From the bedroom to Barcelona: DJ Trancemicsoul is mixing magic

What happens when a touch of techno, some deep house and a bevy of other electronic sounds get together for an orgy?

Trancemicsoul is what!

Since the late 1990s the Pretoria-raised DJ and producer has been ascending through the ranks of the underground dance music scene to become one of the most sought-after performers for local and international acts wanting to shake a leg to something different.

Born Clement Phaswane, Trancemicsoul, like many, began his career mixing beats in his bedroom and playing to empty clubs.

"I started out in high school. I'd play early at the local club when no one was there. One day the DJ who was supposed to perform after me was late and I had to cover for him. The crowd really enjoyed my set and that was when I knew I could do this," he said.

In those days he used to save the R200 or so he would get for club gigs to buy two vinyls per week that he could mix with at home. What grew from that bedside tinkering was a signature sound that would take him to New York, Barcelona, London and across the globe.

The rising clamour of applause, however, never overinflated his sense of purpose.

"I still don't really see myself as a headliner; I just play from the heart. People come to see me for what I do, not for who I am," he said.

What he does is make people dance.

Fusing a range of darker electronic sounds, Trancemicsoul's music starts by putting an involuntary twitch in your shoulders and before you know it, you're on the dance floor making a sweaty fool of yourself.

It's this ability that got him scouted for a residency by one of Johannesburg's favourite underground electronic music venues, And.

"The guys from And came and scouted me when I was playing at Chaf Pozi. People loved my first two or three months at And so we came to an agreement," he said.

This weekend leg-shakers will be able to see what the hype around Trancemicsoul is about as he takes the stage with Haezer, Niskerone, The Prototypes, Ivy Lab and a gang of others at Grietfest, an alternative dance music festival catering to those who like their tunes like they like their television - commercial-free.

• Grietfest takes place tomorrow at The Container Yard in New Doornfontein. For more info and tickets visit grietfest.com

• This article was originally published in The Times.