How He Lost £400K in One Night - The Man Who Invented December in Ghana Gets Zero Credit - Akwaaba UK

Summary

Konnected Minds Podcast – Episode Summary

Episode Title: How He Lost £400K in One Night – The Man Who Invented December in Ghana Gets Zero Credit – Akwaaba UK
Date: February 27, 2026
Host: Derrick Abaitey
Guest: Dennis Terrier (“Terry”) – Founder of Akwaaba UK, Miss Ghana UK, pioneer of Ghanaian event culture in the UK

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Episode Overview

This episode dives deep into the life and impact of Dennis Terrier, one of the primary forces behind the transformation of Ghanaian identity and nightlife in the UK and the popularization of "December in Ghana," now known as “Dirty December.” Dennis recounts his familial journey from Ghana to the UK, his struggles to gain recognition despite significant contributions, and the personal and financial challenges he’s faced while shaping the African music and party scene. The discussion is rich with anecdotes from growing up in Ghana, breaking barriers in London’s music scene, and reflections on legacy, regret, and perseverance.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Early Life and Family Background (03:00–08:00)

• Raised in Osu, Accra, as one of 14 siblings (03:40).
• Father was a prominent lawyer and football club chairman; mother worked in retail and poultry farming.
• Parents were separated; moved between households.
• Father’s decision to move the family to the UK was driven by political reasons (05:40).
• Experienced culture shock and sadness upon arriving in London at age 12 (06:33–07:00).
• Early passion for football, felt attending school was secondary (07:23–07:56).

“I was crying most of the time when I was there. I just wanted to come back. I had left friends behind.”
— Dennis Terrier [06:56]

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2. Navigating Identity, Education, and Early Hustle (08:00–16:45)

• Dropped out of school in the UK, preferred football and street life.
• Father supported his desire to play football, personally writing letters for club trials (10:16–11:41).
• Transition from footballer aspiration to working odd jobs (McDonald's, paper rounds) (13:46–14:19).
• Disappointment when told not good enough to pursue football professionally at age 14 (13:12).

“There became a time to say to Dad, I really want to be a footballer. He started writing letters to various clubs to give me trials.”
— Dennis Terrier [10:16]

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3. Music, DJ Culture & Building Community (16:45–32:36)

• Started collecting musical equipment and records without clear vision (15:47–16:21).
• Early London club/black youth culture centered on youth clubs, church, funerals—little in the way of Black or Ghanaian nightclubs (16:43–17:03).
• Formed DJ/sound system crew “90% Squad” with four Ghanaian friends; they rented out equipment for parties and funerals (18:18–21:01).
• Evolution from equipment rental to DJing their own events; later expanded to six members, including the later-well-known DJ Abrantee (21:22–32:32).
• Realization that they were popular and making good money, but lacked business foresight (30:08–31:11).

“We were mini celebrities… there was a time we all had the same jackets on… It looked cool.”
— Dennis Terrier [29:55]

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4. Breaking into Mainstream UK & Pushing African Music (34:00–41:10)

• 90% Squad and similar groups (Black Knight Crew, PMP) made African music fashionable in the UK; struggled against Caribbean dominance in clubs (34:22–35:10).
• Radio breakthrough: struggled to get African music on air due to English-language policies and bias (36:19–37:42).
• Persistence led to their own show on Choice FM in the late 1990s, launching mainstream presence for African music (38:23–39:06).

“We became a force… There’s a generation that will tell you 90 was a force when it comes to things. We had a following.”
— Dennis Terrier [35:21]

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5. Founding Akwaaba UK & Changing the Ghanaian Narrative (41:16–45:47)

• Transitioned from 90% Squad to Akwaaba UK in 2001 with partners, continuing event promotion for Ghanaians in the UK (41:18–44:17).
• Akwaaba (“Welcome” in Akan) named after the sign at Ghana’s airport—a move to connect diaspora with home (42:24–43:06).
• Created environments that made being Ghanaian and coming home feel “cool.”

“We had the sense of belonging… And it became, why don't we change the narrative and bring it back home?”
— Dennis Terrier [45:12]

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6. Creating “December in Ghana” / “Dirty December” (45:47–52:26)

• Sentiment in diaspora: being sent to Ghana was once seen as punishment; Akwaaba and partners shifted this, making December visits a cultural highlight (45:47–48:14).
• Organizing chartered flights and massive events, drawing thousands of diasporans home for festivities, parties, and communal reconnection (48:16–50:19).
• Dennis and peers instrumental in popularizing the December return, laying groundwork for today’s vibrant scene.

“Had I not contributed, had I not booked all these boundaries, had I not made it fashionable, I don’t think we'd be here where we are now.”
— Dennis Terrier [50:29]

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7. Recognition, Credit, and Industry Challenges (52:26–56:05)

• Derrick and Dennis discuss how key pioneers are overlooked in Afrobeat and Ghanaian event history, despite foundational contributions.
• Language and cultural bias impeded full recognition; Nigerian peers often receive disproportionate credit (53:59–55:10).
• Dennis emphasizes that Ghana should get its due: “Ghana needs to get a credit. Wherever Afrobeats come, some is being good for Africa” [55:23].

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8. Rivalries, Industry Tension & Notable Controversies (56:05–61:17)

• Addressed public comments from a Nigerian promoter calling Ghanaian promoters lazy—Dennis strongly refutes, listing Nigerian peers he respects and defending the struggle and resourcefulness of Ghanaian promoters (56:55–58:56).
• Stresses need for mutual respect and collaboration, without erasing historical groundwork.

“Instead of giving us credit… why come and call a cheap shot and say Ghanaian promoters are lazy?”
— Dennis Terrier [58:56]

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9. The £400,000 Loss – Risks of Promoting (61:17–64:14)

• In 2023, Ghana Party in the Park UK event lost £400,000 due to severe weather and cancellation at the last minute (61:17–63:13).
• After rescheduling and refunds, total loss tallied—one of Dennis’ biggest financial setbacks, but not his first.

“Within 8 hours to the show, health and safety says: 'No, you can't go ahead.' At the time I didn't even think of the money.”
— Dennis Terrier [62:55]

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10. Legacy, Regrets, and Wisdom (64:14–79:24)

• Major regrets: not being intentional about documenting his contributions, not saving/investing earlier, not working more collaboratively with peers (64:22–65:40, 76:17–77:56).
• Reflection: Many have taken ideas and credit, but he remains proud of his role and grateful for his family’s support.
• “Go with the flow” mentality served him but limited business growth; would do some things differently now (65:22–66:58).
• Lack of business and corporate partnership in the UK versus Ghana’s growing ecosystem (69:16–71:23).
• Advocates working smarter, not harder; acknowledges past ego and pride among promoters hampered major collaborative growth like that seen in Nigeria (77:27–79:07).

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11. Working With Artists and Industry Realities (79:24–86:16)

• Recalls both success and challenges working with Ghanaian music legends like Daddy Lumba—cancellations and unpredictability common (79:37–83:19).
• The importance of understanding artists’ moods, egos, and logistical hurdles (visa refusals, venue access) (84:26–85:15).
• Acceptance of disappointments due to circumstances beyond a promoter’s control.

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12. Final Reflections – Intention, Credit, and the Future (86:25–89:12)

• Dennis asserts he’s “done his best” and is optimistic future generations will exceed his achievements with better resources and recognition.
• Dismisses rumors of sabotaging rival events; always focused on his own growth (86:47–88:05).
• Encourages owning your story: “Sometimes you have to tell your own story. It’s up to you to tell your own story.” [53:50]
• Host Derrick closes by emphasizing the need to document and share these pioneering stories for posterity.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “If 90% didn't give me the wisdom, the knowledge, the experience that went through, I wouldn't have carried on doing Akwaaba.” [52:47]
• “People don't want to give that. This is the guy… I prefer the credit to go to 90 and Akwaaba, the two.” [52:47]
• “That's a cheap, cheap comment by him. And I'm disappointed in him.” (On the “lazy” Ghanaian promoters comment) [59:16]
• “I've made a lot of mistakes, but I made some of those mistakes because I was just going with the flow and not proud of it. But what can I do?” [66:55]
• “Ghana, we tend to start a lot of things. We don't own it and somebody else will take it better and I'm part of the system that got it wrong. I have to say.” [79:26]

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Key Timestamps

• [03:40] Family and childhood in Osu, Accra.
• [10:16–11:41] Father supporting football aspirations.
• [13:12] Football dream ends.
• [16:45] Early musical and DJ ventures.
• [21:03–22:16] Group DJ hustles, business lessons.
• [34:22–35:10] Breaking African music into clubs.
• [36:19–37:42] Struggles getting African music on UK radio.
• [41:18] Birth of Akwaaba UK.
• [45:12–51:18] Cultural shift: “December in Ghana”
• [61:17–64:14] £400,000 loss and event cancellation.
• [64:22–65:40] Legacy, regret, and family reflection.
• [77:27–79:07] Missed opportunities for bigger event unity.
• [79:37] Working with legendary artists.
• [86:25–89:12] Final thoughts, credit, and the future.

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Conclusion

This episode offers an insightful, poignant narrative about perseverance, creative leadership, and the unseen figures shaping African culture in the diaspora. Dennis Terrier’s journey—from reluctant immigrant to local football hopeful, then accidental DJ, to founder of one of the UK and Ghana's most impactful event brands—mirrors the growth of the African diaspora community itself: overcoming invisibility, seizing opportunity, learning from setbacks, and driving generational change.

Dennis’s humility, regrets, and hope for newcomers make for a compelling lesson in legacy and the ongoing struggle for recognition and ownership in creative industries. The episode is a must-listen for anyone interested in diaspora stories, African music, cultural entrepreneurship, and the often-unseen labor of community builders.

Transcript

[Dennis Terrier]

There became a time to say to Dad, I really want to be a footballer. He started writing letters to various clubs to give me trials. Arsenal Football Club, because we live closer to Arsenal.

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

I just called into the Office by one Mr. Tom Wally and he just said, you know what we're looking for. Your journey ends here.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

2023.

[Dennis Terrier]

Yeah.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

You had an event.

[Dennis Terrier]

Yeah.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

Ghana party in the back. And you made a huge loss.

[Dennis Terrier]

Heavy loss.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

How much did you lose?

[Dennis Terrier]

About 400k pounds, Mercedes, US dollars, pounds. Just like that.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

There's a role that you have played in pushing the African music agenda in the UK.

[Dennis Terrier]

There was a time that 80% of the lyrics in the music has to be English before we could put on mainstream radio.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

But your name is not in the story because when we speak about even Afrobeats in the uk, your name doesn't

[Dennis Terrier]

come in the face. My name has never been in the story. You mess with your DJ branch's name, but not my name.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

You genuinely believe that fundament? Your role in December in Ghana has birthed 30 December. You've worked with the likes of legend Daddy Lumba.

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

I've done three shows with Daddy Lumba, all in the uk.

[Dennis Terrier]

The fourth show I was about to do with him. With a day or two to go, he called me to say, he's not coming. Your money is really coming. Pick up your money. Refund. Yeah, he gave me the money at that time. I've already made a heavy loss. I remember even we went as far as calling Asanteini to intervene. We called Osekwami despite to intervene because people have bought tickets to come to

[Derek (Interviewer)]

the show and he never came. Even though you reached out to people, he still didn't come. Any reason. I mean, how do you make the money back? You're welcome to Connected Minds podcast. My name is Derek and my guest today is Mr. Dennis Terry. He's the founder of Aquaba UK, Miss Ghana UK and the man that helped popularize Ghana music in the UK and created what a lot of us see as come back to Ghana for the dirty December. We're going to discuss the party played in that. His role in shifting the minds of a lot of Ghanaian in the diaspora to come back home. December Times. Interestingly, there was a topic we were speaking about today and he says that coming to Ghana those days was a punishment, but they made it cool to come back to Ghana. How you doing?

[Dennis Terrier]

I'm good, Very good. Thank you.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

Thank you for coming. This. This conversation has been. It's been in the pipeline for A long time. Right?

[Dennis Terrier]

For a while, yeah.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

We've been, you know, talking about it every time you come to Ghana, but we found the time Aqaba uk. Now it is not possible for us to talk about any conversation, personality profile and whatever we choose to do without talking about money. So there'll be an aspect of this conversation where we're going to talk about money. So let's, let's, let's start from the young boy that was born in Osu. Now I want to really get deep into the type of parents you had.

[Dennis Terrier]

First born and grew up in Osu

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

to my father, lawyer James Kofi Tavia and my mother, Comfort Tavia.

[Dennis Terrier]

My father was a, was a, call

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

it barista law at the time and he was also former chairman of Accra Folk Football Club. And my mother was as at that time she was working in department stores and doing her own poultry farming and everything else alongside my father. So yeah, that's the main.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

So how many siblings did you have all together?

[Dennis Terrier]

We got 14 siblings.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

14.

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

One, four.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

Same mom and dad?

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

No, but we, we call ourselves 14 siblings. 14 tight siblings. So we don't.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

You don't separate. So in your household.

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

Yeah.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

Was, was mom and dad living together in your household where.

[Dennis Terrier]

No, mom and dad were not living together.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

Right.

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

Dad had his place, mom had his place and you know, we, we moved in between.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

Okay.

[Dennis Terrier]

Yeah, but it's all in a suit,

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

so it wasn't, it was just a walking distance, so it wasn't.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

So did you grow up with your father?

[Dennis Terrier]

I didn't see him a lot like I wish to because he was a

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

busy man as well as having been a bright star law. He had his own other businesses that he was doing. And then at the time I also was going to boarding school as well. So it's only when you come on school holidays that you get a chance to, to see them or when there's an occasion and they want you to join them, then you go and join them.

[Dennis Terrier]

But yeah.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

So you spent most of your childhood with mom?

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

Of course, 100.

[Dennis Terrier]

Yeah.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

And how many siblings were living with mom?

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

Four siblings.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

So including you?

[Dennis Terrier]

Four. Correct. Right.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

Now mom also had a business that she was doing.

[Dennis Terrier]

She had a business.

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

She was, I think she was working at the time in gntc.

[Dennis Terrier]

Okay.

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

And then she also had a little poultry farm that she was operating on the side.

[Dennis Terrier]

Right?

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

Yeah.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

So, you know, because I've seen the type of relationship you have with your kids. One of them came with you today and it, it, it's, it's beautiful to see that. So I really wanted to understand the type of relationship you had with your father. Is your dad still around?

[Dennis Terrier]

He's not around.

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

He's passed away. Okay, he's passed away. But I mean, I'll say one thing about.

[Dennis Terrier]

I never wanted to be a better

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

version of my dad.

[Dennis Terrier]

I just. I look up so much to him

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

and for what he's done for all the siblings, you know, especially moving us from Ghana to the UK all 14 siblings, to me is. That's great.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

If dad was doing well in Ghana, why did he see the need to move you to the uk?

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

Political reasons.

[Dennis Terrier]

Okay.

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

So, yeah, it was mainly political reasons,

[Dennis Terrier]

but I thank him for doing that

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

because I'm here today. I'm telling the story.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

So then come the time when small boy. Dennis.

[Dennis Terrier]

Yeah.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

No, su.

[Dennis Terrier]

Yeah.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

Loved playing football.

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

Love, love football.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

And now you have to go to the U.K. i mean, you said it's political reasons. That's the reason why you had to go. So it wasn't really by choice. You didn't say, I want to go to.

[Dennis Terrier]

No, I had no choice in traveling. Right. In fact, I didn't know I was going to travel.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

That's okay, talk me through that.

[Dennis Terrier]

I was playing football at.

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

Fun enough at the time and my sister called me to say, come have a bath. We. We're going out. That's all. And the next thing I know is

[Dennis Terrier]

I'm in the United Kingdom.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

Okay, so talk me through the first time you landed in the uk.

[Dennis Terrier]

I was scared. I was a bit scared. I didn't know where I was. I had no friends. You know, from the minute I landed at Heathrow Airport, I was very scared. Even experience on traveling on the underground from the. From Heathrow chief station all the way to my destination, Friendly Park, I was scared.

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

I've never been on escalators before.

[Dennis Terrier]

Could you imagine that?

[Derek (Interviewer)]

How did you think life was going to play out?

[Dennis Terrier]

I was. I was crying most of the time when I was there.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

You were crying?

[Dennis Terrier]

Yeah, I had a little time that I was crying. I just wanted to come back. I just really wanted to come back. I've left friends behind.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

Okay, so friends. What else was the reason why I wanted to come back?

[Dennis Terrier]

I'm young. I didn't know what I was going into, you know, abouche whatever. It wasn't something that was for me. I didn't know much about it. So I was happy where I was.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

How old were you at that time?

[Dennis Terrier]

I think I was 12 years old.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

Okay.

[Dennis Terrier]

Yeah, I think I was 12 years

[Derek (Interviewer)]

old that 12, 13 year old. What did you really wanted to become at the time?

[Dennis Terrier]

I badly wanted to be a footballer as I said because of my dad's

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

connection with football and living in those two house was not far away from the stadium. So I have my daily travel to the stadium to go and watch football matches all the time.

[Dennis Terrier]

And yeah, I didn't even want to go to school.

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

I really wanted to be a footballer and I thought I had a chance to be a footballer if I was here in Ghana.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

So you felt that if you were in Ghana you would have had a chance?

[Dennis Terrier]

Yeah, because I was at the time I was playing what you call coast

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

football at the time we had coast

[Dennis Terrier]

football and then I was one of the talented kids.

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

There was two clubs at the time that were after me course football team that were after me. And I remember, you know, trying to juggle the two and I thought this something good. And those days those two football teams were two top teams. One of them was called, one of

[Dennis Terrier]

them was in Tema, it was called Harbor City.

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

They were one of the big youth football team and then the other one was I think King Pfizer football team.

[Dennis Terrier]

So I knew that those two teams

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

being after me, you know, it's like

[Dennis Terrier]

Manchester United, Manchester City back in the day. I mean as a young boy that's,

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

that's how I looked at it. So I knew that yeah, I had

[Dennis Terrier]

a chance as well as playing with my local friends in OSU as well. So I was spotted and then I

[Derek (Interviewer)]

thought yeah, okay, but what was your mom's education background?

[Dennis Terrier]

I don't know much about mom's education

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

background but I know mom was hard working and that's one thing for sure supporting that.

[Dennis Terrier]

And then dad that, that had a very good education back.

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

He actually stood in the, in the United kingd.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

Okay, so I suppose his aim was, you know, you go to school and then do something else.

[Dennis Terrier]

Yeah, I mean that's the aim for that all his, all his children to

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

go to, to school.

[Dennis Terrier]

And even when he took us to

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

the uk one of the things he made us do is make sure we all went to, went to various various schools. So for that he wanted that, you know, that journey that he had given his children the opportunity to go to schools in the United Kingdom.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

But then how did you navigate not exactly doing what daddy wants you to, to become and becoming this version of Mr. Terrier.

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

My dad was a very cool person, very calm person.

[Dennis Terrier]

He doesn't, his expressions are very less.

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

And one thing I noticed about him, he Would support you.

[Dennis Terrier]

When I told him school wasn't for me. In fact, at the time he got

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

to find out that I wasn't going

[Dennis Terrier]

to school because I'll always leave home

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

in London, I'll leave them, I'm going to school. But then obviously you get a report that shows that I've not been attending school because I spend a lot of my time just out of school, you know.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

What were you doing on the streets?

[Dennis Terrier]

I remember moving from chip shop to chip shop. I could, you know, it's one or two places that were just random places going to friends, house friends that were not even in school as well. And the only time I must be, the only time you see me in school is maybe school lunchtime when we're playing football, then I'll go because everybody wants me to be on their side. So then that's the only time I even go to school. Just lunchtime, just to play football. Then we're not going to the class. So, you know, there became a time to say to that I really want to be a footballer. And in fact he helped me. Wow. Yeah, he helped me. He started writing letters to various clubs to give me trials. Colchester, Colchester Football Club, Walford Football Club, Arsenal Football Club. Because we live closer to Arsenal. Qpr. It's quite most of the London teams, my father actually wrote letters, posted letters for me to get trials and majority of them we did get response back, you know, so this is something that he did, he did for me and I was, I appreciate it so much. I remember, you know, one time even I had trials at Queens Park Ranger. That was 1986 and that was one of the cold winters in the UK. My father will come with me at 8 o' clock in the morning, all the way to 6 o', clock, standing there in his jacket, all that memories, I'm like, wow, Daddy, you just did that for me. Yeah.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

I mean with what, 14 siblings?

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

Yeah.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

What number are you in the list of siblings?

[Dennis Terrier]

I think I'm number.

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

Gosh, number 11.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

Okay.

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

Yeah, I'm number 11.

[Dennis Terrier]

Okay.

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

Yeah.

[Dennis Terrier]

All my siblings are going to kill me.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

So did that have time for every other sibling? Just as he did?

[Dennis Terrier]

He did at that time and he

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

fought about each and every one of us.

[Dennis Terrier]

You wouldn't, you wouldn't say it that way.

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

But yes, that had time for everybody,

[Dennis Terrier]

every one of us. That's what I'm saying. If I sit down here, think how 14 siblings ended up in the United Kingdom. That's, that's, it's not three or four. All 14 of us ended up together

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

in the United Kingdom.

[Dennis Terrier]

And knowledge, Knowledge has been in the United Kingdom, giving us the opportunity to go to school, to further our education.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

But then. Okay, so the time you finally dropped out, when did you realize that now football is not actually going to work?

[Dennis Terrier]

When I. When I was. I got actually. I got told I'm not. I'm not good enough to be a footballer.

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

I. I was.

[Dennis Terrier]

I was with him. I managed to sign what you called

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

YTS form at the time. YTS meaning Youth Training Scheme with Watford Football Club.

[Dennis Terrier]

And that's only for a period of two years.

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

And the final year, I just called into the office by one Mr. Tom Wally, that I can't forget his name,

[Dennis Terrier]

and he just said, you know what we're looking for.

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

Your journey ends here. Just like that.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

How old were you at the time?

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

I think 14.

[Dennis Terrier]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

How did you feel?

[Dennis Terrier]

I think I was. I wasn't old enough to understand what

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

was actually happening to me in terms of.

[Dennis Terrier]

I was disappointed. Yeah. But I was also thinking, there's gonna be another chance somewhere else. Yeah.

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

Honestly, I was that good of a footballer. I believe that I could. I could get another chance somewhere else.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

So from 14 to 18, what happened?

[Dennis Terrier]

I started working. Actually, after that, I worked in McDonald's.

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

Yeah.

[Dennis Terrier]

It wasn't my first job.

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

My first job was also doing paper rounds. Just delivering newspapers early in the morning. And then seven pounds a week.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

While you were still in school?

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

While I was still in school, yeah.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

Right.

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

Yeah. Most. Most young boys at that time were doing that, you know, delivering newspapers too. Yeah.

[Dennis Terrier]

And then, yeah, after that money, I

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

started working in McDonald's. And now when I started earning some money and I decided to start buying records with the money I was earning

[Dennis Terrier]

from McDonald's, because I wasn't paying rent,

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

obviously, mom and dad, so just.

[Dennis Terrier]

I was misusing the money.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

Wasn't a lot, but so there are some of our. Well, our parents. A lot of my parents are going to be watching this, Right. And they're probably around the same age as you. And then they are thinking, you know what? Like, how was life? They are reminiscing about how life was those times, you know, talking about the newspapers and it being so cold. I think those times used to be really coding.

[Dennis Terrier]

Very cold.

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

Yeah.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

And the sort of life you had as a young person, there was one of the most beautiful memories between that age of 14 and 18 hit the

[Dennis Terrier]

freedom that you had a freedom. You didn't. You had no response. You know, you're not responsible to anything you know, that freedom that I had no bills to pay, you know, nothing to worry about. You don't worry about sending money back home. I don't even think there was no mobile phone for you to worry about anybody calling. You know, the freedom at that time was beautiful, you know, no responsibility.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

Then how did you used to stay in touch with some of your friends back home again?

[Dennis Terrier]

I never. You never did? I never. Until I came back to Ghana, I never had any connection with any of my friends.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

Okay, so now you've made money from McDonald's. Some small money.

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

Small money, yeah.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

Now talk me through the first venture you decided to start.

[Dennis Terrier]

I started to buy equipment, musical equipment, because I didn't like music at the time. Even while I was here in Ghana, where we're living in Nasu, we were surrounded by two nightclubs.

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

So obviously right in the middle of two nightclubs. So every night you just hearing music, playing music. Also I was into music, so I started buying musical equipment. Little speakers, little amplifiers here and there. And then obviously I was buying records as well, you know, to play just

[Dennis Terrier]

for myself, just to own something. Yeah.

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

So that's what most of my money went on.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

What was the plan?

[Dennis Terrier]

Buying all those things just for me, Just for me to have it as myself, something to do. It was, I had no vision. I didn't know what it was going

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

to lead up to.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

During those times as a young, an 18 year old or 17. Let me just take it back to 17. 17 year old in London. What were some of the activities that a lot of black people used to do within our community?

[Dennis Terrier]

There wasn't a lot. I mean there wasn't a lot we

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

could have done except for going to youth clubs. You know those days youth club was very, very popular or hanging out with

[Dennis Terrier]

friends on the street.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

There were no community hangouts like Ghanaians coming together.

[Dennis Terrier]

No, no, that wasn't, that was not there no Ghanaian nightclubs, no Ghanaian restaurants? No.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

Why?

[Dennis Terrier]

I guess that generation was not ready for that or that generation wasn't made to that. In fact, that generation was the generation that's coming to the diaspora work and

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

send money back home.

[Dennis Terrier]

That's what it was like, you know, people doing morning cleaning, people working as nurses or whatever is just working and sending back up money back home. So it wasn't about building what we have now.

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

We have various nightclubs, we have various restaurants, we have various sports places you could go.

[Dennis Terrier]

That wasn't the case at that time. So no, community hangouts was not in fact the community hangout.

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

I remember Was either you're going to

[Dennis Terrier]

church with your parents or there's a

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

funeral and you're following your parents. You go into that. That to me was more of a hangout.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

So there was no like what we have today, you know, you guys just indoors, outdoor playing football, just activities, youth clubs, church, funeral. Yeah, that was it.

[Dennis Terrier]

That was it. All right. Church and funerals played a major part

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

in a lot of us growing up

[Dennis Terrier]

back then, you know, because I mean, we all know about Ghanaian funerals.

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

Although it's a funeral, it's also supply. It's a party.

[Dennis Terrier]

Yeah.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

So yeah, okay.

[Dennis Terrier]

Yeah.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

But then what was the transition from that to becoming a dj?

[Dennis Terrier]

I had a very good friend of mine called Moscamp.

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

Moscow was a very good friend and he was a DJ as well. But not only just a dj, Moscow was also a producer. He was producing for one or two UK artists at the time. So in one of our meetings, I remember going to his house and I saw him with all his equipment that he had, the techniques, turntable, the Sunlab mixer, the microphone, everything else. And he was doing his thing. So I turned around and said, look, Moss, teach me. I want to be a dj.

[Dennis Terrier]

You know, because I was, I was buying equipment, but I was just buying it for myself.

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

But then after seeing what he's done

[Dennis Terrier]

in setup, I said to him, look,

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

I want to be a dj, so teach me. So that's how I got learn how to be a dj. Through Moscow, who was the same person as well. Muscamp managed to take me to a group of guys, which leads to my next discussion, which is 90% his squad, whereby there was at the time those four Ghanaian guys, which grew up to be six Ghanaian guys. We decided to come together, all our equipment, let's put our equipment together and start renting out to various people to

[Derek (Interviewer)]

use our equipment for funerals.

[Dennis Terrier]

For funerals and also for. For parties. I mean, back in the day, at

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

that time, one of the. The biggest music scene at the time was a music scored acid house. Acid, like the acid. Acid, yeah, okay. Acid house was the biggest thing at that time. It was the biggest thing we could. We, you know, it was. It was driving the uk, you know, the UK dancing was crazy. You go to places and used to be a place in Kings Cross called Bradley Studios, you know, so we used to take equipment there for them. Most promoters that were doing acid house music will rent an empty warehouse and they need equipment. So then obviously we would take our equipment there.

[Dennis Terrier]

So we were more like a sound

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

system, just hiring out Equipment to this big, big event in the UK at the time.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

And these were all six people were

[Dennis Terrier]

all black boys at the time that we only four at the time. Four, right.

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

So it was myself, Mr.

[Dennis Terrier]

Trips, Mr. Shooks, Moscow.

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

That was the four of us. Then later on we became six when we had Harry Black Ash and then we had a DJ Brown T as well. So then we became six from.

[Dennis Terrier]

From being a sound system.

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

Now we're moving to what we call the DJ world because now we started DJing ourselves, putting on our own events together.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

Okay, so the four of you.

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

Yeah.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

Your plan was just to hire out

[Dennis Terrier]

the equipment that you have for profits. Here's for profit? Yeah, we're making money.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

Okay.

[Dennis Terrier]

We're making money.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

You had no other thing that you're doing? You guys are not working regular jobs?

[Dennis Terrier]

No, we had jobs. I know one or two of them had jobs. I know. I'm thinking Mr.

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

Trips and Mr. Shooks at the time were working in John Lewis. I didn't have a job.

[Dennis Terrier]

Moss.

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

Like I said, he was a producer. So he's doing one or two other things as well.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

How old were you at that time, you remember?

[Dennis Terrier]

I think I'm just 19, just about to be 20 years old also.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

Like a 19 year old.

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

Yeah.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

How you're still living with your parents?

[Dennis Terrier]

Yeah, I'm still living my parents.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

And you are not working?

[Dennis Terrier]

I wasn't.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

Not in college, not in uni?

[Dennis Terrier]

No.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

Okay. Now I think we. Let me bring you back to you deciding that you not even want to go to university.

[Dennis Terrier]

It wasn't by choice. It wasn't. It wasn't meant for me, honestly, it was not meant for me. And I know, I know mom and dad were disappointed, but it wasn't meant for me. Mom and dad had other siblings that were. Were going to school, so it's substituted for that. But it wasn't for me. But they never, they never turned it

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

against me or anything like that.

[Dennis Terrier]

Yeah.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

But how did you, how did you envision your life was going to be because you've come to the uk.

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

Yeah.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

You know, a lot of the parents that you saw were doing many jobs.

[Dennis Terrier]

Yes.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

Right. And their aim was that their kids will go to school and become doctors, nurses, lawyers, you know. But then you chose that. I don't want to do that.

[Dennis Terrier]

I don't want to do that. I didn't want to do that.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

But how did you envision that your life was going to be at that time? Take you back to that time.

[Dennis Terrier]

I didn't think of anything. I was just Going with the flow. That's the truth of the matter. I was just going with the flow. And I was so happy just playing music or renting out my equipment. I was happy. I. I didn't see the future.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

I'm sure they didn't ship you back to Ghana.

[Dennis Terrier]

No, I'm sure it was a conversation, but. No, it didn't. It didn't.

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

You know, they didn't. They didn't think about it now. They did.

[Dennis Terrier]

Which. Which normally if you're not doing well,

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

it forms part of the discussion. We're going to ship you back to Ghana.

[Dennis Terrier]

I wish they did anyway because I really wanted to come back to Ghana.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

So you at 19, 20. If I spoke to your mom and dad today.

[Dennis Terrier]

Yeah.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

And ask them. Okay, so how is, you know, the young teenager Dennis? How is he? What would you think they would have

[Dennis Terrier]

said about you, mom and dad? Oh, he's a great boy. It's a wonderful boy. It's a good boy.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

Even though you were not in school.

[Dennis Terrier]

Yeah.

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

My mom and dad would back me to.

[Dennis Terrier]

To the grafters. Anything they would do, they never, they

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

never turn against me because I didn't do well.

[Dennis Terrier]

They never.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

Like I'm looking at the man you've become today. Achieved so much for a culture, for a country and for a genre.

[Dennis Terrier]

Yeah.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

But practically had no dreams.

[Dennis Terrier]

No dreams at all. My dream, my dreams were shuttered when I wanted to be a footballer.

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

It didn't happen.

[Dennis Terrier]

That was my dream. And let's be honest, in the UK at a time to be a footballer you've got to be young, you know, wasn't. Whereby now you could even go through

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

the lonely runs like someone like Ian Wright did. He played non league football and then he got spotted by Crystal palace and yeah.

[Dennis Terrier]

You have to go through the system. The minute you get dropped out, that's it. You have to find your own way.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

Okay, let's get back to the four of you and your dreams of, you know, making profit from hiring.

[Dennis Terrier]

Yeah.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

And I think I've worked with Moscam before.

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

Yeah.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

He's done some shows where. Excellent involved. Yeah. How did that. The four of you.

[Dennis Terrier]

Yeah.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

Translate into two additions.

[Dennis Terrier]

Easy. Four young Ghanaian boys that was doing

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

something towards the Ghanaian community. Playing at funerals, weddings.

[Dennis Terrier]

Christianity at the time we were proud. But then there was a turning point

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

which is all part of what we've established 90 his squad.

[Dennis Terrier]

We became a household name in the

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

UK when it comes to entertainment.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

How did you do that?

[Dennis Terrier]

Just by playing music to Ghanaians and

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

then from playing music to Ghanaians to. Then the African community gripped onto it.

[Dennis Terrier]

Because if you remember back at that time, if. If you're African, you're not cool. And an African person like ourselves trying to get into an establishment whereby there's a different. There was another community there. The Caribbean Committees were already there. For us trying to step into that scene, that entertainment scene was a no go. We got turned away. Everywhere we went, everywhere we went, we got 10. The only people that took to us was the Ghanaian community at the time. And also, I'll go as far as to say all the ACs, the African Caribbean Society and all the various universities, they played a key role in 90 as well. Because now, whether it's Bruno university, whether it's TV, Coventry, Coventry, Kingston, all the ACs were booking 90. These are, you know, young.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

We're playing Acid House.

[Dennis Terrier]

We didn't play. No, we're not playing Acid House. Fun enough.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

Okay.

[Dennis Terrier]

Acid House. We just renting to the promoters. We never played Acidos, right? We never.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

So when you were going around, you were playing African music.

[Dennis Terrier]

We're playing R B, R Bachman

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

back in it. We call it Soul Revival, Rare Groove Jungle. Oh, there's too many music.

[Dennis Terrier]

We were playing at Swing Beat, Miami Bass.

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

Yeah.

[Dennis Terrier]

Hip hop. Okay.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

Hip hop. Yes.

[Dennis Terrier]

Yeah, that's what, that's what we were

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

playing at the time. And we were up against some strong household names. Like, you had a rampage, you had a boogie bunch, you had Tim Westwood at the time was a legend. David Walligan, David Pierce, some big names.

[Dennis Terrier]

And this four young Ghanaian boys out

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

there trying to do our own thing.

[Dennis Terrier]

And we, we got accepted very well

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

by the African community.

[Dennis Terrier]

And I keep saying the African community

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

as in general, but I'll say the Ghanaian community, they were super proud of us. That generation at that time was super proud of what we were doing.

[Dennis Terrier]

And we're doing a lot of house parties as well.

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

Until one day we decided to say, look, we're gonna put together our own event, which was Ghana Independence.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

And what year was this was the first one. The first one you guys did.

[Dennis Terrier]

I think the first one we did was 1992.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

God, I was 2 years old.

[Dennis Terrier]

You're joking. Yeah, 19. I think we did that. Yeah. Alongside me, so rest in peace.

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

There's a gentleman called Sammy K. Sami K was at the time, he was also a dj. Sammy K, DJ Francis, There's a few people.

[Dennis Terrier]

And then Big Joe, a gentleman that

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

we call Big Joe. Nakasi Records. At the time, he was doing records. He was shipping records from Ghana and then distributing them. Various shops at the time.

[Dennis Terrier]

So we all came together and we

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

held Ghana Independence at a place called Shinola's Nightclub.

[Dennis Terrier]

Chanel's nightclub is now, well, I would

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

say Westfield in Stratford.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

Okay.

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

That's where Westfield was. And yeah, three massive arenas full of Ghanaians. I think there was about 4,000 Ghanaians there.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

Wow. Yeah, the first one you did, the very first one.

[Dennis Terrier]

Awesome. Yeah.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

Let me stop you here for a minute. So if it's your first time watching Connected Minds or you have been here before but still have not subscribed, do us a favor, because majority of the people that watch our videos have not subscribed. This doesn't help us grow beyond what we expect. So help us by hitting the subscribe button. Thank you. Now let's get back to the conversation. You know, while you were speaking like a 1920 year old young boy. When I was 1920, yeah. The things I used to see in London was people moving out of London to buy homes in Essex, in Milton Keynes. Milton Keynes. Those were the things I was seeing. So for me as a young person, it was something I aspired to also do.

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

Yeah.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

Now these four people you started working with as a group.

[Dennis Terrier]

Yeah.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

And the other friends you had, what were the conversations you were having about money? Apart from the fact that, you know, you just want to be DJs. Cool DJs.

[Dennis Terrier]

We're cool DJs. But the popularity was, was also good, you know, whereby we were popular within the community.

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

People calling us, booking us, you know,

[Dennis Terrier]

we were minis, mini celebrities.

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

You know, there was a time we all had the same jackets on, the same T shirts on when we go into places, you know, we had a

[Dennis Terrier]

90 jacket and it looked cool.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

So you're not really thinking about, you know, let's put some money together, I want to buy a house at that age.

[Dennis Terrier]

One of the many mistakes I did because the amount of money I was making as a dj, I should put some money away. I was making some good money as

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

a DJ instead of spending more on buying more records or buying more equipment.

[Dennis Terrier]

It's a mistake after.

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

We all make mistakes.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

But I mean, there are young people watching you today.

[Dennis Terrier]

Yeah.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

There are people who have come through the whole Aquaba group.

[Dennis Terrier]

You've.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

There are people you've trained, there are people you've put on set, of course, that are, you know, popular today.

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

Yeah.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

So what do you tell them?

[Dennis Terrier]

I wouldn't want them to make the

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

same mistake I did.

[Dennis Terrier]

It was a big mistake because if

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

you see the amount of money we

[Dennis Terrier]

were making, look There was a time Monday, Monday to Sunday, 90% we were playing out when there's some days we had free events moving from A to B and in some good money from it. Very, very good money. At the time DJs were getting paid good money. It's not like now you have an event and you have about six, seven DJs. No, at that time you just booked that one DJ. You come and do your warm up, your main set and then your what

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

you call your slow jump set.

[Dennis Terrier]

That's what, 90 of the back. So we were making good money as a group. Why we didn't save, I don't know.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

There's a man who became part of the six.

[Dennis Terrier]

Yeah.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

That would be instrumental in some of the things we are going to discuss.

[Dennis Terrier]

Correct.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

But before we do that, I just want you to tell me a bit about how he actually joined the group. DJ Abrante.

[Dennis Terrier]

DJ Brante. His name was Simon at the time.

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

Simon Boyton. It was.

[Dennis Terrier]

He was a friend.

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

He's a friend of the group.

[Dennis Terrier]

When, when we're playing out he always

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

comes along with us, you know, help us with our record boxes, our speakers which I mentioned to each rental, you

[Dennis Terrier]

know, so he was around but he

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

wasn't part of the initial four.

[Dennis Terrier]

And the more the bookings were coming in, we couldn't handle the bookings. In fact like I said, from Monday all the way to Sunday there was

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

somewhere we had to go and play.

[Dennis Terrier]

And it only made sense that we

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

said to you at the time his name was even a brand here. His name was Simon says I, you know, come and be part of the group.

[Dennis Terrier]

You know, because he was, he was already around in the, in the, in the back, behind the scenes.

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

He was already around, you know, he was going everywhere with us.

[Dennis Terrier]

So it was only right for us to sit him. Look, so I come. Come a part of the group.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

Okay.

[Dennis Terrier]

Yeah.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

So we are going to talk about how from that group.

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

Yeah.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

You now became what we have today as a kwaba.

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

Yes.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

Which is what most people know you as. But then also the other aspect is how BJ branched branch off. Okay, so maybe let's, let's stick to what 90% did all the way through

[Dennis Terrier]

to,

[Derek (Interviewer)]

you know, breaking off and then we come back to pick your success in putting together Aquaba.

[Dennis Terrier]

Yeah, 90% carried on doing what we're

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

doing, playing out at different places, all the big events in the UK. 90% was involved. Whether it's an R and B concert whereby whether it's a carnival, whether it's

[Dennis Terrier]

a promoter Bringing, doing whatever they're doing. 90 was part of it.

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

Yeah, Abrantium and then Black Ash Harry they became part of the group. So now from being four we became six and we kept on, you know, DJing and everybody had to have a name. So even the name Abrantia came from 90%. 90% gave the, the birth the name to him, DJ Abrantia.

[Dennis Terrier]

Obviously we all.

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

I go by name of Radical D then you got Mr. Shooks, you got Moscam, you got Trips, you got Black Ash. We all had names, you know, we couldn't use a, a real name. I can't go and say I'm Denisteria DJ now. So that's how even the name DJ branch here started from.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

There's a role that you have played in the African community in the uk. Yeah, that I'm aware but I can't be the one to tell the story. So I, I really want you to speak on your role in pushing the African music agenda in the UK.

[Dennis Terrier]

We as a group, 90% alongside there's another group. I have to mention the name two groups.

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

I can't say, I can't speak without mentioning Black Knight Crew. They were Nigerians and also pmp, another Ghanaian group that was alongside us.

[Dennis Terrier]

We, in fact we just made it

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

fashionable for African music to be, to be accepted because we were playing it now at the time before you couldn't play African music. But whilst we were doing our set we had a chance to play one or two, you know, African music in there from just only playing Sweet Mother at the time. Now, you know, we began to play the ab, Crinsel, Adrian Yankee, you know, how much did they and everybody else, we began to put that in, into our, our playlist and then other people were taking notice of it as well and.

[Dennis Terrier]

But it was still a struggle. The main, the main industry was not. They're not welcoming us.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

Could. How did you, how are you able to get your feet in there?

[Dennis Terrier]

It's by what we did, you know, we became a force. I'm not, I'm not sitting here just making. There's a generation that will tell you 90 was a force when it comes to things. We, we had a following, you know, so at the end of the day, let's just say other promoters who at a time were against us. When I say, no, this, this African brothers are doing well, let's join forces

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

with them, let's invite them in.

[Dennis Terrier]

Yeah, that's, that's, that's. They had no option because like I said, the ACS all The African Caribbean societies that were booking us, you know, things spread, things spread and it was spreading and you had no choice but than to, to. We were a major force at the time, major force.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

Even in our time when we were doing music, we struggled to get our music on radio. Yeah, you guys were doing all the parties, you were doing all your events and all those things. But how did you penetrate into the radio system?

[Dennis Terrier]

You know what we're enjoying right now? African music being played on mainstream radio in the United Kingdom. We 90%, we approach Choice FM at

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

the time, Choice of the main urban black radio stations for, for everybody.

[Dennis Terrier]

We actually, we put an advert on their station. 1997 we were doing a concert for

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

Kujo Intrigue at Brow Water Farm in North London, Tottenham. And when we took our 30 seconds jingle to Choice FM, which we were paying for, for them to play it on air, they only called us back

[Dennis Terrier]

to say, look, we can't play your jingle.

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

Reason being you got African music playing behind it and it's not, it's, it's

[Dennis Terrier]

not, it's not on their playlist. So their hard work to change, go back to Choice fm, get a new recording done, make sure we don't have

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

entry music on the.

[Dennis Terrier]

We couldn't challenge them by the way.

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

The establishment was like, no, you cannot play African music. So it took us about a good 10 to 12 days just to get this 30 second jingle which now you could just do it over your mobile phone, book a studio, get somebody to the recording, master it and then drive all the way back to South London and put it and get it played on air.

[Dennis Terrier]

That, that hit me at the time because I, I didn't even think it was, I didn't think it was a big deal for Choice of him. But they turned around and said, no, they can apply it. So from 1997, I remember me and Mr. Shooks always said no, one day, one day we get a chance to play our music on the main, on the mainstream radio. At that time we had other community radio stations as well.

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

We had, which we call it pirate radio station, pirate radio station. But yeah, so we had a pirate radio station that were playing Ghanaian music but not on the mainstream.

[Dennis Terrier]

So our job was to make sure,

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

look, now that we have a voice

[Dennis Terrier]

As 90, we will make sure one

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

day we get, we go into the, the mainstream radio station.

[Dennis Terrier]

So we kept on logging Choice, we

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

kept on logging Choice until one day we got hold of it that there's a license to be given for North London. That time Choice FM was Only based as a South London radio station. So then we went back to Choice and said, look, we like to play African music. We like to be the representation of African music on the radio. We did a demo tape, give it to Choice. I still got a demo table as of today. Yeah, I still got it, you know, 90% his score, Choice FM.

[Dennis Terrier]

And within 24 hours I got a call from a very good friend of

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

mine, Mr. Wayne Tierney, called us to say, look guys, you've got a job.

[Dennis Terrier]

Come start being, come start playing music on Choice. That's it.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

There were six of you?

[Dennis Terrier]

There were six of you. So how did you do it again? We always split the job up.

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

All six of us couldn't be on Choice, you know, so we selected for Moscow Mr. Shooks and then Mr. Brented to be the face of Choice.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

So you put three of the members from 90. Yes, to, to go on Choice of him. That's it. And these times DJ Brante was one of them.

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

DJ Branch was one of them.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

So you would say this was the introduction of DJ Brand here to Choice of.

[Dennis Terrier]

That's correct, that's correct. That is 190 had a show, we

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

had our own show on Choice of him, African show.

[Dennis Terrier]

In fact there was two African shows on choice.

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

There was 90 and then we had another gentleman called Uncle Sam and Atapi. They also had, you know, those who are there.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

So that means that. Yeah, well from what you're saying then the reason DJ Bronti ended up even on Choice was because of the group he was part of.

[Dennis Terrier]

DJ Brantley was part of 90. 90 gave birth to DJ Brands here.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

Right.

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

So let me, let me make that statement here. He gave.

[Dennis Terrier]

But let's give credit to DJ Abranti as well. I mean look, let's give him his flowers. If, if, if I think of the journey with Choice fm when we first went to Choice fm, the, the time which we were playing on Choice of Fame wasn't the best of times is what we call grave graveyard shift. It's from 4am to 6am when everybody's asleep. Yeah. So that, that was being done for the years. Then it moved, it moved down from 2 to 4, then 12. 12 to 4. No, 12 to 2. So each time it kept on coming down the time wise. So obviously now we, we're getting more attraction, more of a regular time. DJ Brandt here, brilliant. He stuck to it.

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

He introduced Afrobeat show to Choice and then I always give him credit from

[Dennis Terrier]

sticking from where we started from to

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

where he took you to. And you got to give him that

[Dennis Terrier]

credit, you know Aquaba. Yeah.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

When was it born as part of your journey?

[Dennis Terrier]

Aquaba was born in 2001.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

Okay, now took me through the journey of saying this is the four of us, the six of us. Six of us, yeah, we're doing some business together now. I am going to set up, know, do something on my own.

[Dennis Terrier]

When 90% we decided to go our separate ways. Everybody kept moving there.

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

And Trips was still producing music and doing his engineering. Moss Camp, I've always said it's always been a legend doing what he needs to do. Mr. Shooks was doing wonderful things as an MC. Black Ash the time was one of the best MCs when it comes to the jungle scene. A brand here is also on on Choice doing the Afrobeat show. I just had to do something and I remember speaking to my close friend and my partner at the time, Clifford Opoku. We said, why don't we do an event together? So yeah, we spoke.

[Dennis Terrier]

We didn't even know what name we

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

should have called the event at the time. And then two or three days before the event we decided to say we're going to call the events Akwaba.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

Okay.

[Dennis Terrier]

I, I've always been Ghana.

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

Everything about me has always been Ghana. So the name we could have come up with was Akwaba. And that's how I come.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

Could have been Obake.

[Dennis Terrier]

It could have been, it could have been. But I remember the name Aqaba because when you, when you get off the plane at the old airport, the first sign you see is Aquaba. You know, so that. I think that was the year I came back to Ghana, okay? Oh no.

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

Two years before I came back to Ghana. So I. Apologies. So I remember that sign Aquaba. I remember reading the Aquaba magazine on Ghana Airways plane. And so we just said, let's call it Aquaba.

[Dennis Terrier]

But it was not just me and Cliff, okay.

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

We had Emilio from West Coast. We had my, my right hand man, Eben Y Design Entertainment and Jam Promotion. Then I had another good friend of mine, DJ Fire.

[Dennis Terrier]

Yeah, you know, and there's one or two others.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

Was Iben's brother also part of.

[Dennis Terrier]

Yeah, yeah.

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

Obviously he's next to Eben as well.

[Dennis Terrier]

So again it became another six Ghanaian guys who set up a Kwaba.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

Then how did you break off from them again?

[Dennis Terrier]

Within. Within Break of Eben has always been a rout of today.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

But then he has his own company.

[Dennis Terrier]

He has his own company. You know, me, me and Eben as

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

well had another company called Jump Promotions whereby we were doing Events for non Ghanaians and Fire and Cliff ended up returning back to Ghana. At that time, you know, they returned back to Ghana. Emilio went on to produce west coast and is still now doing West Coast.

[Dennis Terrier]

Yeah. So, yeah, we all came from the

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

birth of both of Aquaba. I start to with Aquaba doing events upon events upon events until now. Still doing Aquaba. Now it's a bigger brand I'm gonna be starting.

[Dennis Terrier]

Okay.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

So we've spoken about a lot of things in the UK now during these times when you started doing the Aquaba events, a lot of young Ghanaians, you know, there were times when, even when I was in college, yeah, it wasn't cool to be Ghanaian. It wasn't cool to be African. Right. It. I mean, over time, very quickly, it changed because people like yourselves, yeah. Started creating awareness, started creating events for us to communities for us to, you know, join in and, you know, meet each other, have conversations. Now there was something we're discussing which is, you know, Ghana was a. Was a punishment for a lot of young people. I personally know young people who were sent back to Ghana because of how they were in the UK at the time. Now talk me through how this was the case, you know, during the times when you started Aquaba and how that has changed over time.

[Dennis Terrier]

As you can see, when we started Aquaba, I mean, one thing we got was the sense of belonging. You know, we had it before at 90, but this time now, you know, like how you say right now you have the Gen Z's now we had the millenniums at the time, so we've not. Oh, wow, there's a sense of belonging now is so cool. Now to be Africans, we're not being accepted. But one of the things that strike us is that, look, people were so proud and popular. Anything you put out there, Ghana, Ghana, Independence dance, any Ghana event, we. The turnout was massive, Excellent turnout. So it then became, why don't we change the narrative and bring it back home? Because also, we've also learned something once we in the UK b as 90. I'm going back to 90. Some of our bookings were not just in the UK. We were getting flown out to places like Tenerife, Ibiza, Greece, to play. To play events. So when we look at that scene, that Night Live scene over there, I thought to myself, I could introduce that to Ghana. Because like you said, whenever you're in the diaspora and they mentioned to you at a time, we send you back home to Ghana. It was a punishment. It was a punishment because that means you've Done something wrong. Right. We're going to send you back home to Ghana. You know, you see, you're shaking. Most of. Most of my friends that it happened to. I know, I know one friend that run away from home, you know, even wanted to come and stay with me. I'm like, I'm staying with my mom and dad and my sister. How can you come and stay with me? But, yeah, they're going to send him back home. So that fear of going back home made me realize that, no, I could change the narrative, I could change the mindset of people, because there's me as a DJ being flown out to different, different countries to dj. Why can't I come do the same thing in Ghana? So I remember coming to Ghana, linking up with a radio station at the time called Vibe fm. Had the likes of Michael Cook, Charles Boseman, Kwame Fauci, the list goes on and on. My Vibe FM at the time was. Was a household radio stations here in Ghana. So my friend Cliff and then another great pioneer of mine, Aleno Sesibe, we emphasize DJ Fire. We came together to say, look, why don't we do the return to Ghana? And then we gave birth to December in Ghana. That's how I started. So the collective group of us with a generation at a time, we still call ourselves. I think it's the name. We call ourselves Belay Group. The name Belay Group came from a nightclub that we used to go to in the uk. So that generation, we call ourselves the Belay Group, we all decided to come to Ghana.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

And does this remind me of when there was an airline called Ghana International Airline.

[Dennis Terrier]

This was even before Ghana International.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

Right. And then there used to be. I don't know whether you would have used to do it.

[Dennis Terrier]

We used to chat. Yeah, yeah.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

To come to Ghana.

[Dennis Terrier]

Yeah.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

Were you part of the people that.

[Dennis Terrier]

Of course, myself, again, I've just mentioned his name, Rich Money, Mavis, maybe Sajikum. And we chatted a flight with Alpha Travel, Astros Airlines. And then I think we move on to another day. I can't remember, but it was for a period of time. We were. We're chatting planes for people to come from the UK to come to Ghana, because Ghana Airways was in Ghana, which I think was traveling maybe once a week or twice a week. So we had to find out a means to convince people to come to Ghana. Yeah. So that's when we started doing chartered airlines to Ghana.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

And the plan was simply to bring the exact same thing we're doing in the uk.

[Dennis Terrier]

Yeah. You were Doing in the UK to Ghana in December, team up with nightclubs, team up with a radio station like Vibe FM to show the biggest New Year's Eve party are Independent Square. Yes. Sp. Sponsored by a company called Space Phone, which is not. Yeah. So Vibe fm, Vibe FM crew, they played a major part when we came. They were the ones that were working alongside, were our partners.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

And your plan doing that was to make it cool to come to Ghana.

[Dennis Terrier]

To make it cool to come to Ghana, to make, you know, to create a night, a nightlife. Senior. Because we. We experienced already when we go to Tenerife. Tenerife. There's a place called the Strip in Tenerife. In one night, you could go to about, say, 10 different clubs, hopping from club to club, club to club. So that concept that I had at that time was to bring that back here. It wasn't easy because at the time, I think the nightclubs there. Boomerang Nightclub. Bus Stop. Bus Stop. One of the greatest club Gunners ever had, man. Boom. We had celebrations, we had office, we had Glenn's. Glenn's nightclub. So we teamed up with all of these nightclubs and I must give a big shout out to Kiki Benson, Duke Benson, Ampe Glens and quite a lot of people that obviously welcomed us alongside Vibe fm. And every December we were doing something.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

How do you think, you know, your involvement has shaped how the diaspora are now coming to Ghana today.

[Dennis Terrier]

Massive. Had I not contributed, and I don't book all these boundaries, I don't know, made it fashionable. With the vision I had at the time, I don't. I don't think we will be here where we are now, with what we. What we're experiencing, because breaking all these boundaries, making it fashionable, creating that nice nightlife scene, we also gave opportunity to DJs in Ghana. Whenever you hear Aquaba is coming to Ghana, Most of the DJs here, they want to be on the bill. They want to follow where Aquaba, it was cool, you know, before it wasn't, but it was cool. The nightlife scene kept on growing. Nightclubs like Aphrodisiac were coming through. Firefly, I commissioned so many nightclubs, but nightclubs were coming through, whereby you still had the old nightclubs like Boomerang, you know, some of them I've already mentioned.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

You genuinely believe that fundamentally your role in December in Ghana has birthed the December.

[Dennis Terrier]

Yes. The contribution I made. The contribution I made because you got to remember, this is something we were doing. We had a nice. We had a nice life now in Ghana, I Didn't give the birth, the name, the December, I didn't give the birthday December in Ghana. The aspirants coming to Ghana was something

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

that I know that the contributions and

[Dennis Terrier]

the belief and the confidence I had to do it year after year since 1999 without a break has played a major part. And I'm happy for Dirty December as well because that December again is taking us to the Gen Z situation whereby other countries, other people are benefiting. Ghana is benefiting. Ghana is winning. But other people too also winning. So it comes back to the name of Dirty December. I don't have any problem with the name Dirty December. I still call my event December in Ghana anyway. But I think it's cool, you know sometimes to, to label things as well. There's nothing wrong with it.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

This is like the first time I'm hearing this.

[Dennis Terrier]

Yeah.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

But I, I remember times when chartered flights were taken to Ghana.

[Dennis Terrier]

Yeah.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

People were paying into it.

[Dennis Terrier]

Oh yeah.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

And you know they'll come to Ghana and I. That I wasn't able to come some because I didn't have. Have the money. But your name is not in the story.

[Dennis Terrier]

My name has never been in the story. I don't know why. You know what, I'll be honest with you. A lot of people don't want to give credit where it's due. A lot of promoters, a lot of DJs. I've come through what I've established. I've come through what I have contributed towards you. I keep saying the word paving the way, you know, by me booking XYZ DJ and putting them on an acquire event. Also give them endorsement. As well as giving them endorsement, they also form their fan base. Don't forget they're all good DJs. They are good promoters. We all now all share in the same space. But a lot of people don't want to give that. This is the guy. I don't even look at it as me. This is the guy I prefer the credit to go to 90 and Aquaba, the two. I can never tell my story without mentioning 90%. If 90 didn't give me the wisdom, the knowledge, the experience that went through, I wouldn't even think I would have carried on doing Aquaba.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

Why do people struggle to give you their credit?

[Dennis Terrier]

It's life. Sometimes you have to tell your own story. It's up to you to tell your own story.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

Because when we speak about even Afrobeat in the uk.

[Dennis Terrier]

Yeah, yeah.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

Your name doesn't come in the picture.

[Dennis Terrier]

Yeah. You must be your dj. Branch's Name, but not my name. But if I'd not done that demo tape to go on to Choice fm, you know, finding the right music to put on choice of M. Because another challenge we had with Afrobeat music, what people don't understand is there was a time that 80% of the lyrics in the music has to be English before we could put on mainstream radio. So I had to do my research, you know, listen up to music that could be able to. I think I. I use one of the music I use at the time. I think it's Water Sweet Dreams. Okay. If you listen to Water Sweet Dreams, majority of the lyrics in there is mainly English. You know, let's not forget we had a francophone music at the time. We had. Well before we had a magic system. We had a willow, we had a Papa Wemba, Joseph Ndo. No, the list goes on. But the francophone music was just, you know, was not being played on mainstream radio at the time. So if I think of all of this in the challenges and has not been accepted. You can't play African music in nightclubs, you know, And I'm like, nah.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

Well, I mean, this is, it's. It's one thing you personally and your group not getting the, the credit. Yeah, but it's another thing when the entire Ghana doesn't get a credit for its contribution to Afrobeat.

[Dennis Terrier]

Ghana needs to get a credit. Ghana needs to get a credit. Whatever Afrobeats come. I'm not sitting here saying Afrobeat giving. No. Wherever Afrobeat has come from, some is being good for. For Africa. Whether it's from Nigeria, which we all believe to be. They played a major part. The Nigerian artists have played a major part. Look, I will sit down and say that song from the bunch, Oliver Twist.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

Okay?

[Dennis Terrier]

Oliver Twist.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

But even before you talk about Oliver Twist, Right?

[Dennis Terrier]

Yeah.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

Take it back to Ben TV time when we had Tongolo. Yeah, we had styles plus, yes. Olufumi, we had.

[Dennis Terrier]

We had Tony Tetula.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

There you go.

[Dennis Terrier]

That combination. We are two face another. You're my African queen again. If you listen to the lyrics, there's a lot of English in there. So I think that, that, that time African was ready, African was ready. And yeah, the Nigerian artist played a major role. I'm not going to sit down here.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

So recently there was. Before we talk about some of the artists you've worked with and you know, we talk about some of the challenges, the money aspects. There was a Nigerian promoter, okay, who, who was in Ghana was. Had an interview and said that, you know, majority of Ghanaian promoters in the UK are practically. He used the word lazy.

[Dennis Terrier]

That's very cheap of him. Very, very cheap of him. Let me start off by giving some

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

credit to some of the Nigerian promoters I've worked alongside. Solomon Savage, one of the greatest Nigerian promoters.

[Dennis Terrier]

Not many people talk about him. Solomon at the time was putting on

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

good R B shows. All the big artists from Mary J. Blige to Jody C, Keith Sweat favor. MC Solomon as a Nigerian promoter was doing this. Then we had the likes of Abbas,

[Dennis Terrier]

then we had the likes of Casey. And let me even go further and give Nigerian Corner the kind of something which I've wished. Even Ghana, we had Nigerian corner, IO and his team, Black Knight, JGC 419. I mean, there's a lot of Nigerian promoters that have worked and they've been good. How can I even forget Kokobar? Kokoba played a major part in Factory 78.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

There you go, Lanre, DJ Lanway.

[Dennis Terrier]

Here we go. You know, you see the roles in which Coco Bar is played, I don't even hear, I don't hear a lot of credit being given to Kokoba as well. But these are household Nigerian promoters that were also doing great, great stuff. You know, they took it to the next level. You know, they took it to the next level. So to hear a fellow promoter who has not even been through the struggle, he wasn't there. When we're being told you're Africans, you're not allowed to come to the nightclub. African boo, boo. Where was he? Did he know the struggle that we had to do to make it fashionable even in the, in the industries, going to some of the record labels? Does he know what it took as 90% as a group to be going to nightclubs, getting turned away, to be going to venues, getting turned away to where we are today? So if he's got a platform, instead of giving us credit, which I'm giving credit to, all the Nigerian promoters out there, why come in? Why come and call a cheap shot and say Ghanaian promoters are lazy?

[Derek (Interviewer)]

He seems to always be punching you all the time.

[Dennis Terrier]

Every time he gets a chance to give an interview, he has a date. I'm sorry, brother, you didn't go through what we went through. You just came along, pick up the pieces and you've done a good job. All your connections, what you're doing, you've done a good job. But please stop punching Ghanaian promoters because most Ghanaian promoters are myself, Alodia, west coast and the new ones that are coming through. Majority of our investment is our own private. Is our Own private money. So whereby you've been gifted with the numbers you've got, with the brilliant artists you've got and you're doing well, encourage the next people rather than saying Ghana promoters are lazy. That's, that's a, that's a cheap talk. That's for him just trying to get, get some clouds. And it's always been that way. Trying to make himself look cool, like he's the one who's giving birth to all this up Afrobeat is going on. He was not there, was he? Then we got turned away from the radio station. Was he there? No. Didn't even know. How come? Afrobeat music. Did he know the struggle? DJ Brent here had to go and make sure he's playing from playing 4, 4am, 2am 12 and sticking through. Come on, let's give people the credit where it's due. That was just a cheap, cheap comment by him. Very cheap. And I'm, I'm disappointed in him.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

This promoter works with some of the Ghanaian artists as well.

[Dennis Terrier]

Yeah.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

And when Ghanaian artists work with him.

[Dennis Terrier]

Yeah.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

They tend to break some boundaries compared to when they work with some of the Ghanaian. You agree?

[Dennis Terrier]

I agree. And that's good. That's very good. Again, it's good for the culture. You are taking it to the next level. But don't dismiss what's been done before. You get me? Do not dismiss what has been done before. Take it to the next level, Take it to the highest level. I'm happy for that. But when you start to dismiss what is being done, that's a problem. Yes. You're giving Ghanaian artists a better exposure. There's nothing wrong with that. Ghanaian artists deserve more. And if you have got the chance, the platform, the connections with all the big, big investors out there, use it to your strength. Don't be punching a Ghanaian promoters who reviews our own private personal money, family money to be doing what we're doing. That's an insult.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

Talking about personal money. There was a time you were 2023.

[Dennis Terrier]

Yeah.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

You had an event.

[Dennis Terrier]

Yeah.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

And you made a huge loss.

[Dennis Terrier]

Heavy loss.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

How much did you lose?

[Dennis Terrier]

About 400k pounds. Pounds? No, see this. US$2 pounds. Just like that. Ghana parts in the part 2, 2023. Unfortunately for us, there was an Amber. Amber Warning in the uk, basically a day before the. The festival. And the Amber Warning was severe, so we had no option than to cancel the show. We considered less than, less than eight hours to the show, which was even a bit of a worry for ourselves and the local authority and the police. Because a show that is starting at 12, 12 noon and at 8pm the day before, we've had to cancel the show. Wow. One, we were worried about people turning up, we're worried about security and everything else. But one thing I'll say about Aquaba, we have a very strong data. Our database is priceless. We managed, within that same night, we managed to contact almost everybody, let them know, look, the event is not happening any longer due to the bad weather. I mean, you live in the uk, all you have to do is go on the news and you see this is what was happening. The decision was taken very late because we wanted to give ourselves all the possible chance to make sure this event could go ahead. Artists are in town, food vendors are there preparing their food. We're doing Sun Check. We're going through all the normal stuff just before a big event. And then at 8:20, alas, health and safety says, no, you can't go everyday event. At the time, I didn't think of the money. I was thinking about what I need to do and how I'm going to be able to put the show back on again.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

Right.

[Dennis Terrier]

Which I did within a period of three weeks. Put a show back on again now, after the, after the second show, after the rescheduling of the show, that's when I started to think of the money that I've lost. I put the two shows together and I realized that 400k is just gone down the drain because you have to service your sponsors, you have to issue ticket refunds, and then you've got to put the show back on again at exactly the same cost as the previous one. Wow. Some of the artists as well, I must mention the name, but they're brilliant. Some of them, especially R2B's. They decide to stay with me in London through the whole time to support. I mean, there's other artists as well. Kwame, Imp, vip. The artists also play their role. You know, it's not, it's not with us and them as sometimes it looks like they, they stayed and then did what they had to do. We rescheduled the events and it went ahead. But a few weeks later on, and even till now, I still think about the money.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

Yeah, I can imagine. Throughout your years of doing events, what has been your biggest regret?

[Dennis Terrier]

Not owning a lot of things. Not owning a lot of things. Because like I said, when you start thinking of the stories and things that's been done, let's even, let's just talk about December in Ghana. A lot of people think December In Ghana only started because of your return, but that's not the case. A lot of people will live with December or what is actually happening right now to the 30th of December, but that's not the case. There was a group of people that started this and we should have, you know, we should have maybe documented it or something. But those are some of the regrets that I've had thinking about it because I look at the contributions again. Everywhere I go I'm with my children, my kids, and people are saying, oh, your dad did this, your dad did that. And I'm like, children, I feel like I've let you down because you don't really know my story. I keep saying that to them. I feel like I've let you down. It's taking other people to tell you, but I've never been that way anyway.

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

I'm like, you know, I just go with the flow.

[Dennis Terrier]

But now life has taught me that you gotta.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

I just go with the flow.

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

Yes.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

I figured it out. You had no plan. The only thing you wanted to do was just play football.

[Dennis Terrier]

Correct.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

And then you dropped out of school because you didn't like staying in school.

[Dennis Terrier]

Correct.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

Then you, you, you, you've created this.

[Dennis Terrier]

Yeah.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

So my question was actually going to be, are you truly happy with the path you have taken even though it wasn't planned?

[Dennis Terrier]

Yes, I am. I am. I'm not disappointed at all. I am, I'm happy he's giving me a beautiful family. I'm happy my kids are now seeing it because at the time, obviously I didn't have kids, but now my kids are seeing one of 10. And from, from within, some of my, my peers, they, they gave me the credit. In fact, some of them say, look, you need to speak up, you need to own half of what is happening because in a few years time, nobody is going to know what we're going through. Africans in the UK will be enjoying right now. Nobody's going to know what you did, the contributions, how you had to get African music being played on mainstream radio, which broke the camel's back. People don't know that. I showed the cassette to my son. He's like, wow, he hasn't even seen a cassette before. Yeah, he has not seen the cassette before. And I said, I showed him, I got a pen and put in the middle classes and I was rewinding as a result, you know, but these are lessons for him to, to know. I've made, I've made a lot of mistakes, but I made some of those mistakes because I was just going with the flow and not proud of it. But what can I do?

[Derek (Interviewer)]

There's a cost to not being intentional about this, isn't it?

[Dennis Terrier]

Oh yeah, heavy cost because somebody else couldn't tell the story. Other people take the credit. Other people sit down and tell you being lazy. Other people tell you that you've been lazy. Do you know how that hurts for me? I call about 90 or we've not had that privilege. Why haven't you?

[Derek (Interviewer)]

You've been in other rooms.

[Dennis Terrier]

Yeah.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

From rocket label rooms to radio stations pluggers, you've been in the rooms.

[Dennis Terrier]

Ye.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

So why haven't Aquaba as a company even one of your events Ghana Party Nepal gotten support from these big companies.

[Dennis Terrier]

We tried. We're gonna pass in the park. We, we, we did, we did have a very good interest and also we had a very good offer for Ghana parts in the park. This was Covid came into into the scene while the discussion was going on. We started discussion January March Covid is coming.

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

The conversation died down but we had,

[Dennis Terrier]

we had a very good offer on

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

the table for kind of parts in

[Dennis Terrier]

the park and I was willing to sell at the time. I was but other, other options came

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

for to the partners they had other options to go for. So I had to carry on with

[Dennis Terrier]

Ghana part in the park. And the way I also say what made me carry it on is like it's still giving different generation. So many people have come through Ghana parts in the park. So many people have been to Ghana parts in the park. I see, I go out, I see expat and you know I see people even a big record labels were from Sony Music and everything else. People have big position, they used to come to Ghana part in a park. Some of the conversation I have with people there are laws of well known Ghanaians a high position right now in the music industry. They've all come through on a part in the park. But I'm not going to sit down

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

here and blame myself.

[Dennis Terrier]

You know I, I'm not going to be hard on myself. I'm. I'm disappointed I didn't reach those highs. We've done a part in the park because it's a big brand. It's a very, very big brand. 20 years without a film, win, lose, draw, whatever it may be gonna part in the park still.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

Is there an aspect of you that didn't put your business cap on early enough?

[Dennis Terrier]

Yes. And I think that's me in general. I think I matured very late. Maturity came to me very late and I Think it's the same thing as, as business. But now I'm surrounded with, I'm surrounded with some good people. If you look at this in my, in Ghana right now, I have a partner here in Ghana, DJ men bringing brilliant ideas. You know, have a full team here in Ghana that they're ready to take it to the next level. And I'm happy for that. You know, I say, og, I could just use my, my, my experience.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

If you really think about it, during those times, what were the reasons why you didn't want to allow business to come in very quickly?

[Dennis Terrier]

I wanted business to come in, but business was, wasn't coming. I mean, look, let's, let's be frank. A lot of our Ghanaian business at the time, we're not comfortable with the,

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

with the entertainment scene.

[Dennis Terrier]

I mean, even here in Ghana, I, I know that he had to take some of the telco company like MTN and Vodafone to actually invest heavily into Ghana Music. Ghana Music Award, big shout to Chatterhouse. You know, they were doing what they were doing, you know, doing various Ghanaian, Ghanaian Music, Ghanaian Music Awards, I'm sure to whatever revenue they got. But then when corporate came in, come on. You saw the beauty of what Ghana Music Awards was doing. You saw the beauty of what Chatters and all the various companies. I always say to it, I say to friends of mine, I love what corporate is doing, especially here in Ghana. If I look at, I mentioned Chatterhouse, I'm going to mention Echo House, they do tidy rave. If you see how banks are getting involved, drinks company, telco companies, they are getting involved. In the uk, we don't get that. Obviously in the uk, the Ghanaian community plays a very small percentage. So I can't go to Barclays Bank, I can't go to Northwest, but I can't go to. Although they all have, all of them have corporate community responsibilities. All of these people, you go to them, you don't get, you don't get a file. So.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

But were you actually willing to partner initially?

[Dennis Terrier]

Oh, yeah, I was.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

You were open to the idea?

[Dennis Terrier]

I was 100 open to the idea because when I seek sponsorship from the likes of Western Union, Moneygram at the time.

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

You're smiling.

[Dennis Terrier]

Yes. It takes you back to me. I wish they even did more. They did well for us, don't get me wrong. But I wish they did more. And I liked what a lot of the company and some of the business people are doing right now is something I wish 10, 15 years ago I had it. I would have done more and I've done more and I've done better.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

So I was speaking to one of my friends yesterday, David, and he said something that really, it really hit me. He says, a lot of us Ghanaians don't like systems thinking. We just like to do things

[Dennis Terrier]

mostly.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

Sometimes it looks like his ego.

[Dennis Terrier]

Our default settings is something we picked up with, you know.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

Yeah. So you come, for example, you go to a church. Right. Now his example was really sweet. He goes, you walk into a church and the usher says, please sit here. And you, you start looking funny.

[Dennis Terrier]

Yeah.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

Because you've spotted somewhere you want to sit. But for the church and for her, she's thinking, this is going to align with where the camera position. Because we don't like systems thinking.

[Dennis Terrier]

I think we didn't. We don't like system thinking. And also some of us, including myself, we were scared for change. Change is good. Honestly. Change is good. Yeah, change is very good. So at the end of the day, I think we should have allowed change. But look, it is what it is.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

At some point you did a show.

[Dennis Terrier]

Yeah.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

For an artist. Bisake Day.

[Dennis Terrier]

Correct.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

It was in Camden.

[Dennis Terrier]

One of the greatest show of them. I put out as one of the greatest show of that I put it. It's not only because I remember it just like that, the ticket sales, the speed in which the ticket moved.

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

Yeah.

[Dennis Terrier]

And I should have thought better about the vineyard. The choice of venue that was on the high. I mean extremely high. And the location was good. But also I must say to our defense at the time of doing Bisake there, the black community in the uk, especially the nightlife, we also experiencing a challenge whereby to go to certain venues or to book certain venues, we're not being allowed because there wasn't. There's various incidents happening at most of the venues. So there's a new system that came in. You had to do what you call a 696, meaning a risk assessment of everybody who's going to come to the event, especially the DJs, you're going to put their name down. Because let's be honest, there was a. There was a knife culture. You know, people go to clubs, they were fighting bottles, you know, it was becoming nasty. So we all put in one bracket. So sometime when you go to some of these venues you want to use. In fact, B there I wanted to use a venue called Scala, which is not far from Scala and Kings Cross, which is not far from the Camden Hall. But when I went there, they said, no, they don't want to do a black event. What do I do? So I had to look for the next alternative and that was the hall before the event.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

Then we had a chat and then I told him that, look, this venue, we really should have pushed for a bigger venue. And we got to the venue and There were over 200 people outside, inside were jam packed.

[Dennis Terrier]

We could have stood the event twice, I'm telling you. We could have said.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

But are these part of sometimes. Are these part of the. Your, your challenges change when you are maybe approaching an artist. Are these sometimes?

[Dennis Terrier]

Yeah, sometimes I'm very. Yeah, that one is always, is always in the back of mind. But again, I will say that that's a mistake I've done. You got to be able to make mistakes to be able to correct them as well.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

Absolutely.

[Dennis Terrier]

Yeah. But I'm not going to be too hard on myself and I think of the challenge I faced at the time. Would I have done better? Yes. Can I do better? Yes. In life you can always do better. But what was facing me at the time, you had to put on Piece of K Day. Everybody wanted to see BC Day, both in Europe and, and various parts of the world. Mansa, brother, brother, come on, hit. I had to do something, you know, or if not, let the time go. You cannot recall time, right? You cannot recall time. You've got to deal with it now. So everything I've done at the time, I'm happy for whatever decision I took. Some of them have been mistakes and I've learned from them.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

If you are recounting, let's say you are 90 years old and you are recollecting memories.

[Dennis Terrier]

Yeah.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

And you are like, I could have done that better. I could have done better. Could have done better. Give me one example.

[Dennis Terrier]

I think one major example. I could, I would have. I should have be able to get

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

more people involved in most of the stuff I've done.

[Dennis Terrier]

I should have. Some of the artists I've worked with as well, I think I should have

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

had a better understanding with them. And I've worked with a lot of artists, some of them personal friends, some of them, they don't even speak to you because things didn't go their way, things didn't go away.

[Dennis Terrier]

And definitely one of the things I think the most important thing, I think I should have worked smarter alongside some

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

of my promotional partners like Alodia, West coast, even DJ Branchey when he became a promoter. Stroke DJs.

[Dennis Terrier]

If I looked at some of the mistakes we did, we, we wasted money, money that we didn't have. We wasted money by competing against each

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

other where we could have actually worked smarter.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

There were times when we had about three Ghana when we could have done it big.

[Dennis Terrier]

We could have done it big.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

Yeah, yeah. But what were some of the things stopping you from doing that?

[Dennis Terrier]

Some is our ego. I pride. But then again I always say to myself, we don't know have the same mobile phone. You might have a Samsung, I'm having Nokia. You may shop in Sainsbury's, I may shop in Tesco's. It's the same thing. Competition is healthy. Don't get me wrong, that's what it was at the time we were competing against. There's a community, it's a pool there, go market to them and get what you are to get. But if I think about it now, like you say, some of the things

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

I think we could have done better,

[Dennis Terrier]

which in a way we are, we are correcting some of them. I work very closely with Alodia, I work very closely with west coast. You know, I get them well with our branch here.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

So I was having a discussion with someone who said that Ghana party in the park should have been like wireless today.

[Dennis Terrier]

100 agree. 100 agree. I think I got to be careful here. If there was a time we wanted to take away the Ghana elements, I

[Derek (Interviewer)]

just thought about it.

[Dennis Terrier]

Yeah, there was a time we wanted to cross the gun out of it and make it because yeah, it's not only just Ghanaians that come to Ghana parts, but then there's another situation whereby the Ghanaian community, 80 of them, which

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

is the niche market, are the ones that come into the event. So if you take Ghana away from it, what happens next?

[Dennis Terrier]

That's the business decision I had to take. But when, when the offer came in the year 2020, I was happy to take away the Ghana. I'm sure had Covid not come in when it was still not began to

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

part in the park, it would have been have a different title to it.

[Dennis Terrier]

But yeah, that discussion did happen. But then again that's wrong of me maybe thinking Ghana. Everything I do Ghana, Ghana, all the titles of most of my events is all Ghana. Everything is Ghana related. Majority of the stuff people usually say

[Derek (Interviewer)]

Ghana starts it and nowadays take it.

[Dennis Terrier]

Yeah, I mean Ghana, we tend to start a lot of things. We don't own it and somebody else will take it better and I'm. I'm part of the system that got it wrong. I have to say.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

You've worked with the likes of legend Daddy Lomba. What has been your. What was your experience working with them?

[Dennis Terrier]

Oh, difficult Charles was very difficult to work with.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

Let me stop you here for a minute. So if it's your first time watching Connected Minds or you have been here before but still have not subscribed, do us a favor because majority of the people that watch our videos have not subscribed. This doesn't help us grow beyond what we expect. So help us by hitting the subscribe button.

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

Thank you.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

Now let's get back to the conversation.

[Dennis Terrier]

I've done three shows with.

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

With that, all in the uk.

[Dennis Terrier]

The fourth show I was just about to do with him come here. But just again with. With a day or two to go. He called me to say he's not coming. Just like that. Your money is ready. Come and pick up your money.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

Refund.

[Dennis Terrier]

Yeah, he gave me the money at that time. I've already made a heavy loss. I remember. I remember it very well. And it was no fault of mine. There was no. No fault of my. I tried. Look, I went that far. I remember even we went as far as cutting calling him Asante to intervene. That's because people have bought tickets to come to the show. We called me despite to intervene record. You know, we. I think we even had some. We're ready to reach to the President's office just to ask dad Limpa to come

[Derek (Interviewer)]

and he never came. Even though you reached out to people, he still didn't come.

[Dennis Terrier]

Yeah.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

Any reason?

[Dennis Terrier]

Yeah. One member of his team didn't get their visas.

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

The traveling visa.

[Dennis Terrier]

Yeah, it was a eight piece band at the time he was traveling with

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

and then the other two would join them from. One is coming from Germany, another from Holland. So it would have been 10 piece band. But one of the key members here wasn't issued on the visa.

[Dennis Terrier]

The rest of them was issued. The visas are. Okay.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

How did it make you feel?

[Dennis Terrier]

Sad. But that's. Those are the kind of challenges we go through.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

You expected this to happen?

[Dennis Terrier]

When it comes to permission, I expect anything. Honestly, I've been through a lot that I expect anything. Yes. Was I surprised at the time?

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

No.

[Dennis Terrier]

This is. This is Daddy Loom. Daddy Loom by somebody when I was doing the shows in the past. I am. I know we always laugh about it, but I prefer to be in the next. Next hotel room. If this is his hotel room, I prefer to be in the next room. Just to make sure it's going to turn up that Lumba will be staying in Germany and maybe come the day of the show. No, I. I had a chance of hosting him when I've been waha was at his pe. I did. I hosted him at Stratford Wrecks myself

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

and my very good friend Rich Richmond. And Richmond and the wife Mavis.

[Dennis Terrier]

I remember that whole week back and forth, back and forth. But it took. It took over my life. We. We've sold tickets, it's been sold out now we need to even convince ourselves that number is going to come. We need to convince ourselves. I've not heard from number for almost, almost two weeks. Yeah, in the long run. I picked up a flight, went to Germany the day before whilst I was in Germany only to be called by Richmond to sell.

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

That number is in London.

[Dennis Terrier]

You know he hasn't called me.

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

He was in London. It was with one of his family members in London. I had to fly back again.

[Dennis Terrier]

Yeah,

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

he. He took me through a lot.

[Dennis Terrier]

So I met him just before obviously

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

the sad passing away. I had a chat with him, we

[Dennis Terrier]

talked about it as well and he, he was very happy with me in the way that.

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

Look then you did your best.

[Dennis Terrier]

You know, I know I gave you a hard time but you know it comes with, comes with it and I was looking at the time. He's a legend. What can you do? You gotta. There's two things you've got to consider when you do working with legend and also working with superstar. The first superstar, Ghanaian superstar I worked

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

with was Tick Tock at the time.

[Dennis Terrier]

Tick Tock was big. It was, you know, it was a superstar. And I'm like sometimes you have to do what they want they want you

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

to do just to make sure you get events going.

[Dennis Terrier]

But yeah, it was difficult because there

[Derek (Interviewer)]

were times when you guys would promote an event, especially at straps and then the artist will not show up.

[Dennis Terrier]

Yeah. And it's happened quite a lot.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

And as a business person, like you're thinking to yourself, I mean how do you make the money back?

[Dennis Terrier]

Disappointment. The fans, the community and they look at you. Even now, people even sit and say to me, people talk about I should know better, I should do better. But some of the things are beyond our control. You can apply for a visa for an artist and it could get refused. And doesn't only happen within the Ghanaian community. It happens everywhere. I've been to big R and B

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

shows where artists have been refused visas before.

[Dennis Terrier]

Disappointment do happen. We had a cancellation of going to parts in the park. Everybody's blaming me because of the bad weather. I'm sorry. Last year Everton and Liverpool were playing a football match in Mesa side. The match was supposed to kick off at 12 o'. Clock. 8am is the match has Been canceled because of bad weather. You didn't hear people complaining about it. Let it be our community. Things happen, you know, it's mother Nature,

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

what can you do?

[Dennis Terrier]

Not everything is always for some things happen whereby. And you're dealing with an artist as well that based on how he's feeling, it's going by his own mood swing, how he's feeling. You have to, you have to massage that. You have to have that in your mind. The artist's ego, how they're feeling. You've got. As a promoter, you be prepared to manage an artist's feeling. It's not about the money, it's how you treat them. You know, and if I, if I had to say no, they're not coming, they put out a statement. Doesn't matter what you, the promoter, what you say does not matter. Artist is always right. And that's something I've learned to live with. There's times that people are having a go at me. She know better then she should know better. And I say to myself, what can I do? But yeah, it was, it's a sad situation. But I, I'm happy the privilege that

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

I've worked with him on different, different occasions. So I also cherish that as well. And he's been a great artist for

[Dennis Terrier]

that for, for the nation and even beyond for African music and Daddy Lumber has been excellent. So rest in peace. Yeah.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

So rest in peace. Fundamentally, do you truly believe that as far as putting on a show.

[Dennis Terrier]

Yeah.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

It's concerned you've done your absolute best for our Ghanaian.

[Dennis Terrier]

Oh yes, I've done, I've done my best. I've done my best. And now whoever people are doing what they're doing now, I think they're even

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

going to do better. I, I think so.

[Dennis Terrier]

With the right investment, people will do better.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

There are conversations that sometimes when the event doesn't come your way, then some of you and your friends try to sabotage it.

[Dennis Terrier]

That's not true.

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

That's never true.

[Dennis Terrier]

I've. I've never in my life tried to

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

sabotage another person's event.

[Dennis Terrier]

Never of people that are close to me built. I always focus on myself, brighten up my own corner. Let me tell you something. There was a period of time for about a good six years whereby Aquaba was going up against choice of him

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

and DJ Abrante when it comes to Ghana independence or Ghana related events.

[Dennis Terrier]

Obviously abrante and choice of him had apparent because they are the establishment. Yeah. Aquaba was not the establishment. Whatever came against us, we made sure

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

we did what we had to do to put the event on.

[Dennis Terrier]

It's not about sabotaging anybody. No, I just don't have it in me to do that. I rather concentrate on what I need to do and do it better. And that's one of the strengths I've always had. Brighten up my lane. This vision I've got. I know how to look after myself and do what I need to do. And also believe in what I've done in the past and the goodwill I've created. So I don't there. I think it's just people's mindset.

[Dennis Terrier (continuation or elaboration)]

They create that owl. That's not the case.

[Dennis Terrier]

Who am I? Nah, it's. It's just that those people that say that. Certain people that say that they know at the end of the day, some of them, they don't even treat for today. Come and speak to me, collect my ideas, read my mind. Then the next thing you know, they're doing a similar thing. They don't talk about it. That's happened a lot.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

Mr. Terry, thank you so much. Is there anything that I could have asked you that I have not?

[Dennis Terrier]

No, I'm happy.

[Derek (Interviewer)]

I appreciate your time today. And usually we ask a few questions. In the end, however, because of the nature of this conversation. More personality than learning. Thank you so much. I really, really appreciate and I hope the Aquaba group becomes bigger than how we see it. And if you've been listening and even watching, thank you so much for being a part of the family. My name is Derek and we have been speaking with Mr. Dennis Terrier. Unconnected minds. If you made it to the end, please make a comment in the descriptions. Because I'd love to know and share this to a friend who wants to hear about the Aquaba group and the story of our man here. Thank you.

[Dennis Terrier]

I'm out.