Golden Classics musician banks on debut effort

Standard Style
Contemporary golden classics artiste Vivian Mangate has released a seven-track album titled Wisdom Music in a bid to preserve the so-called golden, retro age music that rocked the streets during the 1980s and 1990s.

Contemporary golden classics artiste Vivian Mangate has released a seven-track album titled Wisdom Music in a bid to preserve the so-called golden, retro age music that rocked the streets during the 1980s and 1990s.

By Tinotenda Samukange

In the Irah Majengwa, aka Dhara Ziggy-produced project, Mangate brings a new flavour to the golden classics fused with a rare feel of originality executed by the Loyal Vazukuru band.

Speaking to The Standard Style, Mangate said his project is set to revive mature music that was slowly fading away due to the emergence and dominance of different modern genres.

“The emergence of urban grooves in the early millennium, and the subsequent roll-over of Zimdancehall a decade later brought challenges to mature music in so many facets, including market competition and costs of production,” he said.

“Some talented artistes are restricted from producing comprehensive music as a result of low-cost musical genres emerging almost on a daily basis.”

The new album contains songs titled Iwe Nhamo, Amai Mwana and Kuwadzana Ikoko, among others, with the last mentioned already gaining significant attention since it hit the airwaves.

The producer, Dhara Ziggy, who also composed some of the tracks on the album, commended the quality, at the same time encouraging other musicians to follow suit. “Good music has become rare in our age, but what most artistes do not realise is that producing music that does not last is suicidal because there is no traceable legacy left behind, (so) it is good to have a few singles loaded with meaning than a dozen albums without reason,” he said.

Mangate’s debut contains lyrics of encouragement to uphold good social values in the family and society as a whole.

In 2002, his former band, the Black Duke, suffered a false start owing to competitive pressures of the market, which resulted in its natural death.