GESH GROOVE - ZAMBIA'S FINEST!!!!!!

 I first encountered Gesh Groove at Fairmount nightclub in Livingstone in the late 90’s. I was a very young and budding Fairmount Nightclub resident DJ then. We had been looking forward to having Gesh as our guest DJ because of his reputation on the turntables.

I vividly recall how my co-DJ and friend Milli Jam, Milimo Mudaala, and I were excited when we heard Gesh would play with us coz we had heard so much about his skill on turntables. 

We held a DJ who could spin vinyl’s in very high esteem and at that time Zambia had very few DJs who could mix records. Most DJs preferred the easy option, playing CDs.

Sadly, even though Gesh came with some vinyl’s, he for some reason opted to play CDs. He, as usual, sent the packed dance floor into a hypnotic dance frenzy. I remember he did it so passionately and with so much ease.

Despite not playing the records (vinyl’s) I cannot forget how hard he made it for us to play after his set. Appeasing a crowd after Gesh has played is never an easy task for any DJ; he is simply a celestial act.

Chishala Chitoshi, popularly known as Gesh Groove, had a very well-heeled upbringing whereas he acquired most of his education from abroad.

“Fortunately my pre teen years were very good. My parents really looked after us very well. I was sent to a boarding school abroad”, says Gesh Groove.

He, however, did not have it all rosy as the adversities of boarding school had their toll on him. 

“It was tough in the first year because in those days bullying was rife everywhere. The positive aspect of boarding school was that it taught me how to be independent at an early stage. This is something that has served me well through the years”, he said.

Gesh did his first half of primary school in the UK; he finished upper primary school at Itawa primary school. This was when his family moved back to Zambia from the UK. 

He further went on and did his secondary school in Botswana. He then did his college and university in the UK.

In the first two years of secondary school, Gesh was part of the “Nerd Herds”. A nerd is an anti societal person who devotes his or her time to technical or scientific endeavors instead of socializing with other people. A total contrast of who he is today.

“Gaining acceptance from the cooler kids was hard. We learnt to stick to our own kind and find other interesting things to do. This is how I fell in love with music”. 

Like any other person Gesh has had subdued moments in his life. He says the death of two of his family members had really affected him but thanks to a good support network, he managed to talk it through.

His father’s death, while he was in his second year at Law school in the UK, is the hardest thing he has had to face.

“I never got to mourn when I came back home because I had to be his pillar, being the first born. It hit me only a month later when I was back at school and almost had a breakdown. I worried about the finances and my family’s well being at home.” 

This did not hold him down. Instead of worrying constantly he instead became more determined to graduate so that he could take care of his family.

After self taught DJing lessons, he started moonlighting as a DJ to earn extra cash. He later became the school DJ. He subsequently lost his geeky look and was transformed into the Gesh Groove we have now come to know.

Gesh is a qualified and practicing lawyer. He practicised as a full time lawyer for seven years and then took some time off to concentrate on other activities.

“I never left the profession; I just took the back seat to pursue other interests. I am still a member of LAZ”.

Gesh Groove has presented shows on Radio phoenix, has been a Big Brother Africa TV presenter, has been field presenter for Studio 53 and directs and produces stories for Mnet.

As if this is not enough, he owns Flava FM radio, which employs 19 people on a permanent basis, and hosts the breakfast slot. The radio station has been in existence for the past three years.

He says Djing can be rewarding and can prove otherwise to others. He says it’s up to the individuals set objectives to make it work.

“It takes a lot of work, planning and focus to attain respectable measures of success. Some people fail because they into it for wrong reasons. I got into DJing coz I loved music, the passion for pleasing a crowd. It wasn’t for money. I only took it seriously as a business after a couple of years and even then I had to plan, invest in equipment, train other DJs to work for me etc…”

Gesh lamented the fact that he is not really appreciated in Zambia as he is in other countries.

“I am better appreciated and respected on stages in the US, UK, Australia, SA and Botswana. In Zambia am expected to DJ for next to nothing. Funny thing is that if my business fails, the same Zambians that refuse to pay what am worth will be the same ones laughing at my failure.”

 

Gesh says this is likely to be his last year on radio. He feels its time to empower the younger ones and give them a chance. He says he would prefer to take the back seat and work on company policy and strategies. He is setting his eyes on bigger things.

“Maybe (I will start) a TV station. You never know, I do want to quietly fade into obscurity and be there to pass on what I have learnt”.

For a man like Gesh Groove you never know what he has in store, all we can do is wait and see…..