I Hit Rock Bottom

House DJ Mobi Dixon talks about tackling his drug and alcohol demons, and rebuilding his life and relationships.

- Hopewell Mpapu

HE’S ONE of Mzansi’s most hip-and-happening DJs, but his road to success has been rocky.

In an exclusive interview, Mobi Dixon (real name Mabi Ntuli) reveals how his alcohol and drug addiction almost ended his life, and destroyed his relationship with his family.

BORN AND bred in East London, the 31-year-old musician developed a love for the arts early on.

“I’ve always been passionate about music,” Mobi tells us. “But my interest in house music began in Matric. I had been doing beats and producing for artists in East London. I started DJing officially in 2004.”

The following year he made his way to the other end of the country to study IT at Tshwane University of Technology.

“I met the likes of [radio DJs] Christos, Glen Lewis and DJ Fresh who frequented our campus parties,” he recalls. “So that’s how I was introduced to the music industry in Johannesburg, and that’s when my interest in DJing became strong. I was also a campus DJ.”

He backed up his passion with knowledge of a different kind, abandoning IT in favour of sound engineering. And with that under his belt, he felt he was ready to take the next step.