Mudhindo in SA album launch

Mudhindo in SA album launch

By Munashe Rungano

Sungura musician Ronnie Mudhindo is billed to launch his new album at the Ekurhuleni Boksburg Hotel Saturday.

After a musical hiatus the former Utakataka Express bassist- who has since left truck driving to be a miner- is in a comeback bid with a new album titled Dhara Harimhanyi.

The talented bassist explained his comeback, album and music welfare to Showbiz from his Rustenburg base in the Northwest Province of South Africa.

“The new album comes as an answer to calls for new material from my fans and we have managed to give it to them,” he said.

“My last album titled Zvipere Zvipere died a natural death before even getting radio airplay. I took the project to Diamond Studios but efforts to market the album hit a brick wall as l eventually packed my bags for SA. I have plans to redo the entire album in future as it is as good as it was never released.”

The lanky musician said he has prepared something different for sungura fans who were being treated to what he termed ‘noisy monotony’.

“My forthcoming album seeks to break the monotony which has killed the sungura genre. We have seen many upcoming artistes coming up and failing to make an impact mainly because they all want to sound like (Alick) Macheso. Vanotevedzera bass rese raAlick kusvika pakuita ruzha. All they wish for is to be at par with Macheso’s bass guitar lines and some of them over do it,” he lamented.

“Having been in the industry for more than twenty years l am coming in with a matured project that can accommodate all museve and neutral music fans. The album focusses less on the bass guitar although there are solo lines here and there.”

As the title ‘Dhara Harimhanyi’ suggests, Mudhindo said – the album would be testimony of how he has managed to grow in music.

On his band and its welfare the Orchestra Vazvamburi frontman said he managed to bring back his entire band from Zimbabwe to settle with him in South Africa.

He said: “We are actually doing well. During the week we go down the mine and come back weekends and focus on the guitars. We move around bars performing and the response is very much encouraging in this mining town. This is another reason we have decided to do our launch in SA because the response is just overwhelming.”

The musician said they had partnered with Boksburg Hotel for the album set-off chief among other reasons being the joint’s bright reputation in attracting hordes of fans whenever it hosts a Zimbabwean artiste.

Mudhindo said plans were underway to take the album to Zimbabwe for another launch but however said the arts industry back home was no longer rewarding according to hard work or talent but on who you know.

The artiste went on to rubbish the last edition of the National Arts Merit Awards (NAMA) labeling it a scandalous event meant to recognise certain individuals at the expense of others who would have excelled throughout the year.

“Those awards no-longer exist. To me they serve a purpose to uplift certain artistes. There is no transparency at all. Who does not know Killer T’s album? But what is the explanation behind him failing to get an award? It’s just a scam meant to fool music lovers. To me those awards are useless and must be banned,” he said.

According to Boksburg Hotel events manager, Dony Nikisi, the album launch is an event not to miss as they have prepared a rare treat for the fans.

“We are in full support of our fellow countrymen be it artistes or fans as we act as a bridge to link the two. On this night we have made sure its 100 percent sungura as we have more than six bands performing. As Zimbabweans we embrace sungura as our own unique type of music so at any given chance we are here to give first preference platform to such acts”

Nikisi added that fans should come in their numbers as admission was free of charge.