Matsosangwao back to their roots

Chippa Legodimo | Wednesday January 15, 2014 15:22

They owed much of their success then to a tiny producer called Molebedi ‘Chilly’ Moncho-Segona.

The release of their debut Moruti Ka Lefitshwana created a lot of excitement at a time when contemporary traditional music was coming in full force.

The title track, which addressed the problem of false prophets who descended on our shores like vultures eyeing a dead elephant, attracted scores of fans to their shows.

The follow-up, Legogoshane, a track about men without principles who would go as far as dating women who are close friends at the same time. This track alone seemed to confirm Motsosangwao’s tenacity.

They suddenly disappeared, one would think without a trace, from the music scene leaving many to conclude that they were one of those one-hit wonders.

But the group’s leader Tshenolo ‘Chiks’ Makgasane said that “they are back to their roots” in Kasane.

“We are back in Kasane where we started in 2006 before we recorded our first album.  The fact that people do not see us much in major towns and the capital city does not mean we are down and out.  We are very much in the game,” Makgasane said.

He said that several lodges in the tourist township where they regularly entertain guests and tourists have contracted the 15–member group.

Shortly after breaking into the scene, Matsosangwao attracted attention from neighbouring South African provinces of Limpopo and North West.

The new source of their attention has since their return to Kasane a couple of years back, shifted to Zambia where Makgasane claims they pull large crowds.

He also observed that the brilliance of another traditional star Shumba Ratshega might have broken ground for them as people refer to their music as Makhirikhiri.

“The Zambians would just be excited by our attire and once we go on stage its all cheers.  We go there almost every month through invitation and I can safely say we do not regret leaving Gaborone,” he told Showbiz.

While many artists are bitterly complaining of the harsh effects of piracy, Makgasane strangely believes it has boosted their profile and earned them some money.

“A lot of local musician like Gong Master’s CDs are pirated and sold in the black market in Zambia. I was shocked to see ours at a province next to the Tanzanian border. But I realised we had secured gigs because people had gained access to our music through pirated CDs,” he said.

With Legogoshane still in demand in Zambia, Makgasane said they are not in a hurry to release any new album. He said that they would be teaming up with Moncho-Segona to work on their third release beginning next week.