A.Yes,as
Mokoomba we are aware of the success that these Zimbabwean music icons had in
the UK because they did pave the way for the Zimbabwean musical history, and
these are also the bands that we looked up to when we were still young.
Q. The Bhundu’s played
chimurenga music with rock and roll, disco, country, and pop influences. How is
your music different?
A. Our
music is different from that of the Bhundu boys in the sense that we classify
our music as Afro-Fusion, which is a mix of our Tonga, Luvale and Nyanja ways
of playing percussions and singing, fusing all this with other modern genres
of music like Soukous, Rock, Funk and Reggae.
Q. Who are your biggest
musical influences?
A.Our
Zimbabwean artists who made it big, namely, Bhundu Boys,Stella Chiweshe,The
Four Brothers,Oliver Mtukudzi,Chiwoniso Maraire and also other African artists
who have made an impression, like Salif Keita, Youssou N’Dour, Habib Koite.
Q. Can you say something about
your home in the Victoria Falls region of Zimbabwe? Can you describe it for a
UK audience?
A. Victoria
falls is a small town. The mighty Victoria Falls is one of the wonders of the
world, and the town is also is rich in different musical styles because it’s a
border town to several African countries which makes it a melting pot of
different cultures in and out of Zimbabwe.
Q. Your first and breakthrough
album, Rising Tide, was recorded for a Belgian record label. How did you meet
them?
A. We met Poney Gross, director of ZigZag World, during the Music
Crossroads Competitions in 2008, which was a youth empowerment through music
programme.
Poney sat in the jury for this
competition and was then in charge of organising our first European tour. Since
then, we are working with ZigZag World as our management agency as well as our label.
Q. What are the songs that you
are performing on this tour about?
A.The
songs we are going to perform on this tour have different themes but mainly
focussing on songs of our culture, from the Tonga and the Luvale traditions,
and on songs of Hope and Love. It’s an acoustic set, brand new, and we
will present it for the first time !
Q. How did you all meet when
you started the band?
A. The six of us in Mokoomba we all come from the same home town, so we
went to the same schools and played together at an early age. We had the same
passion for music, so we have been a band together from childhood !
Q. You’ve been on TV in the UK
and played at several festivals. Ahead of this UK tour what do you think of the
UK?
A.The UK
is a great place for us, the audience here is amazing and we are grateful of
their support. The response of the UK audience to our music is really
exceptional. We feel very lucky and proud to play live on TV for ‘Later with
Jools Holland’ and to play at some of the great British festivals.
Interviewed by Mike Gavin at EditionPR
