Zimbabwe: Urban Grooves Legends Reunite for Inaugural Festival in Harare

What the report says

Urban Grooves musicians are set to reunite for the inaugural Urban Grooves Festival on September 5 at Jongwe Corner in Harare, according to New Zimbabwe as distributed by AllAfrica. The event is designed as a nostalgic celebration of the genre that rose to prominence in Zimbabwe around the turn of the millennium and helped shape a new generation of local artists.

The lineup includes several names associated with the style, among them Nox Guni, who is also part of the organizing team, along with Plaxedes Wenyika, Pauline, Roki and Xtra Large. The festival will be hosted by Merciless and backed by Shabach tha Band, while the Chillspot duo Levels and Fantan, together with Junior Spragga, are also billed to appear. Support for the event is listed from Destiny Media, Rich and Famous and Ice n Roses.

Nox said the festival matters because it revives and honors a genre that played an important role in Zimbabwe’s music industry. He described Urban Grooves as a blend that emerged when the local scene was still dominated by sungura, and said the celebration is meant to help keep it from fading from public memory. He also said the event forms part of a broader moment for his career.

Tickets are priced at US$10 for general admission, US$20 for VIP and US$50 for VVIP, with sales available online, through a WhatsApp chatbot and at the gate. The report also says Nox plans to release a new album in October, which he described as his first in Zimbabwe since 2008.