Having not gone to school, and letting go of a promising diski career, music became the only way out for the growing Kunene. Though he played Mbaqanga under the association of the elder mnumzane Phuthu, there was something inside of him that wanted to give birth to a sound of his own.
The Madala myth was taking form, and the sun was to fall and be picked up by chickens, and that chicken, was inkukhu yesiZulu.
“I was tired of sounding like other people. I wanted to be myself, to play the kind of music that came from within me,” Kunene has said about the formation of his own sound.
It was clear that Kunene had come up with his way of playing music on the guitar.
While defining his own sound, he was encouraged to seriously pursue his experiments by friends such as guitar virtuoso mnumzane Sandile Shange.
When it came to his career going to the next level, he was discovered by bassist, composer and record producer mnumzane Sipho Gumede. From then on, he went to work in Jozi. He got some studio time by being featured on the compilation Freedom Countdown, that was produced by Yeyeye the Gumede himself.
In Jozi, he got to work with musicians such as Jazz saxophonist mnumzane Winston Mankunku Ngozi, vocalist nkosazana Busi Mhlongo and the guitar legend mnumzane Doc Mthalane on the band Songamasu.
Unfortunately, in the 70s violence had started in the community back home, their house was burnt down and Bafo had to go back home to protect his family. In the 80s, he continued to play gigs in the township, really getting a feel of what Mzansi was playing. But as for him, he had other plans for his strings.
The King of Madalaline
His home given name being Muziwakhe, but to take up his place as a king of his own sound, he had to become Madala.
Madalaline was his sound and order. A sound based on the way he tunes his guitar, and a fine plucking technique he had developed over time and dedication to self-expression, that would eventually turn into inovation stewed with revolution. Inspired by BaNtu divination rhythms, with a heavy influence of Blues, Afro-Folk and Jazz-nyana.
“I like the fact that I’m doing African music”, Kunene has said about the type of music he plays, “even though here at home promoters are not interested in traditional music.”
As a visionary, he has been likened to the great Dr.Phillip Tabane, whose Malombo sound also came from a place of authenticity and ancient divination rhythms that are probably linked to him saying in an inteview, “[Apartheid]It never affected me, I was living in another world”.
There is music, and then there is The World of Music. A world where only a few are able to nevigate their way through, and make something out of that experience, to make this world we live in a better place some how.
“When I am playing, my brain is not there. Each time I go to a place I’ve never been before.”
Sometimes when he goes into that world, he brings pieces of it to this one. And pieces of that world are found in a career that has spanned more that 5 decades and some of the most colourful original music in the land.
[Part 2 of 3 Ends]