‘Faceless People‘ (Strut Records) is the title of a lost recording that brought together acclaimed South African folk singer Vusi Mahlasela, singer-songwriter Norman Zulu and Swedish jazz and soul collective Jive Connection. The song is Vusi’s unflinching lament on child abuse. The full album, ‘Face To Face,’ is scheduled for release in 2023.
Vusi Mahlasela performed at Nelson Mandela’s inauguration in 1994 and has enjoyed a long relationship with Sweden, regularly embarking on cultural exchanges and forging a strong bond with the Jive Connection band, featuring guitarist and bassist Stefan Bergman and Little Dragon drummer Erik Bodin within its line-up. Sharing his experiences of this progressive collaboration, Bodin says, “I first met Vusi in the beginning of the 90s during an exchange program between Swedish and South African musicians. He then stood up to me as a very inspiring and curious musician, and that was the start of our creative musical relationship. The year after we formed a Swedish band with him, wrote music together and recorded a demo. Since then, we’ve hooked up and been on tours both in the southern parts of Africa and in the Nordic countries.”
Reflecting on the impact of this time, Bodin continues, “Vusi’s music is clear and extraordinary, his voice is magnificent. I think we added a little more roughness, attitude and groove to the music. In the hands of our monster producer Torsten Larsson, the remixes from the old recordings came out with a magic blend. It’s really joyful music, full of love and hope, and it’s music for all moods!”
This “lost” recording was discovered in the archives of producer Torsten Larsson, who expressed, “It was such a fantastic voyage to work with Vusi and all the Swedish musicians. Vusi and Norman Zulu teaching the Swedish guys to do all their backing vocals in all these different South African languages. I remember I was so impressed by Vusi’s voice & vocal arrangements, he just put them down live and direct.”
The album also features songwriter and vocalist Norman Zulu.
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.