Music
On Deck & On Fire: DJ Tobi Peter Brings Fresh Amapiano Vibes to Classic Hits!
DJs have always been the life of every party, bringing energy, setting the perfect vibe for a memorable event, and getting the whole crowd dancing and shouting in excitement. Imagine a Friday or Saturday night without a DJ; the atmosphere would undoubtedly be lacking that special magic.
Over the years, disc jockeying has evolved beyond just spinning tracks; DJs have become producers, artists, and creators in their own right. Despite their crucial role in making every event enjoyable, they might not always receive the credit they deserve.
That is why, in the next couple of days, we’ll be shining a spotlight on some DJs that you should know. First up is Nigerian DJ, artist, and producer Tobi Peter. In this interview, Tobi talks about his journey and the inspiration behind his work.
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What sparked your love for DJing, and who were your early inspirations that shaped your musical journey?
Before I started DJing, I was a producer behind the scenes. I never had any intentions of being a performer, but as time went by, I started to fancy the idea of performing on a stage to an audience that knows my records and having them sing them back to me (that is an experience I look forward to having). I decided to give singing a try. I made sure that I wrote and performed songs for my project so that I could perform them on stage.
In September 2021, I sang for an audience for the very first time at the Lagos State NYSC orientation camp, and while I enjoyed it, I wasn’t so sure I would want to continue singing because I am a music producer, not a singer.
What sparked my joy for DJing was the realisation that DJing was sort of an avenue for producers to perform. All the EDM producers I looked up to perform at shows like Tomorrowland, Ultra Music Fest, etc. by DJing. Even amapiano and house music producers perform by DJing.
The icing on the cake was when Sarz also started DJing, and I saw him DJ for the very first time at the Spotify Heat event this year, and his set was excellent. When a producer DJs, it just hits differently.
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My early inspirations that shaped my musical journey include, firstly, Diplo. His creativity and ability to produce so many genres solo and in groups such as Major Lazer, Jack Ü, Silk City, and LSD at such a high level amaze me, and I respect him a lot. He recently played one of my remixes on stage, and that was a really big deal for me. Other influences include Sarz, David Guetta, Calvin Harris, Zedd, Taylor Swift, Justin Bieber, Lauv, Martin Garrix, Major Lazer, Flume, Illenium, Skrillex, DJ Snake, and many others.
Take us through a day in your life as a DJ, from morning routines to work commitments. How do you manage to maintain creativity amidst your busy schedule?
Being a DJ comes with a very interesting lifestyle, but it can wear you out if you cannot manage your time well.
There is always something to do at any given point in time. A day in my life goes like this:
I wake up, say a quick prayer, and make my daily declarations before heading out (if I am going out very early). I like to check my social media first. I know a lot of people will say it’s a bad thing, but I just lay on my bed replying to comments and texts, following people back, reposting stories, and so on.
I like to reward myself with food, so I immediately hop on my laptop, open my DAW, and continue working on a remix or try to make a new beat to get my creative juices flowing. After all of that, if there’s time, I go to the gym with my friend. After working out, I come back home to have breakfast at noon. From this point on, anything can happen. It could be going out for a recording session, getting ready for my show, making beats, editing videos, having meetings with my manager, lawyer, or a third party, working on a client’s request, mixing vocals, filming content, or simply playing FIFA.
If there’s a show, I’ll go out, perform, come back home the next day, and go straight to bed (aka sleep like a dead person). If there’s no show, I’ll go out in the evening, do some light shopping, come back to produce some music on Instagram Live, have dinner, and wait till midnight to start producing again because I have noticed that my creativity peaks after midnight.
Nigeria’s music scene is rich and diverse. How do you infuse local flavours into your DJ sets while keeping your performances appealing to a broader international audience?
There are a lot of talented Nigerian DJs and producers, and many of them are finally getting noticed. Every DJ’s style varies from one to the next. For me, as a DJ who knows how to produce, my sets are very unique due to the multitude of originally remixed versions of popular records at my disposal.
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Before every major event, I like to remix one or two songs that I know many people love; it’s a tradition at this point. While other DJs might play pop songs before or after my set, I, on the other hand, would play my version of those same songs, leaving people both excited and surprised.
As seen on my social media, I remix a lot of Nigerian as well as international records to appeal to both my home and foreign audiences. My set mostly consists of amapiano, house, and EDM records, both originals and remixes. That way, there is something for everyone.
