Five years after the release of ‘Luyando’, Mokoomba, Zimbabwe’s most celebrated music export returns with their long-awaited follow-up album ‘Tusona: Tracings in the Sand’.
The six musicians from Victoria Falls are refining their unique sound: infectious Afro grooves deeply connected to Zimbabwe’s cultural DNA. ‘Tusana’ is their most danceable album to date, a DIY production recorded in Zimbabwe. It features horns by Ghanaian highlife outfit Santrofi.
The new album includes BBC Radio 6 Music playlisted single ‘Nzara Hapana’ and new single ‘Makisi’.
Every Sunday, there is a gathering in the sweltering heat on grounds of an old local beer hall in the Chinotimba township in Mosi-o-Tunya (Victoria Falls). Entertainment is provided by various traditional groups including the Luvale Makisi masquerade. It is a day full of singing, drumming, dancing and storytelling. Mokoomba’s lead vocalist Mathias Muzaza can often be found here singing with a voice both soaring and vulnerable. In the course of the afternoon the other band members – guitarist Trustworth Samende, bass player Abundance Mutori, keyboard player Phathisani Moyo, percussionist Miti Mugande and drummer Ndaba Coster Moyo – often join in with singing. The drum driven song “Bakalubale” featured on their new album invites you to this gathering.
Label: Out Here
UPC: 880918260822 (CD) | 880918260815 (LP)
Catalogue Number: OH037 (CD) | OH037LP (LP)
Release Date: 7 July 2023