DJ Tobzy

You can't talk about 21-year-old Nigerian innovator DJ Tobzy Imole Giwa without at least first mentioning his place in the local TikTok-powered freebeat scene. Also known as cruise beat, the fast-paced new genre is a haywire cut-n-paste of afrobeats, amapiano, baile funk and rave that's found an audience in West Africa amongst young fans who record their own freeform dances on TikTok.

Teaching himself to produce and DJ in 2020 after studying YouTube competitions and tutorials, DJ Tobzy already has an album in the works for Kampala's Nyege Nyege Tapes label that lays down his message in no uncertain terms. "CRUISE BEAT" is set to be an essential document of the freebeat genre, duct taping together squealing DJ drops, euphoric synths, chirping vocals and clashing, overlayed rhythms with one eye to the dancefloor and one to the stars.