Last Girl had the stage, but now, can DJs own the decks?

The DJ and the MC are often two sides of the same coin in the world of entertainment. One controls the music, the other controls the room. At The Last Gal, a DJ Showcase held at Guvnor Streetside on Friday night, that relationship was on full display.

But beyond the lights, the big names and the festival-sized production, the night raised a more important question, what exactly makes a DJ a great DJ?

The question was particularly relevant for Racheal Hezo Kanyunyuzi, better known as The Last Girl, who had called on Kampala's revelers to come and experience the difference between a DJ and a selector.

In Jamaica, the distinction is interesting. The person on the microphone is commonly referred to as the DJ, while the person selecting and spinning records is the selector. In American hip-hop culture, the terminology largely works the other way around. But regardless of the terminology, the history of hip-hop makes one thing clear, disco jockeying is an art form.

That is the standard against which every DJ who wants to be taken seriously must eventually be measured.

The Last Gal joined the trade in 2022, leaving her marketing and public relations job. So, she knows something about making impressions, which she did on Friday.

The streetside was transformed into a festival-like space, complete with large-scale audiovisual production, lighting and a heavyweight line-up that included Slick Stuart & DJ Roja, Selector Jay, Sir Aludah, Fem DJ, DJ Lito, DJ Jose 256 and DVJ Mercy Pro.

The Audience Enjoying Dj Performances At Club Guvnor Street. Photo By Ignatius Kamya

Last Girl's entrance was arguably one of the night's strongest moments. An animated documentary, voiced by several male DJs, made the ceremonial introduction before she took over the stage.

Being a DJ should not simply mean knowing which song to play next, but a great DJ reads the room. They understand tempo, energy, timing and anticipation. They know when to allow a song to breathe and when to interrupt it. They create transitions that make the audience forget where one song ended and another began. They can take an audience somewhere musically without having to constantly announce where they are going.

Girls Off Their Seats As They Danced To The Last Gal's Mix. Photo By Ignatius Kamya

In other words, the best DJ should not necessarily be seen; the best DJ should be heard.

That is where Last Girl still has room to grow. Her ability to select music and move across genres was evident. But the challenge now is to make the technical and creative side as recognisable as her personality and stage presence.

There was also the matter of timing; for a maiden solo headline show, the headliner arriving on stage very late can be frustrating for an audience that has turned up specifically to see her.

The next challenge is bigger, and Last Girl has proved that she can host a DJ show.

Her show was a promising first chapter, but if The Last Gal is going to become a lasting name in Uganda's DJ culture, the selector must eventually become an artist.