Oscar Mdlongwa has been given many affectionate nicknames over the years, including Oscar “Warona” (which means “ours”), “The Big O” and “Godzilla”. His career is a fairytale one: he started out selling boerewors rolls from a stall outside Club Razzmatazz in Hillbrow. It was the early nineties, and late at night he would sneak in to the club to jam to fresh house tracks. He became fascinated with deejaying and occasionally he took over while the DJ took a break. One night, Razzmatazz’s resident DJ didn’t pitch and he was asked to stand in. He hasn’t looked back since… Oscar is also one of radio’s most popular personalities, having taken care of Y FM’s Rap Activity Jam with Rudeboy Paul for a while and now hosting Church Grooves, a bumping grooveathon that’s the only place to be on a Sunday night. The Church Grooves concept has extended into a platinum-selling range of ‘Oskido’s Church Grooves’ CDs (through House Afrika Records), which have had the entire nation bumping. Their blend of fiercely contemporary fare and anthemic rhythms is rarely beaten – the third volume went gold on release. As a producer, Oscar is leagues ahead of the competition, and he kick started the current trend of remixing classic South African pop hits when he and Bruce reworked Mahlathini and the Mahotella Queens’ “Melodi” into “Meropa”. He’s worked with greats like Hugh Masekela, Jimmy Dludlu and Moses Molelekwa (“Last Number” on the ‘Project B’ album which was actually the last recording “Moss” made before his untimely passing).