DJ Leo Large loves the lingo of the turntable, the vibe of the party and the opportunity to travel our beautiful country
DYNAMIC DUO: DJ Leo Large, left and his ‘partner in crime’ Fritzz the Cat run the recording studio Get Large Music.
MODEL looks, check. Good with his hands, check. Ladies, need I say more? Hiphop heads put your hands up and let them stay there for Leo Large. Don’t know who he is? Crawl out from underneath that rock and let me break it down for you.
Affectionately known in the hiphop scene as Lomfana womlungu okwazuk’dlala, meaning “the white boy that can play”, this DJ and producer is making waves around South Africa and gaining recognition in neighbouring countries.
The Good Weekend caught up with the jet-setting Leo Large on Long Street last week.
Dressed in black jeans, a grey cardigan and his trademark hat; there is no doubt that he takes his brand seriously.
“I didn’t always look this slick; I used to have these haircuts that were not good during my teens.”
He admitted to sporting a German-style mullet style, during his bad hair days, called a “vokuhila”, where the hair is cut short at the front and sides, and long at the back. Born in Hamburg, Germany, Leo Large’s love of DJing started at the age of 14 at his neighbour’s house – hip-hop DJ Miles Styles.
“I loved messing around with his DJ set and annoying him by making these scratchy noises trying to DJ. He threw me out of the house a lot, but I kept going back. After some time, he saw I wasn’t going anywhere and taught me everything I needed to know.”
At 20, he felt the itch to travel: “So I packed up for Cape Town to do a six-month internship and decided to stay on this beautiful city”
That was four years ago, and since then he has been rated as one of the top five hip-hop DJs at the 2010 MTN Hype Awards.
“Winning that award was just overwhelming. I was secretly hoping to win, but never thought it was going to happen. There I was sitting among SA’s best hip-hop artists, with only two years in the hip-hop scene,” he said.
Leo has performed with popular local musicians such as Slikour, Da Les, Tira, Oskido, Black Coffee, Kwesta, Lulo Café and has supported international artists like John Legend, Rick Ross, and R Kelly. Not only has Leo Large performed at many hotspots around Cape Town, he also in demand on the Joburg club scene and has regular gigs in Mozambique, Namibia and Zambia.
“I am like a bird; I go from here to there. I am not a fan of being a residential DJ as I enjoy doing stuff I don’t do everyday.”
Leo runs his production and recording studio Get Large Music with his “partner in crime” Fritzz the Cat. The two have started a new trend in DJing by introducing beatbox dancers and a cappella to their live performances.
Having recently completed a BComm marketing degree, Leo is planning bigger events and producing sounds for up-and-coming artists is part of Get Large Music’s growth strategy.
Leo Large will be featured at this year’s Rock the Boat party, hosted by the MSC Sinfonia cruise ship setting off from Durban to the Portuguese Island in Mozambique from December 9 to 12.
nontando.mposo@inl.co.za
Twitter: @Nontando58
