From the streets of Port Elizabeth to the decks of South Africa’s finest venues — DJ Darryl has been carving his own lane in the underground house and electronic scene for over a decade.
Darryl Loxton — known on the circuit as DJ Darryl — grew up in the northern areas of Port Elizabeth, raised by his grandparents after his businessman father introduced him to the art of DJing early. “Like father, like son,” Darryl says — but he’s taken it somewhere else entirely. While most kids in his neighbourhood were chasing street cred, Darryl was opening Fruity Loops Studio in his bedroom, teaching himself production by reworking demo projects and watching every YouTube tutorial he could find. No formal training. No classes. Just hunger.
By 2015, he’d already made his mark on Music In Africa’s directory — described as a producer who “creates various styles such as deep house, electro, minimal tech, R&B, hip-hop — anything to get you dancing, or even when you want to hit the road and just cruise.” That versatility became his signature.
Today, DJ Darryl is signed to Darkmello Recordings — the label arm of the Vonenzo Baschello World. And his latest release, “A Plus” featuring vocalist Naz Williams, is a statement of intent. The track is a collaboration under the GemSoundz banner — a production partnership that blends Darryl’s textured production with Naz’s soulful vocal delivery.
The result sits somewhere between deep house and melodic Afro-soul — a track built for late-night drives through the Port Elizabeth harbour, for sundowners in Camps Bay, for the kind of sessions where the music does the talking. It’s South African electronic music at its most considered — not throwing elbows to get floor attention, but earning it measure by measure.
You can stream “A Plus” by DJ Darryl feat. Naz Williams on Apple Music, Spotify, and through Darkmello Recordings’ official channels. Follow DJ Darryl’s journey on SoundCloud for exclusive previews and studio sessions.
Darkmello Recordings — music from the Vonenzo Baschello World. Distribution, publishing, and artist management under one roof.
