Beat maestro would be one way of describing producer M-Jay, real name Michael Nande.
He has been quietly creating and mastering the Namibian sound since 2008 when he first learnt to produce beats on Fruity Loops (FL) Studio 6 for Windows.
Unknown to many, M-Jay is one of the best behind-the-scenes creatives with his catchy and masterful beats, which have made him a go-to producer for an array of Namibian artists.
The Weekender caught up with the producer to discuss his passion for creating music, his latest joint album with singer Satlam and his aspirations for the Namibian music scene.
Born and raised at Keetmanshoop, M-Jay fell in love with music at a young age. A huge Michael Jackson fan, he moved to Windhoek in 2006 with dreams of pursuing a career in music.
His first attempt however was far from the success he hoped it would be, due to not having sufficient funds for recording sessions.
“I first came to Windhoek as a musician with no knowledge of music production. I realised that Windhoek is not the paradise I thought it was. It is tough here and everyone is fighting their own battles. Not everyone is going to be there for you. You have to get work done by yourself. This forced me to learn how to make beats myself.”
Before releasing his debut album under his production company, he worked as an in-house producer for 2TP studios and Deal Done Recordz.
“Being aligned to these labels presented me with so many opportunities to work with some of Namibia’s top talents including Mushe, Exit, Sunny Boy and King Tee Dee,” he said.
M-Jay added that it was during his tenure at Deal Done Recordz that he decided to work on his debut album, which was released with the help of the label.
He launched Drums Kicks Music Production in 2014 and released two albums, but says he was unhappy with the sales. While producing for other artists, Satlam approached him to form a duo and the two released ‘Oxula For Success’ in 2016, which earned them four Namibia Annual Music Awards nominations and the award for best shambo.
The duo recently launched their latest offering, ‘Olumosho Nolulyo’, which was in the top 10 best-selling albums at Antonio’s Arts for the month of January.
“The response to our latest album has been overwhelming and I am excited to take a back seat as an artist and focus more on producing for other artists,” he said. “I want to take this music production thing to another level and for me to do so, I need to focus all my energy on one thing. I will be taking a bit of a hiatus from releasing full-length projects.”
Speaking on the qualities that make him stand out from other producers, M-Jay mentioned that he has patience and gives the same quality of service to both the established and new talent. “I do not want to be known as that producer who takes advantage of upcoming artists because that would reflect badly on me as a producer, that is why I treat everyone the same,” he said.
He singled out Exit’s ‘Go Hard or Go Home’ as the favourite album he has worked on so far. He says he produced 98% of it and working on it was refreshing, as he has a special studio chemistry with Exit.
“The funny thing is, when Exit and I first met, we did not quite click. He was always annoyed that I was that kid who was at the studio most of the time, but I earned his respect when I produced ‘Molokasie’, which proved my potential to him. He is like my big brother now. I go to him for advice in the industry,” he said.
Deal Done Recordz recently entrusted M-Jay to produce
D-Kandjafa’s album. Speaking to The Weekender, D-Kandjafa said he is excited to be working with
M-Jay and believes they are creating timeless music together. “I worked with M-Jay for my first and second albums so I’m already used to him, and he is an amazing producer,” said D-Kandjafa.
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