Dandemutande

Feso Music

Feso Music happens when you inject traditional songs and mesmeric dance grooves from Southern Africa with the power and panache of contemporary rock. Here are three young artists from Zimbabwe who are determined to maintain and develop the cultural heritage handed down to them by elders of the Shona nation.

Feso Music combines tight vocal harmonies with traditional and electric instruments. As the band swings into top gear, mbiras, marimbas, bass and lead guitars kick in a fast and choppy chimurenga rhythm accented by kit drum and hosho shakers. Their pace and energy never let up.

Pasipamire Gunguwo is a performing artist, teacher, composer, artistic director and record producer from Harare. In 1998 he began teaching music in schools and became Artistic Director of Savannah Arts, a community organization in Harare offering arts training to children and young adults, including street youth. In Canada since 2001, Pasi is Artistic Director of Feso and the youth ensembles Jabulani and Nyenyedzi.

Kurai hails from the village of Murewa in northern Zimbabwe and has played the mbira and ngoma drum since the age of six. Blessing has a wide range of experience as a composer, teacher and workshop facilitator. He brings to Feso a unique fusion of many styles of music and dance, drawing on traditional Shona and West African roots as well as blues, funk, and reggae.

’Koki’ comes from eastern Zimbabwe’s Ndau tribal group. After graduating from school in Harare he became a member of the prestigious Mhembero Dance Troupe, performing with the company throughout Zimbabwe and on overseas tours that took him to Japan, Libya and Vancouver, Canada. Koki performs with Feso and also teaches traditional and contemporary Zimbabwean dance.