Elvo Diergaardt, also known as Dr Mavovo, has been sharing his knowledge with students at the College of the Arts (Cota).
He joined the sound tech department last year, where students can obtain a three-year diploma course to learn music production and basic theory.
The well-known producer, who is behind Namibia’s biggest hits, told Entertainment Now! that after 18 years of working in different studios and running his company, Lash Attraction, he felt the time was right to start passing on his musical knowledge to the next generation.
‘‘Teaching is part of my passion and in my family, we have a lot of teachers, so you could say it runs in the blood. I have taught a lot of producers who are doing good at the moment over the years. It feels good when you share that with somebody who wants to learn the trade,’’ he explained.
The soft-spoken producer feels there has been a shift in producers since 2016, with them contributing positively while some lack in knowledge. ‘‘Music is something you have to learn unfortunately, otherwise you will get lost in it thinking you know it all. Some people do it because they like it, while some are doing it for the passion. The ones with passion tend to do more research in production. So, it is a 50/50 thing; I can’t say this part is dragging the industry down or this part is progressing forward,’’ he emphasised.
Elvo mentioned he closed his company down after operating it for 10 years, which he says was the hardest decision he ever had to make in life. ‘‘Today, we have a different industry; we make good music only for it to end up on social media. Not a lot of albums are being made and that’s where our source of income used to come from’’. Elvo, the go-to man in the country, used to generate between N$30 to 45 000 running his studio monthly, saying things have sadly changed.
‘‘We don’t have album releases anymore but mostly single releases. Running a studio, which I used to do, won’t make sense as bills need to be paid. Those years, you could see the artist making their money through sales, which in return meant they could afford studio time but it is not the case anymore,’’ he confessed.
He believes the industry can collectively find a formula on how to best sell music again that can massively boost revenue for all involved.
Last year, Cota only offered a one-year certificate course, and when interest started picking up, they decided to make it a three-year course. The course focuses on theory and practice for two years, with an internship in the final year. This will give students a deeper understanding of the process behind composition through notes, scales, intervals, keys and why each component is important for composition and sound.
Arguably one of the best producer Namibia has to offer, he has mentored and worked with notable figures such as Solani ‘Mr Glo’, Araffath, Syndicate, Trace and K-Bozz – just to mention a few.
slunyangwe@nepc.com