Zimbira: Hear Or There.

Zimbira launch Are We There Yet at The Zoo on Saturday.

The energetic sense of urgency brought about by the Big Bang Percussion Frenzy takes on yet another element with the release of Zimbira’s new disc this weekend. Formed seven years ago, the African sounds and rhythms perpetrated by the group have now found their way onto the bands second release Are We There Yet. No small feat in itself, considering the heavy involvement many of the sextet’s members have in other Brisbane acts. Founding member Fati took some time to answer some questions about the recording via email. I start with the blatantly obvious. What does Zimbira mean?

“I always thought the word had no meaning. When we came up with the name, we just combined the words Zimbabwe and Mbira, which is a thumb piano from Zimbabwe). However I recently discovered through Zimbabwean singer Thami Mlotswa, that in fact Zimbira is a Shona (Zimbabwean language) word meaning the big Mbira.”

How would you describe the essence of the band? What draws you all to this kind of music?

“Happy joyous dance music. We are all drawn to it’s uplifting and celebratory vibe that instantly gets people up and dancing. We absolutely love playing to a room full of dancing people.”

How long have you had the tracks for the album written, and how was it all put together for the recording?

“We wanted a CD to sell at the Woodford Folk Fest last year, so we really just decided in the moment to do it. We begged, borrowed and magically manifested to make it all happen and the rest is history. We sold out at the festival too, so the rush was definitely worth it and the feedback has been fantastic.”

Do you think the band has a special feeling live that you would not have been able to capture in a recording studio?

“Well we really do respond best to a live, dancing audience, however our CD definitely captures a live vibe, quite different to our first CD which was more produced with a slicker sound.”

Do you feel a need to maintain a sense of tradition in your repertoire?

“A sense maybe, but we are really not into doing lots of traditional African songs. Zimbabwean music is our main influence but we are more into drawing on those styles and writing our own original music with an African feel.”

“There is one traditional song we recorded called Chaminuka which is a traditional Mbira song from Zimbabwe. We perform it live but on the CD it’s simply an Mbira and vocal tune. We were lucky to have the amazing Zimbabwean / South African singer Thami Mlotswa come into our lives during the time of recording and he sang the lead vocals on this track. That was a big bonus!”

What’s next for Zimbira?

“We just want to keep playing shows and festivals, and promoting our CD. We have people from all over the world buying our CD. They’re selling in America and Canada where Zimbabwean music has a huge following. We are also keen to keep working with Thami and maybe look at doing some kind of collaboration similar to the One Giant Leap concept on JJJ. We’ve just recently completed our website too and you can keep updated by checking out www.fatiland.com”