After my interview with Wayne Andrew Morris I was sure of one thing…well two. DJ Wayne is not only a qualified clown but more importantly he is extremely dedicated to his work, a quality to be cherished in a fickle business. What does he do? He plays music for one of Jamaica’s top radio stations, IRIE FM. For someone this passionate about music it was no surprise to me when he said he has been interested in music from the day he was born.

Becoming DJ Wayne
As if by fate DJ Wayne, or Wizzle as he is sometimes called, worked at a bank next door to radio station HOT 102. At the time he was a selector and in his spare time hopped over to HOT 102 to help radio personality Ron Mushette “spin.” On Fridays and Saturdays he and long time friend DJ Lippo (now known as DJ Liquid) began helping out DJ Bones (also now with IRIE) and it wasn’t long before he and Lippo “took over.” It wasn’t long before Wizzle made the permanent change to radio in order to reach a “wider audience.” However, after four popular years at HOT 102, DJ Wayne departed as the radio station changed its format to cater to an older audience.

Both Wizzle and his partner in crime (DJ Lippo/Liquid) almost gave up until DJ Wayne decided to persevere and take a job with IRIE FM. Even though he has faced many hurdles along the way, especially having to deal with people who only care about money and not the music, DJ Wayne has remained in the business for 17 years and intends to be around for much longer. He is happy to be working at IRIE FM as he is able to fully express his creativity, which is clear from the style and quality of his shows.

Of course, I then had to ask, what sets you apart from other DJs? When I turn on the radio how do I know I’m listening to DJ Wayne and not some other radio DJ? This is where excitement came exploding out of him: “You’ll hear things you’ve never heard before!”

In his shows, DJ Wayne exudes a lot of humour but still tries “to be as professional as possible.” So then, what’s the secret to his style of playing? Well there really isn’t any secret just pure spontaneity and talent. Wizzle never prepares for his shows. He chooses the songs he will play simply from the vibe he feels when he’s in the studio. But behind this unstructured style lies one goal. DJ Wayne always aims to provide his listeners with “Entertainment, Education and Inspiration.”

Some DJs specialise in playing a particular genre or decade of music. Since DJ Wayne works at IRIE FM, his main focus has been Reggae and Dancehall and although he has this focus, DJ Wayne doesn’t have a real preference when it comes to Oldies Dancehall versus its contemporary cousin. He prefers “all dancehall” and recalls with fondness the time when DJs would actually go to the different dances and perform live and not wait until stage shows. At the same time, he loves the high energy and the excitement of contemporary dancehall, which recently has grabbed onto an aspect of oldies Dancehall and inserted it into the current landscape. Unless you’ve been living on Pluto you must have realised the increase in DJ Rivalry and clashes: Bounty vs. Beenie (at times calm and at other times quite volatile); Macka Diamond vs. Queen Paula; Vybz Kartel vs. Ninja Man; and, Kartel vs. Assassin….you get the idea. But is it really necessary to bring back this dynamic and energetic yet often misunderstood and misused element?