The Bantu Spaceship duo lands in the PAM Club with a selection of tracks that influenced the genesis of their first eponymous album, at the crossroads of traditional and current Zimbabwean music.
As present as the mbira, the guitar played an essential role in the development of Zimbabwean music, defining many genres. In the aftermath of independence, the radios broadcast Anglo-Saxon pop and rock, leaving little room for these musicians to express themselves on the airwaves, despite an extremely rich rhythmic and melodic baggage. In the late 80s, artists began to combine local styles with contemporary Western sounds, shaping alternative and experimental styles. Among them, we identify the Sungura which mixes pop and indigenous instruments, the Chimurenga, resistance music and electrified version of the sound of the Shona people, and the Jit-jive, uptempo music originating from the music of Harare which favors the dialogue guitar / battery.
Bantu Spaceship is one of those young artists who are inspired by this creative explosion, translating this golden age into a hybrid style they call “New Jit Wave”. On their first album, which was released by Nyami Nyami in Paris, the duo pays homage to these rhythms of the past by injecting them with synth-wave, hip-hop and disco flavors. The poetic songs in the Ndebele language of Ulenni Okandlovu shine on the electronic productions of Joshua Madalitso Chiundiza; together, the two members of this visionary crew let this album emanate a sweet scent of afrofuturism. Driven by this promise to take us on a journey through time and space, Joshua has selected classics and more recent pieces from Zimbabwe and neighboring countries, all of which have contributed to the development of alternative music in the country!
Tracklist :
Boyoyo Boys – Archie Special
New Black Montana – Mai Nyembezi
Mulemena Boys – Pamuzhi Palubabo
Bhundu Boys – My Foolish Heart
Dorothy Masuka – Kwa Nhingirikina
Harare Mambo – Today Is Ours
Comrade Chinx – Munch Heaven and Earth
Andy Brown & The Storm – Tichangoshaina
Edwin Hama – The Best Of Edwin Hama
Rex Rabanye – You Make Me
Stella Chiweshe – Njuju
Thomas Mapfumo – That Fire
Oliver Mutukudzi – Come Back Together
Bongo Maffin – Vote and See
Alec Khaoli – Say You love Me
Bantu Spaceship – Don’t Break
The album is available since March 10, here. Follow Bantu Spaceship on Instagram.
