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Mbulelo Mpofu, Showbiz Reporter
THE People’s Republic of China is known for its inventions and architectural prowess with the Great Wall and the Forbidden City being one of its most celebrated infrastructure but one thing they lack is an African sound, a niche that Zimbabwean-born DJ, Kofi Beam (real name Trevor Hove) is covering.

Saturday Leisure caught up with DJ Kofi Beam from his Hong Kong Special Administrative Region base.
“嗰個非洲DJ” You probably don’t know how to read that and what it means. Well, it means “That African DJ”, a moniker given to KBeam back in the day when he was spinning the wheels in clubs.

He started DJing in 2019 when he moved to China and laughingly attributes a drunken stupor as a perfect springboard to his career.

“How I started DJing was a funny experience as I had no plans to be a DJ. I was actually on a junk boat with my friends and after the party, a drunk me will ask the DJ on the night to teach me how to use the decks and even offered to pay but he taught me the basics straight away for free.

“A week after, I then met DJ Zimo and under his tutelage I got to learn eight classes on how to mix different genres of music. I then developed a serious interest in the craft and started hanging around like-minded individuals. I started getting more bookings and made a name for myself here in Hong Kong,” said DJ Kofi Beam.

Besides wheel spinning, DJ Kofi Beam is a music producer and a drama teacher. He is also a Cyber Security student at Xccelerate Global Hong Kong Limited.

DJ Kofi Beam.

“I’m grateful to be part of the first teachers to introduce such a class and the experience has been pretty good. This is an untapped territory in Hong Kong local schools, so it recently got introduced by a number of schools, but it’s a great course to teach as the work intensity is manageable and I’m able to do other things like DJing and studying,” he said.

DJ Kofi Beam has gained a lot of momentum in the Hong Kong party scene as he has displayed a unique mixing style, blending hip-hop and Afrobeats. Apart from that, he has also shown versatility with his multi-genre sets, the most notable one being the one which lasted for 8 hours, a fit most DJs would not dare to attempt.

Cyber Security

DJ Kofi Beam has played at various events, most notable at Jiva, an event founded to celebrate African cultures in Hong Kong. Other events he has played at include Rezonate, where he shared the stage with Hong Kong legends, Teng, and world record-holder and MVP DJ Jeremy Cheung who is well-known for having played the longest vinyl set in Hong Kong entertainment history. He played a total of 15 hours at one go.

DJ Kofi Beam is inspired by South African DJ Siphe Tebeka and Hong Kong’s DJs Jeremy Cheung, David Lau and DJ Richie. His last set was at Grand Budapest Hotel in Hong Kong, a New Year’s Day event for young professionals working around the city.

DJ Siphe Tebeka

“As any other DJ, I play almost every other weekend. Then, some days it could be parties or conferences. I’m not signed with any specific organiser so, I’m a bit free to play anywhere. Where I don’t play, however, is at weddings. I just don’t do weddings,” he chuckles.

The Hatfield-bred DJ has already lined-up plans to play in Zimbabwe this year, with Victoria Falls topping that list. — @eMKlass_49