The ‘cool’, retro Zambian genre is being reborn

In recent years, artists and music fans from around the world have rediscovered the Zambian sound of the 1970s known as Zamrock, and now one of the country’s biggest stars is embracing it, looking to give it a fresh spin.

When designing her third studio album, Sampa the Great looked to the niche, short-lived musical movement that ignited the country of her birth more than 50 years ago.

“We were looking for a sound, a post-colonial sound. And Zamrock was that sound, a neoliberal sound, a bold sound,” the Zambian-born, Botswana-raised rapper, who has performed at the likes of Glastonbury, Coachella and the Sydney Opera House, told the BBC.

Zamrock’s intoxicating blend of psychedelic rock and traditional Zambian sounds comes to the fore on Can’t Hold Us, the first single released from Sampa’s upcoming album.

Fuzz guitar drives the song forward as 32-year-old Sampa (full name Sampa Tembo) defiantly sings: “They don’t have the guts to match what I’ve got.”

She’s not the only contemporary artist digging into Zamrock’s dusty crates. Over the past few years, American pop producers Travis Scott, Yves Tumor and Tyler, the Creator have sampled tracks by Ngozi Family, Amanaz and WITCH, all popular bands from Zamrock’s 1970s heyday.

Zamrock can also be heard on our screens – the HBO superhero series Watchmen and Emmy winner Ted Lasso both incorporate songs from the genre in their soundtracks.

It’s an unexpected resurgence, especially considering Zamlok never really left the continent during its heyday.

The movement arose in the 1970s, when Zambia had just emerged from British colonial rule. The country was basking in economic prosperity, with President Kenneth Kaunda implementing a “Zambia First” policy which, among other things, meant that 95% of the music played on radio stations had to originate in Zambia.

It lays the foundation for young creators to create a bold and unique Zambian music identity.

“We were influenced by rock bands like Deep Purple, Grand Funk Railroad, Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, James Brown, etc.,” says WITCH frontman Emmanuel Chanda (better known as Jagari, after Mick Jagger).

“But we are Africans. We want to play like those rock bands, but the African side is also calling: ‘You can’t leave me behind’.”

In the 1970s, Zambia’s recording studios were primitive and there was no mature recording industry. Regardless, Zamrock is thriving.

The musicians lit up the stage in bell bottoms, platform shoes and colorful headbands. WITCH stands for We Intend To Cause Havoc, and it lives up to its name, with fans clamoring outside sold-out venues hoping to catch the marathon show that sometimes lasts from 19:00 to 02:00.

“The fact that they were mixing traditional music with psychedelic rock in a conservative country… and being able to do that and talk about it loudly – that was a very bold thing to do in the ’70s, let alone now,” Sampa said. She was recently delighted to discover that her uncle, George “Groovy” Kunda, was a founding member of WITCH.

But despite Zamlok’s impact, it couldn’t last. The genre collapsed about a decade later when Zambia suffered a series of crises. The price of copper, Zambia’s main export, plummeted, leading to a recession that reduced the ability to tour, record and buy music.

Music piracy has also hit Zamrockers as pirates make money by copying and selling their music.

Starting in the 1980s, the country was hit hard by the AIDS crisis, which resulted in the deaths of many musicians. Five of WITCH’s founding members died of AIDS.

Zamrock lay dormant for decades. The surviving founders returned to civilian life – Jagari went to work in the mines to support his family.

But in the early 2010s, Western record collectors seemed to suddenly start paying attention to the genre.

American label Now-Again Records has played a major role in Zamrock’s resurgence, sourcing and re-releasing albums from some of the genre’s biggest names.

“I’m not sure there’s a market for it. I’m just sure it’s pretty cool,” Now-Again label boss Eothen “Egon” Alapatt told the BBC.

“I thought: ‘If I’m curious about this, then maybe other people are curious about this’.”

Vinyl record enthusiasts are rushing to buy genuine Zamrock records. These records are rarely available and their value has naturally soared.

“I started getting a lot of requests for original Zamrock records, but I couldn’t understand why people were so interested,” said Zamrock fan Duncan Sodala, owner of the Time Machine record store in Lusaka, Zambia’s capital.

Mr Soldara went online and was “shocked” to find records recorded in the 1970s selling for between $100 (£74) and $1,000 (£740).

In 2011, Now-Again Records released WITCH’s music compilation album. The ensuing craze led to a rebirth of bands that included WITCH old-time Jageri and Patrick Mwondela, as well as a number of younger European musicians.

WITCH has since released two albums, starred in a documentary, performed at the iconic Glastonbury Festival and toured outside of Africa – something the original band never achieved.

“It’s like a new life that I never imagined in my old age,” Jagari, 74, said on the phone from New Zealand, the final stop on WITCH’s 2025 world tour.

“In Munich there was crowd surfing, which I had never done before.”

Although Jagari was excited to play Zamrock for the second time, the new opportunity reminded him of the bandmates he missed so much.

“Sometimes I wish the whole band, the original lineup, could be out there showing what it was originally,” he said.

The crowd at the WITCH show included fans young and old, a testament to Zamrock’s fresh appeal.

Other Zamrockers have also been rediscovered – Taylor, The creator, who sampled Ngozi Family’s song 45,000 Volts on his 2024 single Noid, called the band “incredible”.

“The whole country is doing some very, very good things,” he told popular interviewer Nardvar.

Well-known hip-hop producers Madlib and Beastie Boys’ Mike D have also expressed their admiration for the genre, while Third Man Records, a label co-owned by blues rocker Jack White, has released recordings of WITCH’s live music.

Egon believes Zamrock’s unexpected popularity is down to its exuberance. He also said the genre was initially driven by record collectors because many of its songs were in English.

“There is a huge bias among rock music collectors around the world against music in the mother tongue of the country where the music was produced,” he said.

Saudara, on the other hand, thinks Zamrock’s new fans are attracted to the music’s “innocence.”

“I think people listened to it and felt how real it was,” he said.

Although the record store owner welcomes Western artists to try Zamrock, he believes the genre is at risk of being reduced to greatest hits.

“I think that’s why it’s so important for an artist like Sampa to do that – because she doesn’t want (Zamrock) to be famous just for samples,” he said.

“I think there’s a concern that if we don’t speak out about Zamrock’s origins, we might be left out. The more we think about it, the more we want to speak out about its origins.”

While music like hip-hop and R&B are hugely popular in Zambia, a number of young artists from the country – such as Stasis Prey, Vivo and Sampa the Great collaborator Mag 44 – have also been experimenting with the genre.

Lusaka’s Bo’jangles restaurant hosted its annual Zamrock festival three years ago, and the city’s Modzi arts institution has established a small museum dedicated to the genre.

Sampa said her upcoming album (which has yet to have a release date) falls into a genre she calls “nu Zamrock.”

Although she has experimented with Zamrock before, this time its rhythms will be present throughout her album, mixed with other influences such as hip-hop.

“I think the resurgence of Zamrock is going to be a really huge thing,” she said.

In New Zealand, Jagari is delighted that Sampa and her peers are running the genre he helped create.

“The fire has been lit,” he said. “The younger generation should put out more firewood and let the flames burn.”