DJ Wil by Patrick Ross London based Disc Jockey, DJ Wil AKA “The Master Selector” is the founder and C.E.O. of Smoke Entertainment since March 2007 to the present, also a managing director in charge of one the United Kingdom’s finest urban Internet radio stations Hotbox Radio London since October 2010 to the present. Born April 19, Wilmot Faulkner in Freetown, Sierra Leone. Music has always been a part of his life beginning as a member of one best and most renowned church and school choirs in West Africa for several years. While still in school around the early 1990’s, young Wil discovered a passion for disc jockeying and soon after started on the path to a career in the entertainment industry. Making guest appearances on FM and short wave radios stations, Wil worked nine years as a DJ, announcer, presenter, and production assistant on the Sierra Leone Broadcasting Service SLBS FM 99.9 and also on Skyy Radio 106.6 FM in Freetown along with it’s sister station KISS 104 in Bo. A mixture of native and French, British and Kriol influences, Sierra Leone music is represented by Palm wine the drink and is played by an acoustic guitar with percussion in countries through out coastal West Africa. Palm wine is also the source of the name of the music and clubs where it was both drunk and played. Also known as Maringa, it was first popularized by Ebenezer Calendar & his Maringa band, and used styles that came from freed slaves from the Caribbean, especially Trinidadian calypso. Milo-Jazz is a distinctly Sierra Leonean style named for a brand of chocolate powder, empty cans of which were filled with stones to create a core percussion instrument. Beginning in the 1970’s, rumba, Congolese music, funk and soul combined to create a popular kind of Afro pop. Western Rap, Reggae, Dancehall, R&B, and Grime have begun to have an impact on the new music generation, while the internet and spread of western music culture has encouraged the youth like DJ Wil, to express themselves through new styles of music. Consequently, as one of the pioneers in Sierra Leone’s music scene, Wil became a strong influencer helping to promote local music artists in his country, helping many of these artists to gain both national and international recognition in the music industry. DJ Wil made many appearances at events, shows, and parties gigging in and around the townships and districts of Sierra Leone. He now has made his residence in the UK. His most recent gigs as a radio show host have been on “Night Ride” which is on air every Monday night 9pm – 11pm UK time, and “The Weekend Starter” show every Friday night 9pm – Midnight UK Time. His versatility includes playing regularly at local clubs and events in the United Kingdom and around Europe. Being eclectic and open in music taste, his is a wide-ranging audience of varying cultures and musical genres. Having a wealth of experience as a media producer and broadcaster on terrestrial radio, the Internet, bars, nightclubs, and parties. Website: http://www.TMSDJWil.com
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