Steve is a reggae maestro

Reggae dub maestro Steve Netshishivhe’s latest music offering comprises a combination of ‘deep-roots dubbing’ and contemporary elements, making it relevant for both young and older reggae lovers.

Netshishivhe resides at Khubvi village and is synonymous with dubbing – a music style of the reggae genre that is characterised by strong, deep bass, deep drums, deep guitar leads and rich keyboard notes. In some instances, the musicians also add some snippets of lyrics in a shaky voice that floats resonantly above the instruments.

The album, aptly titled Tribulation and Dub, was recorded at Deep Roots Studio and One Big Room Studio, and generally addresses the hardships encountered in all walks of life. "Making the album, I worked with Lufuno Munzhelele on rhythm guitar, Aubrey Seapose on lead guitar, Khathu Muswa on keyboards, Ndivhuwo Musetha on drums and Jininka Nkanyane on backing vocals. I played bass guitar,” said Netshishivhe. “On this album, like I have done before, I am trying to revive the Deep-Roots Reggae and Dub music that seems to be fading away.”

“People agree that I excel in this sub-genre of reggae. Whenever there is an interval between albums, my fans impatiently demand a new project from me,” he said. “I grew up listening to dub reggae by good musicians such as Scientist, King Tubby, Augustus Pablo and Prince Far I. Their music speaks directly to your mind and heart in a way that makes you enter a state of meditation. It allows you as a listener to savour the amazing artistry of the instrumentalists.”

Tribulation and Dub was released last month and contains nine songs, including Khonani vhukuma, Come with me, Friendly dub, Tears of dub and Dub dem down.

Netshishivhe can be followed on Facebook or contacted on Tel 083 336 3396.

Entertainment - Date: 19 March 2021

Tshifhiwa Mukwevho

Tshifhiwa Given Mukwevho was born in 1984 in Madombidzha village, not far from Louis Trichardt in the Limpopo Province. After submitting articles for roughly a year for Limpopo Mirror's youth supplement, Makoya, he started writing for the main newspaper. He is a prolific writer who published his first book, titled A Traumatic Revenge in 2011. It focusses on life on the street and how to survive amidst poverty. His second book titled The Violent Gestures of Life was published in 2014.

Email: [email protected]