The art of DJing can be considered almost as old as the art of music itself. Afterall what are conductors if not the DJs of orchestras? However the art form in it’s present state, as festival goers and club hoppers love it, can be traced back to the 60s and 70s. The time when mixing became a thing. Powered by the invention of turntables and vinyl records.
Decades later from this beginning, vinyl records would plant the seed that would see Ryan Synth growing into one of the most talented DJs of his generation. A journey that has seen him grace the top festivals, the most happening clubs and national radio stations such as ZiFM Stereo, Star FM and Power Ace Radio.
My uncle had an impressive collection of records which sparked a passion in me for collecting music myself.
A young Ryan was introduced to Reggae, Jazz, Afropop, and other various sounds at around the age of 5/6. He used to have times where he would fall in with a particular record and he would always run for it and ask it to be played. This early love affair with music, would ultimately be an important shaping hand in the DJ, Ryan Synth would eventually become.
Before he had booking fees or a DJ controller, Ryan Synth had his first unofficial residency in 2010, in the cozy canteen at Speciss College. Fooling around on Virtual DJ, he was a regular curator of vibes for other students. Gaining confidence from this, Ryan Synth would start officially DJing in 2012 with a residency at Mojo Bar.
At the time his duties were the early set and the graveyard shift but this experience would allow him to refine his skills. Driven by his passion for the DJing art form, Ryan would pursue formal training at Ingwe Studios. This coming after he had completed Information Communication Technology and Ethical Hacking from the National University of Science and Technology.
A residency at Club Horizon would arrive as Ryan’s big break and as he tells it, Horizon was the biggest club in Bulawayo at the time. From there on, Ryan’s name was synonymous with great taste in music. So much so that the DJ’s bookings started crossing borders.
The Bulawayo native describes the feeling of DJing as being one with the music. When he is in the moment, it is just him and the sound, with transitions and track selection being his prefered language of communication with the audience. According to him, his sets are principally about the music and no matter where he is playing, he sets a quota on how much the MC can shoutout during his performance.
As he tells it a lot of the music he plays is a concoction of personal edits, bootlegs and remixes that won’t be heard anywhere else. The complications of copyrights and how we don’t have the labels present to help artists get around them being the main reason why. So chances are, a Ryan Synth edit is only heard during a Ryan Synth set.
On the trident of his favourite performances so far, he ranks a set at Rands CPT, his 2022 Jacaranda Festival performance and a set he performed at Souk in Cape Town. Although not yet as booked as he would want to be, Ryan feels that he has expressed himself more than enough at home. He dreams of pursuing more opportunities on the international stage.
With DJ Kent as a major inspiration, alongside Black Coffee and fellow Bulawayo native Nitefreak, Ryan Synth sees his future as limitless. He sees himself not only spreading his wings across the continent but the globe as a whole.
My biggest inspiration is DJ Kent, like his style of play that’s where my whole style of play came from. I like listening to him a lot, and his production as well.
As a producer Ryan has worked on music that has featured Cal Vin, Nitefreak, DJ Stavo, Murphy Cubic, Freeman, Alick Macheso, DJ Scooby and Miss Pam. Releases from him are a rare occurrence but he’s hinting at an upcoming EP in his plot for global dominance.
All through his endeavours, he credits a good support system for keeping him going. Not just the support of family and friends but fans and peers. He says without it he wouldn’t be where he is in his career.
My journey to success has been long and arduous, but I have never given up. Despite the sleepless nights and hard work, I have persevered through it all with resilience and determination. While I am proud of what I have achieved thus far, there is still a lot more for me to accomplish before reaching the pinnacle of success.
Ryan Synth is part of ‘Tha Plug In’, a Creative showcase by the British Council in partnership with #enthuse Magazine.
