Eight months into the year 2020 which many had dubbed 20plenty in prospect of achieving great things, the narrative has changed.
People are distressed as they try to figure out just how to function in this new world as the ravaging novel coronavirus, is on a daily basis causing mankind to adjust his way of life.
But, in the midst of the chaos, there is a home where one can escape to and get their spirit rejuvenated to fight on for another day – it is the home of sweet Zimbabwean and African rhythms. It is the Houz of Gruv.
We had a chat with one of Zimbabwe’s outstanding musicians-cum-producer, Trust Samende, who is the face of this warm dwelling and he shared more about it.
“Houz of Gruv is a brand with two parts to it: our studio and our productions. We host rehearsals for bands in our studio in Harare when we aren’t bringing creatives together,” said the inimitable guitarist.
The melody maker revealed that their mission is to create a platform for local Zimbabwean musicians by helping artists and groups starting out through a platform dubbed ‘Sessions on the Houz’ where they are offered free rehearsal time.
“We also offer upcoming and more seasoned creatives a space to showcase their work, create something new and work with the top musicians in Zimbabwe.”
While it is a cool and noble thing they are doing by offering a studio with top quality instruments for free, one would also want to know how they curate the content they share on the Houz of Gruv social media platforms.
“I carry the burden of being creative director,” highlighted Samende. “In collaboration with the team, I create the music arrangements and then relay the vision for each song to the band.”
What makes this Houz stand out is its ability to combine the expertise of various talents and produce powerful original content and scintillating renditions. However, are these creatives able to monetize their content?
“At the moment we are working toward getting sponsorship so that we can actually pay the artists and musicians that come through our doors.
“As a team of creatives we see value in being able to show appreciation to the artists for not only coming through to work with us, but for the mark they would have been making in the industry,” he revealed.
Still on the collaborations, recently the team partnered with renowned dendera musician, Allan Chimbetu and delivered a mouth-watering acoustic presentation.
“We chose him to start our Acoustic Houz Series because we wanted to start at the very beginning—where some of our Zimbabwean genres began and to understand what was going on then.
“We are fortunate to be living in a time where we can still ask the people that were there when genres like Dendera started and to be able to create something new with them for that — like celebrating the old but bringing in the new in a more informed way.”
Currently the musicians are working on four productions, namely Houz Visits, Meet’n’Jam, Houz of Gruvz and Acoustic Houz Sessions.
“Houz Visits sees individuals come through for solo sessions. These have helped some get found as we get enquires about some of the artists.
“Meet’n’Jam with Trust Samende – artists come in and Jam with the lead guitarist from Mokoomba, an award winning Zimbabwean band.
“On our signature show, Houz of Gruv, artists perform their songs with a band which has some of Zimbabwe’s top musicians, with a new arrangement of the song by Houz of Gruv.
“Then lastly, Acoustic Houz Session – our newest series gives an acoustic feel to songs we all know and love,” explained Samende.
Sadly due to the lockdowns and curfews, production has been halted.
“Given the current pandemic we haven’t been able to release episodes as often as we would want to. When things are normal our followers can expect a single video a week on our YouTube channel and Facebook page. If people want to catch up on some local talent we have over 30 videos up featuring over 50 Zimbabwean creatives on our platforms.”
Ultimately will you be producing your own music as the Houz of Gruv?
Responded Samende, “For the time being our focus is on the productions we currently have going. We want to grow what we have started and continue to find ways to impact our communities better.”
