Meet the Hottest DJ on the Wheels of Steel – DJ Caise

Innovative, entertaining and eclectic are some words that clearly describe music productions and remixes from the well acclaimed DJ Caise. His entry into the Nigerian music scene with his creative blend of local and international sounds to create what he terms ‘GidiHouseMusic’ couldn’t have come at a better time.
26 year-old DJ Caise, real names – Derin Phillips, also goes by the code name ‘Mr Make It Happen’. And he has made ‘it’ happen on several tracks. As a producer, he is known for several hit tracks including Lynxxx ‘International’, and as a DJ, has done some famous remixes such as 2face vs Calvin Harris ‘Implication vs Flashback’ and the M.I. & Waje ‘One Naira’ remix.
 
The University of Reading graduate is the in-house DJ for the radio station, BEAT 99.9 FM and is signed on as the DJ for Chocolate City, the record label that has artistes such as M.I, Brymo, Ice Prince and more. He is the recipient of FAB Awards 2011 DJ of the Year Award and Dynamix Youth Awards 2011 DJ of the Year. He has thrilled audiences at major shows including MTV Africa Music Awards 2010 and the Big Brother Africa Season 5 and 6.

I heard him before I saw him; a blend of sounds from musicians I couldn’t really place, but the sound was entertaining nonetheless and I was already in a good mood by the time I reached the open doors of his in-house studio. It wasn’t difficult to see that he was a lover of music. We had an interesting conversation as he took me through the journey of how he fell in love with music as a child to when he started out as a DJ in the UK about 10 years ago. And when he played an unreleased remix of two musicians from two continents singing in completely different genres, I was no doubt left in awe.