I met Wazulu briefly around 2006 through a couple of friends. He was traveling and DJing regularly at that time, and was in Honolulu, staying with a friend of mine. When I actually had the opportunity to listen to some of Wazulu's beats, I found them to be super visual, and I love how he plays with speed, creating textures and feelings through sampling & beat making. Through his beats, I could travel to these places I had never been before; yet, they felt so familiar. I still have a playlist of about 17 beats on an earlier generation iPod that still plays (cross fingers!).
When my brother’s children were little, they would stay with me overnight and, I would put on Wazulu’s playlist for my nephew Eduardo who enjoyed taking a shower to Indian hip hop instrumentals. I would leave him for a few minutes and I’d come back to him dancing with his eyes closed, his hands suspended in moving shapes as he explored his imagination through the sounds. I thought it was the coolest thing to watch; illumination through sound. Eduardo would often choose Wazulu out of any other playlist; 9 times out of 10.
Through the years, I would send Wazulu messages to thank him for making such dope music and he would send me more dope beats. In the recent years, we have been emailing back and forth and chatting about life, his sneaker line, family, and sharing the good vibes through a collaboration. A couple weeks ago, I received an article on InstaMsg from Wazulu that was released on February 14, 2019 on The News Minute, about his story and how he found himself back in India. His is a story of resilience, celebrating our voices and empowering ourselves through music. I hope you are illuminated through this inspiring channel. Enjoy and stay tuned for more on Wazulu!
https://soundcloud.com/wazulu-da-ill-dravidian
https://soundcloud.com/tiny-drops/14-sim-sim-polla
