ENERGY MUTODI : SPIRITUAL HEIR OF THE GRAND KALLE

Since early last year the Zimbabwean musical stage has been rocked by the birth of a new star : Energy Mutodi, aka Tatu Muluba. Many music lovers are astounded by his meteoric ascension, just a few weeks after the release of his maiden album Simbi Yam Dhara in February 2011, from the academic and business careers.

The unusual rise of this young man—who “has come out of the blue”, according to numerous music chroniclers—can be justified as follows: Tatu Muluba is a spiritual heir of a long, rich musical tradition that originates from one of the pioneers and colossuses of the African contemporary music, namely Joseph Kabasele Tshiamala, aka the Grand Kalle or Kalle Jeff. That means the sixty-year-old Congolese rumba tradition, which tops the scale of African music.

Indeed the genius of Energy Mutodi, who resuscitated the rumbamania in Zimbabwe, thus generating the « Tatu Muluba phenomenon », is an intersection of diverse contributions that have enriched the rumba and whose archetype agents, conformably to the successive generations of the tradition, are the Grand Kalle, Rochereau Tabu Ley and Koffi Olomide.

The parallelism between Kalle Jeff and Tatu Muluba is dazzling : (1) Both are educated and bureaucrat: this not only opened their minds to foreign musical rhythms and predisposed them to a global success, but also enabled them to professionally manage large orchestras, the African Jazz and the Real Sounds of Africa, respectively.
(2) As the consequence of education and bureaucracy, both did re-appropriate the rumba, Africa’s most powerful rhythm because of its evocation of sexuality and fecundity (millenary African values) and its capacity to generate the tropical heat that characterize African peoples’ psyche; the former converted Afro-Cuban rumba into Congolese rumba, whereas the latter converted Congolese rumba into Zimbabwean rumba.
(3) Both are politically engaged and nationalist, the former being a father of the Independence of Congo-Kinshasa (1960), and the latter aspiring to be a father of Zimbabwe’s development thanks to his dynamism in building houses for the homeless through his company, the National Housing Delivery Trust of Zimbabwe (NHDTZ).

(4) Both are Pan-Africanist: the former does prove it through the composition of the African Jazz (at least six African nationalities of artists, including the Zimbabwean saxophonist Isaac Musekiwa, the Centre-African guitarist and singer Zacharie “Jhimmy” Elenga, the Angolan guitarist Antoine Armando Brazzos, the Cameroonian saxophonist Manu Dibangu, as well as a lot of musicians from the DR Congo and Congo-Brazzaville) and the songs that communicate the dream of a united and free Africa (Independance Cha Cha,

Afrika mokili mobimba, etc.) to the point of becoming one of the fathers of the Organisation of African Unity (now African Union), as well as in the fact of singing in English and Spanish beside the Congolese-spoken languages of Lingala and French; whereas the latter did reveal it through the composition (though perfectible) of the Real Sounds of Africa (artists from Zimbabwe and the DR Congo), and in the fact of singing in Shona (his mother tongue), Lingala and Swahili (two of the Congo’s national languages and main vehicles of rumba); besides, a hit of Mutodi’s debut album, titled Tozosangana, not only means “we are going to meet” in both Lingala and Shona but also invites to the unity of the African peoples.

(5) Last, both are devoured by the ambition of liberated the local music from the ghetto. Kalle Jeff, thanks to his hits arranged by the very talented Belgian saxophonist Fud Candrix—such as Para Fifi and Kalle Kato (1953)—is the first star whose success traversed the Atlantic to mesmerize the Americas after conquering Africa and Europe; whereas the young Mutodi, whose the debut album has already conquered the whole Zimbabwe, dreams of becoming a transcontinental (adored in each African country to the point that the rest of Africa may seek to speak Shona) and even global superstar; which is why he contacted PROMEDIAS, a famous company specialized in video-making and run by Mr. Venant Mambumina, and AMAGEP, an internationally acclaimed marketing company skillfully headed by Alain Matundu Vangu—both based in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Apart from the Grand Kalle’s legacy, Tatu Muluba benefited from the contribution of Rochereau Tabu Ley, the latter’s spiritual son and the torchbearer of the African Jazz school after the boss’ eclipse. His contribution in the evolution of rumba consists in the introduction of the fanfare, lively arrangements charged with dynamic changes of moves, choreographic paces of musicians, and a troop of female dancers. He also is the author of a two-phase rhythm: the first phase being of the song and culminating into the second more inflamed of dance.

Koffi Olomide, the self-proclaimed legitimate son of Rochereau, combined the latter’s contributions (richness and depth of lyricism, sentimentality, composition fecundity, tempo softness, and observance of the hit’s two phases: vocals and dance) with the innovations from Zaiko Langa Langa, the mother orchestra of his generation: unmatched height and intensity of the tempo; evocative vocals (atalaku phenomenon) spicing the dance phase (metamorphosed into sebene) and ushering the audience into trance; showmanship; and the inauguration of the era of mass concerts inspired by the western rock music. These innovations brought the chroniclers of African music in the West to naming this sort of rumba “soukous”.

However, aside this combination—which was facilitated by his artistic evolution in Viva La Musica of Papa Wemba, himself product of both Zaiko and Rochereau—Koffi innovated the rumba in bringing into it the following elements: the perfection of romantic and melancholic compositions to the point of becoming the best in striking the chord of sensitive hearts, especially women.

This can be observed in the highly successful hits, such as Ngobila (1986), Petit frere ya Yesu (1987), Henriquet (1988), Elle et moi et Coucou (1989), Bambula et Zero Faute (1991), Koweit rive gauche (1992), Stephanie (1993), Fouta Djalon et Aspirine (1995), SOS, Phaseur et Airways (1997), Sans anaesthesie (2000), Effervescent, Gros Bebe, Choc et Babou (2002) et Diabolos (2008).

must be added the introduction of the show biz and marketing strategies (both positive and negative) in the contemporary Congolese music, the combination of tasks both in studio and on stage (Koffi the singer, the guitarist, and the atalaku [animator]), and the sharpening of the flamboyance, and of the penchant toward the pre-colonial African authenticity in the clips, and of the taste for luxury, all inherited from Wemba.

Tatu Muluba’s artistic genius reveals the convergence of all these values of the Congolese rumba under the considerable influence of Koffi Olomide and, through the latter, Rochereau and the Grand Kalle; he also does drape them with the Shona language and culture to the delight of all Zimbabwean music lovers and of all Africans that love cultural diversity.

The hit’s two phases (vocals followed by sebene’s electrifying melodies), typified in Niko of Grand Mopao, can be observed in the hits such as Pershie. The soft melodies, exemplified in Fouta Djalon, are spotted in Tisasiyane. Koffi’s extravagance and flamboyance (see Ultimatum, Washington, Affaire d’Etat) are perceived in Parwendo.

The return to the pre-colonial African authenticity, which Koffi inherited from Wemba (see a hit of Effrakata Bilan) can be found in Chigorodanda. Another influence of Koffi—the combination of tasks, as singer and animator (atalaku) in studio and on stage—is displayed in Chigorodanda, Pershie and Tozosangana.

Determined to conquer this time Africa and the world, Tatu Muluba released his second album titled Kumasese last December 7, 2011. Since its release this seven-hit opus has been enjoying an enormous success.

The Angelina 2 hit, enjoying the featuring of the “king of sungura”, Aleck “Extrabasso” Macheso, is simply magical. Moreover, in the framework of promoting the album, Tatu Muluba caused an artistic seism by performing, along with some of his singers and dancers, as a guest of Aleck Macheso in a concert in Harare, on December 25, 2011.

The public as a whole wanted to touch him and to have their pictures taken with him, to the point that he couldn’t have sung were not for the protection from Blanchard Losemba Mbongo Valor, one of his singers, and his body guards. Verily, Energy Mutodi possesses all the assets that could help him become, in the near future, the boss of the Zimbabwean music and a transcontinental superstar, in the footsteps of his idol, Koffi Olomide.

His immediate schedule comprises the realisation, at the end of January 2012, of clips of Kumasese by PROMEDIAS, as well as the preparation of a concert that will take place in March in Johannesburg, South Africa.

This concert will be bolstered by the performance of Aleck Macheso as a special guest.
Lastly, Simbi Yam Dhara, Energy Mutodi the Grand Baron’s maiden album, is nominated in the category of the video of the year 2011 by the Zimbabwean Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC), Zimbabwe’s national audiovisual channel.

Thus we invite all music lovers across Zimbabwe, Africa and the entire world to vote the hit Chigorodanda of which clip can be found below this article. Please, send your vote trough the following e-mail address: zbctop50@zbc.co.zw

In order for the wide public across Africa and the planet to know more about Energy Mutodi, AMAGEP will publish a magazine and a documentary at the end of January 2012.

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