Johannesburg - Hannes Dippenaar is a 17-year-old music producer from Joburg, South Africa, who produces genres such as Afro tech, house, melodic techno, and South African bass house.
Driven by the idea of creating unlimited and unique sounds, Dippenaar prides himself on changing people’s lives.
He is passionate about being a top-tier and well-recognised DJ and producer one day. He is currently in high school and doing well for himself; he also runs a business on the side to bring in money to spend on his music equipment.
“The thought of it gives me a feeling of joy and happiness,” he said.
Dippenaar started producing music at the age of 14 and has since been working on himself to become more recognisably known in the entertainment industry.
His music has gone mainstream on all digital stores; he has sold out 21 tracks and hopes to put out a few more this year.
“I always try to make a unique sound in every track that I produce, and I create an immersion of sound.
“Afro tech, house, and SA bass house has always been what I aimed for throughout the past few years because of the unique sound culture we have in South Africa, and it just makes me feel our musical culture and what we can use to spread the sound of SA.
“Music has brought some ups and downs in my life, as it is very time-consuming and some people may not like your music at times, but what I have to say is that once you realise that some people really aren’t friends, you will get people who will want to be your friend for the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, but at the end of the day there is no pot of gold, only an achievement to know you made it.”
He said he was greatly inspired by DJ Black Coffee as his sounds are so unique, and every time he plays one of his songs, he instantly recognises that it’s possible to make it with that kind of music.
“My music speaks to those who appreciate the sound of SA and those who love deep and melodic sounds and the culture behind it all.
“I have to say that I don’t feel like I’m better than anyone else just because I have 100K+ streams on my music, and if any producer that just started music tries to contact me, I will always respond and help them, as I was there once and needed help when I most needed it.”
He added that one of his biggest challenges was trying to get his first 1000 streams on one of his tracks, but when he got them, it changed his life, and when he hit his first 10 000, it felt amazing.
“I learnt to overcome this challenge by loving my own music, and I always see new producers fail to market their music the correct way: let people who love the craft of music discover and love your craft, as it’s not only a business, it’s a craft of art.
“I most definitely see myself up there with bigger artists in the future and having a bigger following in the next five years,” said Dippenaar.
The Star