’Aint no stopping us now’ - Bartlett promises to keep spinning feel good tunes

For 40 years he's dazzled the masses.

For 40 years he's put his own unique spin on the music that took so many to an incredibly happy place.

Times and technology may have changed, but Dj Selwyn Bartlett promises his skills haven't.

Reel to reel, cassettes, records, CDs, MP3s, and now USB memory sticks - Bartlett has played them all.

The year 1981 was a massive year for the man from Steenberg.

For the rest of the world 1981 meant: Lady Diana Spencer marrying Charles, the Prince of Wales, the movie Raiders of the Lost Ark making its debut, and Ronald Reagan becoming US President.

And just as iconic boxer Muhammad Ali announced his retirement, 18-year-old Selwyn Allister Bartlett burst onto the scene. First at Negresco nightclub in Retreat. That year a ticket to the disco in Cape Town cost just R3.

Bartlett traversed the length and breadth of the Cape in the early eighties.

After Negresco, Selwyn clinched a residency at his first major club Talk of the Town in Athlone Industria. By 1983 Bartlett was entertaining crowds at "the very first high tech Discotheque in Paarl, Tiffany’s".

Selwyn can remember the party favourites at the time. "Kool & the Gang – Get down on it, Jimmy BoHorne – Dance across the floor, Sugarhill Gang – Rappers delight, Gibson Brothers – Cuba, Brothers Johnson – Stomp," he recalls.

And gearing up for each set was a rather involved process. "With vinyl there was a lot of preparation like cleaning records, packing it into different genres and filing it alphabetically in order to access a tune easily during a DJ set," Selwyn explains.

By 1987 Bartlett was a regular feature at Club Thriller in Bellville South, and then Club Niveau in Wellington. In-between the turntablist made guest appearances in Durban, Port Elizabeth, Pretoria, Johannesburg and Namibia.

And what was it he enjoyed about the music scene at the time? Bartlett responds: "I experienced the transition from the 70s/ 80s Disco to the introduction of Garage Music, which then evolved into House in the 90’s. I enjoyed mixing music and perfected this by listening to other DJs and practised daily to improve my mixing skills and preparing music sets and rap liners for the gigs."

Those were the early days of DJ Selwyn Bartlett.

Those with ID numbers starting in the 90s will well remember his voice on P4 radio, which eventually became Heart FM. Besides being an on-air announcer on the station, Bartlett was also the programme manager.

These days he spends his time blooding young talent in the radio industry, assisting various community radio stations in the Cape with their training and development programmes.

Bartlett says he's "a simple man". "I love spending quality time with grandson and my granddaughter, who I adore. I love good food and red wine. I love cooking, the outdoors and to keep fit by running and swimming in the ocean (all seasons). I also love reading mostly self-help books as this keeps me motivated. I love to travel and meet new people, learn about new cultures, eat different cuisine, and gain knowledge of different lifestyles."

Bartlett is throwing the birthday bash to top all birthday bashes at Hanover Street at GrandWest on Saturday. And everyone's invited to his 58th birthday celebrations. The party runs from 4pm and R100 gets you in.

"I will be focusing on the Cape Town "Club Jazz" tunes ranging from Hi Gloss - You'll never know to Drizabone - Real Love, and everything in between," boasts Bartlett.

He may have significantly less hair than he did when he first started spinning tunes in the DJ box in the 80s, but Bartlett promises to keep people dancing for many more years to come.