Zamrock and Sampa the Great: The 'cool', vintage Zambian genre enjoying a rebirth
A Musical Renaissance: Zambia's Zamrock Scene Revives the 70s Sound
In the vibrant world of music, a genre from the 1970s is experiencing a surprising resurgence, and it's all thanks to a contemporary artist with a global reach. The genre, known as Zamrock, is a fusion of psychedelic rock and traditional Zambian sounds, and it's now being embraced by one of the country's biggest stars, Sampa the Great. But here's where it gets fascinating: this isn't just a local phenomenon; it's a global trend that's capturing the attention of music enthusiasts worldwide.
Sampa the Great, a Zambian-born, Botswanan-raised rapper, has been making waves at prestigious events like Glastonbury, Coachella, and the Sydney Opera House. Her third studio album is a tribute to the niche musical movement that ignited her birth country over 50 years ago. In her own words, she sought 'a sound and a voice that was so post-colonial. And Zamrock was that sound - that sound of new freedom, that sound of boldness.'
The first single from her upcoming album, 'Can't Hold Us,' is a testament to the enduring appeal of Zamrock. With its heady blend of psychedelic rock and traditional Zambian sounds, the song is a defiant declaration, as Sampa raps, 'They don't have the guts to match my prowess.'
But Sampa isn't the only contemporary artist digging through Zamrock's dusty crates. In recent years, US hitmakers like Travis Scott, Yves Tumour, and Tyler, the Creator have sampled tracks from popular Zamrock bands like Ngozi Family, Amanaz, and WITCH, all of which were at the forefront of the genre's 1970s heyday. Even our screens have been touched by Zamrock, with HBO's 'Watchmen' and the Emmy-winning 'Ted Lasso' incorporating songs from the genre into their soundtracks.
This unexpected resurgence is particularly noteworthy, as Zamrock never truly left the African continent during its peak. Emerging in the 1970s in a recently liberated Zambia, the movement was a product of the nation's economic boom and President Kenneth Kaunda's 'Zambia first' policy, which mandated that 95% of the music played by radio stations be of Zambian origin. This set the stage for young creatives to forge a bold, distinctly Zambian musical identity.
WITCH, an acronym for We Intend To Cause Havoc, was at the forefront of this movement. Their music blended traditional Zambian sounds with psychedelic rock, and their performances were legendary, with fans clamoring outside sold-out venues, hoping to witness marathon shows that sometimes lasted from 19:00 to 02:00. The band's frontman, Emmanuel Chanda (aka Jagari), reflects on the influence of rock bands like Deep Purple, Grand Funk Railroad, Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, and James Brown, while also acknowledging the call of their African roots.
Despite its impact, Zamrock couldn't last. The genre crumbled after roughly a decade, when Zambia was hit with a series of crises, including a plummeting copper price, which led to an economic decline that diminished the ability to tour, record, and buy music. Musical piracy also took its toll, as bootleggers made money by copying and selling their music. The HIV/Aids crisis of the 1980s further devastated the country's music scene, claiming the lives of many musicians, including five of WITCH's founding members.
Zamrock lay dormant for decades, with its surviving founders returning to civilian life. But in the early 2010s, seemingly out of nowhere, record collectors in the West caught on to the genre. US-based label Now-Again Records played a significant part in Zamrock's revival, sourcing and reissuing albums from some of the genre's biggest names. The label's boss, Eothen 'Egon' Alapatt, recalls his initial uncertainty about the genre's marketability, but his curiosity led him to believe that others might share his interest.
Vinyl enthusiasts rushed to buy original Zamrock records, which only exist in small numbers, and their value naturally spiked. Duncan Sodala, a Zamrock fan and the owner of Time Machine, a record store in Zambia's capital, Lusaka, was shocked to find that records pressed in the 1970s were selling for between $100 and $1,000. In 2011, Now-Again Records released a compilation of WITCH's music, which led to a reincarnation of the band, featuring Jageri and Patrick Mwondela from WITCH's old days, and a number of younger European musicians.
WITCH has since released two albums, starred in a documentary, played at the iconic Glastonbury Festival, and toured outside Africa - something the original band never managed to achieve. Jagari, now 74, is thrilled by this new lease on life, but he's also reminded of his sorely missed bandmates. The crowds at WITCH's shows, comprising fans young and old, are proof of Zamrock's fresh appeal.
Other Zamrockers are also being rediscovered, like Tyler, the Creator, who sampled the Ngozi Family song '45,000 Volts' on his 2024 track 'Noid,' calling the band 'incredible.' Go-to hip-hop producer Madlib and Mike D of the Beastie Boys have also voiced admiration for the genre, while Third Man Records, the label co-owned by blues-rocker Jack White, has released a recording of live WITCH music.
Egon believes Zamrock's surprise popularity is down to its exuberance, and he suggests that the genre was initially boosted by record collectors, as a lot of its songs are in English. Sodala, on the other hand, thinks Zamrock's newer fans are drawn to the music's 'innocence.' While he welcomes Western artists sampling Zamrock, he feels the genre risks being reduced to curated snippets, and he emphasizes the importance of artists like Sampa, who want to ensure that Zamrock is known for more than just the samples.
Although hip-hop and R&B enjoy great popularity in Zambia, numerous young artists from the country, like Stasis Prey, Vivo, and Sampa the Great's collaborator Mag 44, have also been experimenting with Zamrock. Lusaka restaurant Bo'jangles has set up an annual Zamrock Festival, and the city's Modzi Arts institution has established a small museum dedicated to the genre. Sampa's upcoming album, which doesn't yet have a release date, falls into a genre she calls 'nu Zamrock,' blending the rhythms of Zamrock with other influences like hip-hop.
In New Zealand, Jagari is elated that Sampa and her counterparts are running with the genre he helped birth. 'The fire has been lit,' he says. 'It's up to the younger generation to put more firewood to it and let the flames burn.'
This story is part of BBC Africa's coverage of African music, offering a deeper dive into the continent's rich and diverse musical landscape.
