Many know him as an easy-going fun DJ. But few know that DJ Nevs used to be the lead singer of a boys only acapella group. Suprised? So were we! To add to that, he was a big part of comic group sundayschool.com, and has a diploma in IT to boot. This DJ par excellence has been through it all to emerge at this end, fired up and ready to change the view people have of spinning.
Born Neville Oliech in 1981, DJ Nevs always knew music was in his genes. However, it was not until his neighbour and now friend of many years Denver led him to Christ in 1998 that things began to take shape. Students at Eastleigh High School in Nairobi, they joined together with four other boys and formed an acapella group, called Promise.
Although the group broke up after high school as its members pursued other interests, it was just the beginning for this soft spoken second born. His call to being a DJ came on 31st December 2003. Heading home from a new year’s party, Nevs and a friend, David Mbiro (now DJ Jey), decided to start up a DJ unit, calling it Badilika DJs - a reflection of their desire to be change agents.
Two years later, with big events like Swifthouse and Kora Award winner George Okundi’s concert behind him, DJ Nevs felt it was time to move on to a different level. He and Denver resigned from Badilika DJs and started up their current unit, Spinrej DJs. Their interesting name came to them whilst at a Bible Study meeting – the ‘rej’ in the name is a truncated form of the word rejoices, reminding them of scripture that says ‘the Lord rejoices over us’. With Denver as manager, Spinrej currently comprises two DJs – DJ Nevs and DJ Syke.
Even though today Nevs is one of the most recognisable names in Christian DJ-ing, the ride has been far from smooth for him. One of the biggest challenges that he and many of his peers - upcoming and even established DJs - face, is a nagging lack of finances. With equipment being extremely expensive, it's taken quite a bit of creativity to still achieve without equipment. Moreover, Nevs highlights the difficulty of balancing ministry and entertainment as a constant challenge. He also cites reluctance of companies to offer corporate sponsorship to Gospel events as a major hurdle.
Yet DJ Nevs still soldiers on, towards his vision to see Disc Jockeying turned into a respectable career. Nevs says he enjoys watching people dance for God, making him not only appreciate the power of music, but also giving him extra motivation. He points out DJ Moz as one person who has inspired him both musically as a disc jockey and personally as a close friend. Pastor Ewagata is another whose influence is strong in his life. Making his roll of honor internationally is the multi-talented Kirk Franklin, because as Nevs puts it, ‘Kirk is not afraid to try new things’.
Today Nevs is amongst the most visible DJs in the industry, with numerous gigs to his credit. Feathers in his cap include a stint on Hope FM’s Plugged In show, then hosted by Annie Kiguta (now at Capital FM), as well as the Summer Fest event, which featured amongst others Lukus Simari. More recently, Spinrej was in charge of the wheels of steel at the Reggae Baptism Live Concert.
DJ Nevs believes in turning one’s passion into profitability, and he is certainly achieving that with his work. He urges young people to do the same and not wait for things to be worked out for them. It is obvious to see that he is gearing himself up to be even more of an impact in the industry, and will no doubt do an excellent job of it.
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» 2 Comments
1"Dj"
at Tuesday, 02 March 2010 15:05
Big up man....Baraka kibao.
2"INSPIRATION"
at Wednesday, 03 August 2011 14:14
Dont go thru life so fast that someone has to throw a brick at you to get your attention,GOD whispers in our souls and speaks 2 our hrts,sometimes when we dont have time to listen, he has 2 throw a brick at us.It\\\'s our choice. Thanks for being the brick bt damage mi a little bit further nid a little bit more damage 2 get some sense into mi. May God bless u 2 inspire more pple .
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