Comrade Chinx – Early Hits (1990)

Dickson Chingaira, whose stage name is Comrade Chinx, was a chimurenga singer during the struggle for liberation. After working with Andy Brown in the short-lived band Ilanga, Chinx began a solo career before entering the services of Robert Mugabe as a propaganda worker. Later years have not been so fortunate for the Comrade. His mansion was torn down in 2005, a story you can read about here, and according to this sad article from last year in The Standard, he is "is struggling to make ends meet."

From choral and chimurenga roots, Chinx evolved an unique sound, keyboard-driven chimurenga with a healthy dose of cheesy pop. Listening to this record, I can picture myself drinking beer in a shabeen among an audience of three. Early Hits does contain the fine, rocking song, Zvikomborero Kusimba, in both studio and live recordings, and it's worth the price of admission. The other Chinx album I have, Ngorimba, used to be found on the inimitable Global Groove site, but now there is a better dub on my site: here. That album has a much more traditional chimurenga sound than the one I offer today.

Enjoy!