hands on mix tapes, and started practicing using a friend's machine, dreaming of one day being a DJ himself. Surprisingly though, his first entry into the music scene was not as a DJ, but a ragga artist. Discovering a flair for song-writing, he started doing this in high school and would get to perform at school outings and services.

He joined a singing group, God's Chosen, recording two songs and two videos. But his passion for DJ-ing was far from quenched. The event that finally convinced him to turn his attention to the turn tables came by quite accidentally. Lacking a DJ for a church gig one day, it was suggested that he might be up to the task as his affair with music was well known. With only thirteen CDs and an unstoppable excitement, Touch gave his first public performance as a disc jockey.

Its success convinced him that he was meant to do this. When after the gig one of his friends came up to him and told him he had ‘the touch' to be a successful DJ, he got his stage name! And so began an exciting journey into a world he had only dreamed of. First off, he traveled to Nairobi to seek out the only DJ he'd had contact with – DJ Riq. They had met a year earlier during the latter's mission visit to Nyeri, and the young man hoped that Riq would remember him and give him direction.

He got more than he expected – DJ Riq had just started up a school and Touch became his first student. He took the aspiring DJ in, set him up and taught him the ropes, recruiting him into Gospoepic at the end of his training. The rest, as they say, is history – DJ Touch has in the past two years grown from level to another, spinning alongside DJ Riq and others, and was part of the founding team for Project DJs.

More recently, another of DJ Touch's childhood dreams was realized – he took over the Gospel show on the national broadcaster, KBC. He explains that even in his younger days, every time he would listen to the show, his desire to be on radio grew stronger. Finally, in June 2007, the opportunity came his way and he now hosts the segment on Sunday evenings with Jackie Manyaga.

Although it was difficult at first making it in the industry, Touch explains that with focused determination and relentlessness, one can easily make it. Besides, he had the unwavering support of his mother and DJ Riq, both of whom were instrumental in shaping his career. He encourages young people who may be thinking of getting into DJ-ing to go for it, saying,

“DJ-ing is a career like any other and it puts food on the table. And you can make it if you're determined to do so, always remembering that life is not about proving yourself to anyone, but letting your excellence speak for you!”

DJ Touch is out to change the way people think about his profession – to shift the ‘club' mentality associated with DJ-ing as well as raise the standards in the industry. Ultimately though, he says his work is also about impacting young people through music. He is definitely taking the steps in that direction, and if his past is anything to go by, these dreams too will soon become a reality.