On your favourite pullout today, we touch base with the DJ and producer, Sukoluhle Dlamini, known as !Sooks.
!Sooks says he has always felt an innate connection to music.
“I have always felt like I was born into music. Both my parents were the kind of people who carried music in everything they did. My dad, in particular, had this ritual; every day after school, he’d put on music and fill the house with it. That became the soundtrack of my childhood without me knowing,” he said.
His entire neighbourhood played a role in his sonic education. Everyone in the vicinity loved music, but each household had a preference for different genres.
This meant that from a young age, he was exposed to a diverse mix of sounds and styles, unknowingly shaping the artist he would become.
While his background did not offer an obvious or guaranteed path into the music industry, he has always felt an irresistible pull towards creativity. Those early years undeniably shaped his approach to his craft today.
One of his greatest professional assets is the depth of his commitment to the thi-ngs he cares about. When he is working on music, he is fully present. He is also highly adaptable, able to adjust to different environments, energies and creative demands without ever compromising his identity as an artist.
Regarding his weaknesses, he admits that he can be hard on himself. He tends to set exceptionally high standards, and sometimes that pressure can weigh on him more than it should.
He is learning to give himself the space to grow without expecting perfection at every step.
His DJing ability was discovered quite early, around 11 or 12 years old. Like many of his peers, he started out on Virtual DJ before eventually progressing to CDJs.
“I was playing at house parties long before I ever touched a club set-up, and that’s really where the foundation was built,” he said.
As he continued to experiment, he realised that he was not just blending songs, he was ‘shaping moods, telling a story and reading people almost instinctively’.
Being based in Johannesburg sharpened that skill even more. The city is home to some of the world’s best DJs and being surrounded by that level of talent compels an artist to elevate their own craft. He recalls studying certain tracks, asking himself,
“Take a song like ‘Sister Bethina’ by Mgarimbe, I used to sit there wondering why a track like that could trigger the exact same explosive reaction every single time, even years later.”
Such observations fascinated him and continue to feed his curiosity to this day.
When discussing influences, his foundation was built on artists like Da Capo, Problem Child and Culoe De Song. He was heavily drawn to tribal house at that time and that sound formed the basis of his earliest style. Later, when he connected with Antidote Music, his world expanded significantly.
They exposed him to a broader spectrum of House music, which encouraged him to explore deeper and develop his own distinct direction.
The DJ revealed that Unleash The Wolf began as a concept long before it became a full-fledged event. It was born from a desire to create a space where people could connect with music on a deeper, more emotional level, rather than simply partying for the sake of it.
*Full article available in our publication
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