With music in his blood and funk in his soul Charl’s raw energy & talent has taken him from clubs in London to Cape Town, South Africa, Bahrain, Dubai and back.He is no stranger to the international dance music scene having shared the spotlight with heavyweights such as Armand van Helden, Derrick Carter, Kenny Dope, Todd Terry, Jay J, Marshall Jefferson, Inland Knights, Terry Francis, Mark Farina, DJ Sneak & Dennis Ferrer to name but a few. Not one to be pigeonholed his been trusted with the duty of opening for Jamiroquai, ?uestluv and JazzaNova.
People really started taking note of Charl back when he won the DJ competition at club Heaven, London back in 1999. He was immediately offered a residency, playing alongside Jason Moore (The End/JDJ) and Nicky Holloway (Pacha/INCredible Records) on a weekly basis. (www.heaven-london.com) “He calmly got behind the decks when his set was called and the moment he did, the party started. He demonstrated professionalism, confidence and just locked into a groove and held it throughout his set” (Jason Moore-www.urbantorque.co.uk) He got runner-up in the iDJ magazine DJ competition of June 2001. “This is so darned funky, so well thought out and such an understated mix that we just had to give him the props he’s due”(iDJ Magazine 2001) Charl has worked closely with mentor Jason Moore (Urbantorque Records/JDJ) at Heaven and gained invaluable experience; he furthermore owned a nightclub; has promoted various events & productions with huge success; played live to 10 000 people & been a permanent fixture at every house club and major event in South Africa ranging from MTV Motomash, Lucky Strike Events, MTV Isle Of Ibiza Mini Tour, Smirnoff Experience NYE, Roger Goode’s Surgery and Heineken’s Summer Experience to name but a few.
His Cape Town residency Deluxe (among too many to mention) was voted South Africa’s number 1 nightclub in 2003 in GQ magazine! His music style depends on the venue; event and time slot and he is at ease playing for large crowds as well as an intimate bar setting. You can’t necessarily describe his style in words or genres but you can expect a mixture of Jackin-Funk’d-House. Not one to be pigeonholed, he also plays sets of afro, breakz, lounge, trip-hop and has been known to throw in some Drum and Bass into his sets. Charl moved to Dubai with a residency at Lotus One and with plans to exhibit his full deck ability to the Dubai massive. This is exactly what he is done. Since his arrival in 2004 he has become a firm favourite of punters and other DJ’s alike and has become a household name in the Dubai clubbing community. He has been credited as one of the 1st DJ’s to play deep funk jackin style house in Dubai and is renowned for this style.
Some of the highlights include events Life’s a Breezer at Jumeriah Beach Club, OM Records @ Lotus One, raving sets at the Heineken Thirst competition 3 years in a row, as well as numerous sets at IBO to name just a few. In 2006 he won the Technics International DJ Challenge, held a residency @ DeepNights on Trilogy rooftop, a residency @ Lotus One, as well as DJ-ing at the very popular Bubble Lounge @ the Dubai World Cup. Charl is also the Editor/Managing Partner for Dubai’s leading Dance & Music magazine Infusion as well as the UAE representative of the Music Industry Manual. (MIM) You can also catch Charl on his weekly Friday night radio show ‘Rhythm Factory’ on Radio 1 from 1am-4am. Charl Chaka is also been chosen to mix a CD for OM Records, San Francisco. He will be mixing a double CD with Andy Caldwell, released in November. Furthermore Charl will be doing a mix compilation with JoJoFlores in March 2008, as well as the Infusion CD series starting in Jan 08. With residencies held in London & South Africa, gigs in Bahrain, steadily still rocking Dubai’s dance floors there is no telling where this deck maestro might take you. One thing is for sure; 2007 Charl Chaka is going places!
