Nigeria’s DJ Xtacee bares it all in Cruise Nigeria Exclusive!

By Obinna Odenigbo

DJ Xtacee

The young Nigerian Deejay we celebrate today was born with music inside him. No kidding, but Music is one of his body parts. Like his ribs, his kidneys, his liver, his heart. Like his blood. It was a  force already flowing within him when he arrived on the scene. And it doesn’t stop there, Music is a necessity for him- like food or water. He breathes, eats and talks music.

And since all we do here in Cruise Nigeria is celebrate Nigerian talent, we sat with this young maestro to find out what it feels like to be so talented on the ones and twos!

Xtacee- whose government name is Chigozie  Orji- is resident Deejay at arguably the biggest night club in Nigeria’s Enugu State- Choices- where his creativity and aptitude are  reminiscent of a magnetic field, which pulls to it, partygoers from all over the state and beyond. Well, the same magnetic force pulled us  to him and here is what he had to say:

Notice that Xtacee’s responses are  emboldened, while our questions assume  regular fonts.

Xtacee, why Xtacee? What inspired that name?

The original word is ecstasy- with an ‘ec’, not an ‘X’. Ecstasy means intense excitement and frankly, I believe that’s what I make people feel. So why not use the name? I just had to spice up the word- replace the ‘ec’ with an ‘x’-   to  give it a catchier feel- without losing its meaning.

At what point did you know you had this talent

I played at my first gig the same month I turned 18

How was it- your first time… Were you jittery?

(smiles). Honestly, I was composed. It felt normal. You won’t believe it, but it felt like it’s something I’ve done for a long time. Plus I had the crowd moving to my mix. So, it felt good.

Xtacee

There must have been some ‘down’ moments when you didn’t feel so good. Tell Nigeria about one of such moments.

Ha-ha let me think.  Man, that day was a disaster… Okay, here it is- I was playing at a dinner party, everything was going well and all of a sudden the music stopped. Thought it was a minor fault, but to my surprise my sound engineer couldn’t determine what the problem was-let alone rectify it. It was about 4 am and we were out of town. Thank God I made it through the dinner and awards part, what left was just the dance. I had to refund them half of the money they paid. It was bad- whew!

That must have been a harrowing experience. Now Xtacee, if u weren’t a DJ today, what would you be up to?

DJ Xtacee

 
Man, that’s a tough one. I have always been into music… I believe so much in music. I believe in the power of music. It gives wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and charm to life and to everything. So back to your question, I don’t see myself doing anything outside music. I probably would have been a music producer. But, frankly I can’t imagine myself not being a DJ.

Tell us about your family background and what it was like growing up as a kid

I was born into a family of seven, or rather we were born, because I have a twin. We are the last of the children. With a good father and a Loving and caring mother. I have 3 brothers and had my one and only sister (may God bless soul).
Growing up was quite easy because I had my older ones taking care of me and backed me up when i had issues. I remember my dad having a turn table, which I played around with most of the time.

That was where your dream was nurtured. Any words of advice for prospective DJs?

Yea, first of all, always put God first in all you do. Without him you can’t do anything. Secondly, just like the English say, ‘practice makes perfect’; so, constant lessons are important. Practice with any opportunity you get, you don’t know how much you could learn. And be patient, don’t expect money to start piling up immediately, it takes time.

Thank you for your time

You’re welcome, Obi