"My Africa" - Elemotho

Elemotho
Elemotho - My Africa
  • artist:Elemotho
  • featured artist:Elemotho
  • release year:2013
  • style(s):World
  • country:Namibia
  • formats:Audio File / Digital, CD (Compact Disc)
  • record posted by:ARC Music
  • label:ARC Music
  • publisher:ARC Music
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Elemotho
“I like to paint a picture where chords are not just tangible but energy is felt and words carry a power beyond bullets and hunger”.

Elemotho R.G. Mosimane is a Namibian-born musician who composes, records and performs his own music. The artist plays acoustic guitar and sings in his native tongue Setswana, English and other Namibian languages. He does not classify his music under a certain style: “I see myself as a performing artist and musical activist; I like to throw reality around, thus exploring the depth of the human spirit”. His sound is solid yet transparent, with messages creating a utopia through music. From solo performances up to playing with his band or an acoustic quartet, Elemotho does it all, from turning oppression into liberation, failure into triumph, where past, present and future are delivered through his melodies.

From rural boy to modern lyricist, Elemotho, originally from the Kalahari, tries to divorce himself from the usual commercial and easily consumable sounds by using experimental ideas where reality is amplified through his vision of music. “I grew up with storytelling around the fire and that has inspired me to create something that could make you dance as well as listen, smile as well as cry, find peace as well as wisdom”.

Listening to Elemotho’s first two albums “The System is a Joke” and “Human” one gets an impression of listening to a musician who has a lot to tell. He carries his music with a touch of rhythms from the Kalahari Desert, mixed with ethnic and global sounds, the calling of the rain combined with messages for our modern times. Elemotho has been busy for the last few years, performing from South African to European international music festivals getting his music more solid and tighter than ever. One Namibian newspaper described Elemotho’s Music as “the sound of the future making waves today. His music is mature, long lasting and can appeal to anyone anywhere, any time because of its hybridity and themes”. This musician has had the time to explore new sensations and odours all resulting in “Ke Nako” (It’s time), the third album released at the end of 2012. With songs written to move your mind and entice your spirit he wants to transmit feelings and ideas that challenge the status quo and leave no stone unturned, from politics to philosophy, spirituality to reality.

Ermelinda Thataone (backing vocals, rain stick, shakers): This unique southern African songstress has been singing since age nine and has performed as a backing vocalist with Elemotho for eight years. She features on The System is a Joke, Human and Ke Nako and has toured extensively with the group. Her voice injects calm and serene harmonies into Elemotho’s music.

Sam Batola (lead guitar): Sam hails from Brazzaville, Congo. A former lead guitarist for Lokua Kanza and Claude Morgan, the classically trained musician is a melodic force and a voice in the tradition of West African singers to look out for in Elemotho’s Human and Ke Nako albums as well as on stage.

Polina Loubnina (flute): Polina, a Siberian-born musician, brings a beautiful lightness to Elemotho’s music. The magic of her flute can be heard on the band’s three albums, proving that African rhythms and classical melodies, just like the snow and the sand, can meet if allowed to.

Manda Saize (percussion): The multitalented Manda had a strong feeling for music from an early age, which eventually lead him to perform with the likes of Thomas Mapfumo, Oliver Mtukudzi and many others. Manda moved to Namibia to explore the southern African music scene, where he joined Elemotho in 2004.