Nkulumane hosts another music festival

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After thrilling Bulawayo fans with the Gqom Life Gardens festival at Queens Sports Club last month, Black Diamond are set to host a similar event next month.

After thrilling Bulawayo fans with the Gqom Life Gardens festival at Queens Sports Club last month, Black Diamond are set to host a similar event next month.

By Sindiso Dube

Gqom Life Stokvel has been slated for May 26 at uMqombothi Sports Bar in Nkulumane 5 in Bulawayo.

Artistes that will perfom at the event include Leeknotic, Mzoe7, Mihkando, Sweet Mobby, DJ Kananjo, De Sibbz and Black Diamond, among others.

A stokvel is a society formed to host regular parties that are funded by the members for profits. The parties originated and were made popular in South Africa and they have become a hit in Bulawayo.

Black Diamond member Shane Manjelo said the idea was to take music to the people.

“We started with the festival in March, which we hosted at Queens Sports club and now we are taking music and the arts to the ghetto,” Manjelo said.

“Bulawayo has so much talent, but more platforms are needed for our own artistes. We can’t wait for outsiders to come here and make us supporting acts when we can actually host our own shows.”

After the Gqom Life Gardens Festival in March, Black Diamond teamed up with DJ Skaiva, Leeknotic, Sweet Mobby and JDot for a collaboration and released a single titled Ben 10, which was accompanied by a video.

Black Diamond are doing well on local radio stations. their debut album Gqom Life, carries tracks such as All I need, Vosho, Asifuni bumbulu and others.

Gqom is a dance sub-genre of house music, which originated in Durban. It was popularised by new school artistes such as Distruction Boyz and Babes Wodumo. old skool musicians such as DJ Cleo and Winnie Khumalo have since joined the bandwagon.