Mookomba, one of the most exciting bands to emerge from Zimbabwe, has brought to the musical scene an electrifying blend of Afro-fusion and tantalising traditional Tonga rhythms in its project titled, Umvundla — Turn On Mookomba.
This outfit is not new on the musical scene having emerged from Victoria Falls and participated before at the Music Crossroads national and inter-regional finals which are held every year to support upcoming and local musicians.
In an interview with NewsDay, band manager Marcus Gora said: “The album is out now and it is in collaboration with Gregor Salto, one of the best European DJs from Netherlands, who is also the producer.
“The album was released in Europe at the end of September and was celebrated with a unique promotional event, a flash mob at Spui Square in Amsterdam.” Flash mobs are a unique new social networking phenomenon, where groups of people assemble suddenly in a public place to perform unusual activities to entertain, provoke or attract attention to an artistic project.
The release of this album was made possible by Africa Unsigned, a music fan-funding online project, which enables fans to fund and contribute to the success of bands they love.
The album features nine tracks and re-mixes from the band, among them is the title track Umvundla (Ndebele for rabbit). Another potentially explosive hit track is Busie which is likely to go down well with music fans who love South African musicians such as Mafikizolo and Malaika.
One track that arguably explores the prowess of Mookomba is, Welele, which showcases the amazing vocals of Mathias Muzaza, Mookomba lead singer and the guitar and bass virtuosity of Trustworth Samende and Abundance Mutori.
“The album is already getting airplay in Europe and several global dance floors around the world and, most importantly, locally.
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“Mookomba are great ambassadors for Tonga and Zimbabwean culture. Their talent and unique blend of tradition and contemporary sounds are allowing the best of what we have to showcase.
“Our music is there to remind people the world over that life is to be celebrated and it is there to be enjoyed regardless of who we are and where we are.
“We are very proud of this release and we want people in Zimbabwe to enjoy it and get to appreciate the music,” said Gora. The name Mookomba stems from the deep respect the Tonga people have for the Zambezi River which they also refer to as Mosi oa Tunya (the smoke that thunders).
This exciting Tonga group certainly has a unique sound that is set to take the world music scene by storm.
After their maiden tour of Europe, as a prize for winning the inter-regional festival, the group has been invited to various events and festivals in many countries overseas.
