What began as a love of music from his early childhood, being influenced by his father’s cassette and CD collection, his uncle who played ZCC music all time and not forgetting radio stations like YFM, Metro FM and Ukhozi FM , these are some of the early influences that would inform Mzolo’s taste and building a platform that many South Africans are now becoming familiar with.
Sibusiso “Stayela” Mzolo, the Soweto-born DJ and founder of the Music Always podcast, has recently celebrated the platform’s 200th episode and will mark the podcast’s fifth anniversary this November, the 28th
Music Always started as a personal project: a place for Mzolo to freely express himself through music and his unique taste and perspective. Over time, he opened it up to like-minded DJs and producers, turning it into a growing community of selectors and creators. New episodes drop every Monday on YouTube and Apple Podcasts, giving local talent a worldwide stage.
Where it started
Mzolo’s love of music took root early in Soweto, where he was raised by parents who, while strict, gave him the freedom to play music as loudly as he liked.
“Music has always been around me, it captivated me from a young age,” says Mzolo. “I used to record songs from the radio and make mixtapes, tapes which at least once a week I’d get to play for my kombi driver and all the kids in the kombi. I must have been 11 or 12 years old.”
His early collection was filled with dubbed cassette tapes, along with a few original compilations, including House of T-Bose Volume 1. By his own admission, he also recorded over a few of his father’s gospel tapes. By his teens, he was already attending ama’bash, long before turning 18.
Building a platform
That early curiosity shaped the way Mzolo approaches his craft today. Precise preparation, anticipating the mood of the room and combining it with what he wants to present to the audience on the day. He also credits a few Soweto natives as major influences to what he has on his rotation today.
Mzolo describes Music Always in three words: intensity, necessary and messenger. He says he draws his inspiration from the future, taking parts of his past and present and “mashing it all up” to create something different. He is also fascinated by people who push beyond their natural limits to achieve exceptional results, a quality he hopes the platform will bring out in the creatives it features.
With 200 episodes under his belt and a fifth anniversary on the horizon, Mzolo’s ambitions for Music Always are growing. “Music Always will be a mass enabling platform for creativity and the business thereof,” Concludes Mzolo
