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Touré Kizza Over the course of our interview in t
he South William Street Bar, someone asks Touré Kizza if he’s a DJ. “Ah, I’m just a weekend messer!” You’ve got to admire a man for being modest, but Touré is much more than that. Born in Sweden, Touré spent much of his childhood in Stockholm. It was only when he was 16 that his parents decided to move to Ireland, hoping that their sons would learn English.“I was coming from Stockholm which was a metropolitan city, so moving to Enfield in County Meath was a culture shock to the max. I came here in brown leather clothes and white shoes looking swag, and I was in the country where everyone was wearing gap jumpers and trackies! I was like ‘fuuuck!’” Soon though, Touré started to warm to Ireland. He began DJing at house parties, and when his friends invited him to play a closing set at McGruders, he was ushered into the Dublin Underground scene. “I was a 17-year-old kid living in Kildare at the time. Coming to the big shmoke and being exposed to the music they were playing, good Detroit techno, it was magic.” Touré DJed for a couple of years, but eventually, he decided to concentrate his efforts on producing his own music. He struggled to make progress, however, saying that he lacked the confidence and support network that a larger house scene provides. Inspiration eluded Touré until he started working in Pygmalion. Surrounded by so many different DJs and styles of house music, it motivated him to return to DJing. Initially, he found it hard to make the leap from vinyl mixing to digital, but he soon found his feet. Going under the name Syl Black, Touré started to book gigs. But when droughts came, he decided not to sit around and wait for opportunities to come to him. “I thought if I don’t get gigs, just make the parties, get your mates to play with you and fucking have a buzz.” That led to Touré setting up Balls Deep, a brand that aims to create house nights for a variety of Irish talent to perform. “I remember when I was starting off, trying to get into other collectives was a bit hard. Sometimes I’ll get messages from lads on social media saying, ‘Oh I like what you’re doing, would I be able to get a set?’ I say cool, send me a mix and I’ll have a listen. The underground talent is strong and vibrant.” “It’s just the limitations of space and expressing it, but this land has a strong spirit. Once we direct it to things we do, we can really produce great things.” As Dublin nightclubs continue to close down, some think that the city’s nightlife is in dire straits. Touré remains optimistic though, believing it is just a matter of time before these concerns gain traction in the mainstream. “We just have to push a little harder and spread it more to the mass consciousness of society. I think there are enough people in the city that have ideas and the willpower to make something happen. People just need to work together.” This year Touré plans on organizing even more events. Nonetheless, he sees these parties as a mode of expression rather than a business venture. He goes so far as to call his brand Durt a “new toy to play with in the New Year.” “I’m a small-scale operator. I do it for the passion of the scene, the passion of the music, the passion of the party. It keeps me feeling young!” 22