MAFIKIZOLO RETURN WITH A VENGEANCE
Seven years in the music world can be like a lifetime, especially for a popular band like Mafikizolo who took a break from the ever evolving industry. In the space of just a few years, the musical landscape that was paved by Theo Kgosinkwe and Nhlanhla Nciza has changed dramatically, with a number of new key players like Zahara.
So when Mafikizolo announced their return to their award-winning group, the pressure to deliver something fresh and exciting was mounting. The duo dropped their first single off of their forthcoming album, ‘Reunited’, to test the waters a little bit, and it worked. ‘Khona’, the lead single, has been bursting on the local airwaves with its pulsating African drumbeat that we’ve come to associate with local house music. The sounds of East, West and North Africa permeate through the song, introducing a completely new dimension to local afro pop and house. The fusion of a syncopated drumbeat with a distinctively Nigerian influence mixed with a little kwaito, and the strong vocal presence of Xelimpilo, who is part of Kalawa’s latest group, Uhuru, is the perfect intro for a new Mafikizolo sound.
Just like their ’90s hit, ‘Lotto’, the duo have managed to re-invent themselves and stay relevant in a very tumultuous time in the music industry. ‘Khona’ has become a staple on a local DJ’s playlist and reached number one on YFM, Umhlobo Wenene FM, Ukhozi FM and True FM and is sitting at number two on Metro FM’s charts.
‘Reunited’ begins with ‘Vimba Kanjani’, in which the duo begs the question “How do you prevent a song that’s loved by people from being played?” This is all done with a percussive beat, shakers, traditional mbaqanga guitar with subtle bass and Zulu harmonies that fill up the soundscape.
The real party begins with the fourth track, ‘Happiness’, where Kgosinkwe channels a bit of D’banj over an African house beat that is similar to ‘Khona’. The song contains three languages from Sesotho, Zulu and English with a Nigerian Koko flavour. The song is also a great example of an effective use of a vocoder, giving it a more modern feel, but not overused. Nciza also holds her own when she does a ‘Nollywood’ skit mid-song while the drums keep blaring, making way for the catchy chorus.
However, the album takes a turn for the worst by the time you listen to tracks like ‘Ndikwazile’, which goes into an afro-jazz Sophiatown vibe. The style of the album is much like a Candyland pastel Sophiatown mixed with a little bit of a ’60s feel. Nciza’s vocals show signs of weakness and fall flat in the generic sounding jazz beat. Kgosinkwe’s vocal style suits the song better, though it’s not enough to save it. These types of songs keep popping up in ‘Reunited’, like the kwela inspired ‘Saka Bare Bone’, which makes use of yet another generic sound that makes the band look like a bad ’70s knockoff. The song soulful house song ‘Reunited’ picks up the tempo of the album, but is largely helped by the actual beat, Nciza’s vocals don’t have a great command over this type of soulful genre, except when she sings softer tones with the backing vocalists.
The duo do recover very well from the slump, with Spanish inspired song ‘Amor Da Mia Vida’, where the two singers mix a little local Sesotho flavour with a very Spanish sound. ‘Nxese’ and ‘Kuze Kuse’ also add to the sound established in the first half of the album. There’s a deep African house influence throughout the that occasionally mixes with kwaito, afro-soul and South African pop. There’s a huge Nigerian ‘Fela Kuti’ influence in the music, which is a clever move on the duo’s part.
When it comes to imitation, the duo seems to be very good at interpreting popular dance music styles in Africa, but the true Mafikizolo signature sound is lost in translation. The duo must lose the album fillers and ballads and should’ve focussed the album on mainly dance hits, instead of trying to make a more traditionally structured album with ballads. With that said however, nine tracks out of 15 are definite club bangers that can be heard on radio stations and clubs all over Africa and that alone is a good welcome back for the successful duo.
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