Pta Central self-taught DJ and producer a force to be reckoned with

His sound is influenced by Black Coffee, Tim Green, Booka Shade and Stereo Type.

Cornelius Mashilane. Photo: Tyrone Bradly

A local artist fell in love with music from listening to his father’s collection.

“Everything started back at home my dad collected music from Vinyls to Cassettes and CDs, and later as years passed I discovered deep house, techno and disco music and started teaching myself how to produce sound,” said Cornelius Mashilane, commonly known to his fans as Cornelius SA.

The self-taught DJ and a sound producer is a lively individual who loves partying.

“I love being around people and I strongly believe that music connects us, most of us heard music from the moment we were born, often via lullabies, I love how it synchronises our bodies and mind,” he said.

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Although he grew up in Atteridgeville, before relocating to Soshanguve he is now based in Pretoria CBD.

As a child he was intrigued by house music which led to a deep love affair with deejaying, production as well as honing his skills on the 12 inches of steel and CDJs in his tender teen years.

When creating music, Cornelius SA’s intention is longevity and he credits this for his music remaining relevant long after the release date.

After matric he studied project management but had to put it on hold due to financial strains.

“Everything I know I taught myself, from marketing to PR, artist management/booking to coordinating events,” he said.

He said what he loves about his craft is meeting new people, sharing knowledge with some, learning, travelling and playing at big festivals.

“I have been at Oppikoppi Festival (Northam Farm), MTN Bushfire Festival (Swaziland), Red Bull Music Festival (Berlin),” he said.

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On 28 December he played at Shimmy Beach (Cape Town) for Black Coffee’s summer residency and closed his year at Drankensberg on 30 December for Smoking Dragon Festival.

His sound is influenced by Black Coffee, Tim Green, Booka Shade and Stereo Type.

“I draw inspiration from a lot of things and am mostly influenced by producers that I really respect like Black Coffee, Tim Green, Booka Shade and Stereo Type. So whatever that I do I reflect on these role models and the influence they have on me.”,

To get to know Cornelius SA and his music, you can follow him on Twitter: @realcorneliussa, Cornelius on Facebook and @realcorneliussa on Instagram.