A major force in the Zimbabwe music scene of the 1980s, the Real Sounds of Africa were in fact founded by a group of Congolese musicians in Zambia in 1975. Moving to Zimbabwe (then Rhodesia under the white-minority government of Ian Smith) in 1978, they became an immediate sensation, releasing their first LP, Harare (Zimbabwe ZML 1015), in 1984.
The foremost Congolese-origin band in Zimbabwe, the Real Sounds forged a unique blend of rumba music and indigenous sounds that they called rumbira. Success followed upon success, and in 1986 the group toured Europe, releasing two albums in the UK, Wende Zako (Cooking Vinyl COOK 004, 1987), and Seven Miles High (Big Records BIG 1, 1989).
I don't know what has become of the Real Sounds, but their music, especially their football songs, continues to be popular to this day. Enjoy Harare!
The Real Sounds - Kapinga
The Real Sounds - Ozweli Ngai Mbanda
The Real Sounds - Baninga
The Real Sounds - Harare
The Real Sounds - Chamunorwa
The Real Sounds - Dynamos Versus Caps (0-0)
Download Harare as a zipped file here.
