Taking it to the next level: The vision behind the man known as Euphonik

Self-described introvert and weird kid, East Rand-born Themba Nkosi, better known as Euphonik by many of his 947.FM weekend show listeners, has come a long way from his early days and humble beginnings.

Influenced by his cousin at the age of 11 to start a music collection, little did he know what the future had in store for him. “I used to hang out a lot with my cousin, who used to collect music, so it became natural for me to follow suit. But he collected a lot of kwaito and what was then called international, now known as house, which is where I found my interest.” Having affirmed himself as a stereo-head at school and home, at age 14 young Nkosi was asked by his friend to attend his sister’s party and play music from his collection.
It was here that the idea of becoming a disc jockey emerged in his head and saw him seek knowledge on bettering the skill through listening to other club DJs of that time, as well as through practicing in his spare time.

“In 2003, I got my first big break when I became the resident club DJ for a club called Who’s
Who. Even before that I had mentally prepared myself for it. I used to collect flyers and add my name to them, using them as a vision board in my room.”
Being a visionary at heart, Nkosi set out goals for himself, leading him down the path of his destiny.
Along the way, the tenacious crowd-pleaser immersed himself in understanding the tools and
tricks of the entertainment and music industries, which saw him working side-by-side with Botswana-born DJ Fresh.
Soon after reaching club DJ royalty status, Nkosi managed to broaden his brand from producing hit house tracks to becoming a property owner and silent business partner in many spheres.

“I was only 25 when I bought my first property. At the time, my mentor advised me to invest in property, which would bring me returns in the future.”
Nkosi has gone on to owning numerous properties, some of which he has managed to renovate into student accommodation.
“Music is my first love but if I couldn’t do it anymore, property is where my second passion is.”
Determined to expand his brand, Nkosi launched a set of headphones in 2014 along with the help of a company called Rocka, who specialise in speakers and headsets. It is a partnership which continues to grow three years down the line.

“As part of the brand extension, in 2014 I got the opportunity to partner with the people from Rocka and together we designed headphones that people could buy and use. I was keen as this meant my brand went from intangible to tangible.”
The basis for Nkosi’s success stems from a conversation with his father after he had decided to drop out of varsity and pursue DJing.

“When I told him I wanted to become a DJ and leave my studies, he said to me that there would be no child living in his house who wasn’t studying towards something.

“This meant I had to leave home and, as a result, it motivated me to work twice as hard because I knew that failure was not an option.”

It is this memory which has seen the brand Euphonik reach beyond the turntables as the 33-year-old recently joined the cast of a reality show called Nxt Lvl on DStv’s Mzansi Magic channel.
The show aims to groom, mentor and prepare the next generation of musicians.