PM Project are quietly growing in influence

Mokhorea and Manyenye are soft-spoken guys who prefer to let their music make all the noise. While house DJs are not scarce, it’s surprising to find two young musicians who admit to working best in a duo.

“We have different views on music,” says Mokhorea, “and they work really well together.”

Mokhorea is the expert on African beats and Manyenye enjoys adding a soulful element. While the group don’t see themselves as the “next Revolution”, they are inspired by the more experienced outfit. Like Revolution, PM Project started playing music in their own neighbourhood. As teenagers growing up in the Free State, Mokhorea and Manyenye joined Positive Minds – a group of five guys who were playing music for free at parties and community events.

“I was tired of being a bedroom DJ,” says Manyenye with a laugh.

“The other DJs who were there were more experienced and took time to train me about the art of making music.”

After some time, the group members decided to go their separate ways, to pursue studies and stable jobs, leaving Mokhorea and Manyenye as the only remaining performers.

“My parents were very disappointed when I decided to pursue my music career,” says Manyenye, “but I didn’t see myself doing anything else.” With very little mo-ney, the two youngsters moved to Pretoria, where they hoped to grow their fanbase and make a career out of their passion. This is where they were discovered by Californian label Soso Deep Records and released their first single, Bosiu Kaofela. With that track rapidly gaining popularity, PM Project started to remix for established producers and artists such as Hanna Hais, Suges, Oscar P and Mr Cee.

Project DJs Winston Mokhorea and Rasebina Manyenye have recently signed with Soul Candi Records. Picture: Supplied.

The duo has also performed along the likes of Liquideep, DJ Christos, Mi Casa, Abicah Soul and Harrison Crump. Their work features on the Producer Series Volume One compilation, released by Soul Candi. Some of the tracks they’ve remixed for the collection include That Girl from Calvin Fallo, featuring Tellaman and The Waters In My Eyes from Imaani Brown. Collaborating with PM Project on some of their own productions are artists like Andy Boi and Keiko Yoshimura.

“It was very important for us to make sure that none of the songs on the album sound the same” says Makhroea.

“It’s our first offering, so we wanted people to see how diverse we can be in our sounds.”

Like Revolution, the group wants to be known for infusing African elements into their music, such as indigenous languages.

“We want our music to appeal to all house lovers,” says Mokhorea. While the duo is currently focused on working as DJs, their dreams go beyond the limelight.

“I want to be involved in the business of music, it’s important for musicians to not only perform, but also make money,” says Manyenye, who hopes to study part-time in the future.

“The music industry is a tough game,” he says.

“You have to work hard, have patience and make the necessary sacrifices. That is exactly what I’m doing now.”