How ‘254 Diaspora DJs on the Mix’ is changing clubbing during Covid-19 pandemic
When George Mokuasi and a group of friends started the now-famous Facebook group 254 Diaspora Djs on the mix late last month, they did not anticipate it would become an instant hit with netizens all over the world.
Two weeks down the line, the group now has slightly more than 52,000 members with a clear schedule of Kenyan deejays playing live music every day.
Mokuasi, a Kenyan businessman based in the United States, said this trend will clearly change the partying landscape even after the coronavirus pandemic.
“I started the group two weeks ago, Saturday 21st March to be specific. My friend Brian Ahenda and I spoke about the idea of bringing Kenyans together during this period coronavirus has brought almost everything to a standstill. We created the group and I reached out to another friend Frank Wesonga as well as others who agreed to become moderators. Anything you do in unity will always be powerful and I want to thank Brenda Beekay, Rodney Afande, Dj Shinski, Bryan Dubb and Keja Graphics for helping behind the scenes,” Mokuasi opened up to Nairobi News.
“This has been bigger than I thought when I started the group. I thought we would hit 10,000 members and that would be it, but we have seen people enjoying and seeing how important it is to come together and do something big. People are really positive and excited. We plan to keep it going. The group has now changed how people enjoy clubbing. You cannot beat clubbing, enjoying music in the comfort of your living room. And deejays are now giving the services to millions of viewers without breaking your back carrying that equipment. We are here for a long time. As long as our members are enjoying we will continue,” he added.
So far, the best success story from the group has to be that of popular reggae deejay Kriss Darling, who raised over Sh 250,000 in a two-hour set in the group and used the proceeds to buy sanitisers and foodstuff for residents of Kibra.
“When he reached out to us to give him a show, he ran the idea by me and I thought it was great charity work. He showed the world you could do anything with the little God has given you to impact change,” Mokuasi noted.
The 254 Diaspora Djs on the mix facebook group is also giving netizens a chance to discover new and talented deejays who were otherwise unknown before.
“So far the likes of Kriss Darling, Joe Mfalme. Dj Sunny Sistuki. Dj Aisher have had very many views in the group but we have also seen others like the people’s favorite Dj Sly from Kenya breaking the internet yet she was just a little known DJ before,” he intimated.
The group operates seamlessly due to proper organization; Rodney Afande aka Dj Rodney is in charge of booking the deejays, Bryan Dubb is in charge of schedules, Dj Shinski is the quality controller while Keja Graphics is the defacto timekeeper.