admin
Michael Magoronga, Midlands Correspondent
ZIMBABWEAN music is headed for the abyss if the trend of copying foreign artistes’ style and tendency of remixing songs continues to grip the local music industry.
This was said by veteran musician Michael Lannas who worked with the likes of Don Gumbo and Brian Rusike in a wide ranging interview.
The Hapana Mazwi hit-maker, who is now based in the United Kingdom, pointed out Zimdancehall as a genre that has no future saying most of its artistes lack originality.
“The problem with artistes nowadays is that they lack originality. They’re copycats and one can never go anywhere by copying another artiste’s style.
“My advice to them is ‘be you and create your own style that defines you as a Zimbabwean”, said the veteran musician.
Lannas said the digital era has also done more harm than good to the music industry.
“Computers have played a part in the destruction of music in Zimbabwe. The truth is people are tired of beats from computers. The music doesn’t last.
“If you play it today, tomorrow it’s something else. To make it even worse, the artistes fail to perform the same song live on stage as it is all computerised, that is very bad.”
A pharmacist by profession, Lannas said he has, on many occasions, barred Zimdancehall artistes from remixing his music.
“Many artistes have approached me asking if they can remix my music. I’ve refused and told them to be original and create their own music. I don’t support this thing of simply gimmicking and manipulating what someone else has created,” he said.
Lannas said the lack of originality has eroded the values and norms of our culture as a country.
“Tuku and Mapfumo are so popular outside Zimbabwe because they never diverted from their culture. They sang with that originality that brought out the Zimbabwean flavour that is yearned for by people out there.
“If an artiste mimics say, R Kelly, then people will just listen to R Kelly instead of listening to a copycat,” said Lannas.
On his music career, Lannas, who founded the Talking Drums stable where he worked with the late Gumbo and Rusike with whom he did the hit Hapana Mazwi, said the stable and band was still intact.
“Talking Drums is a franchise and it works with a number of artistes. Currently, we have about 65 tracks that are awaiting release. We have about three albums that we’re going to be releasing for the Zimbabwean market very soon,” he said.
The current crop of Talking Drums is made up of Kelly Rusike (bass), Matthew Ngorima (guitar), Nikola Mutuwa (vocals) and Tami Chirema on keyboard. Lannas said he is working on visas for the Talking Drums group so that they join him in the UK where they will be making music full time.
Lannas relocated to the UK in 2000 to pursue his pharmacist career. As he is passionate about music, he said he has no plans of laying down the guitar.
As a parting shot, Lannas urged musicians not “to try hard to be perfect” as that would result in many errors.
Online Reporter