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By Lookout Staff

August 7 – The contagious pop-tinged sounds of Oliver Mtukudzi and African reggae rhythms of Rocky Dawuni will rock the Santa Monica Pier during a free Twilight Dance Series concert Thursday night.

The best-selling artist in his home country of Zimbabwe, Africa, Mtukudzi --called "Tuku" for short -- began recording in the mid-1970s as a member of Wagon Wheels, then rolled to fame in Southern Africa when he formed Black Spirits, the band that has backed him throughout his career.

Tuku’s music is heavily influenced by chimurenga, a genre inspired by the hypnotic rhythms of the mbira (thumb piano), but it also incorporates pop influences, South African mbaqanga, the energetic Zimbabwean pop style JIT, or the traditional kateke drumming of his clan, the Korekore.

While Tuku’s music is undeniably contagious, his lyrics in the Shona language of Zimbabwe as well as English, invariably deal with social and economic issues.

In the face of political turmoil and an AIDS epidemic that has swept the African continent, Mtukudzi music maintains a humor and optimism that has endeared him to fans in his country and abroad.

Bonnie Raitt called Tuku "a treasure in his homeland" and used his music as inspiration for the song "One Belief Away" on her album “Fundamental.”

The Washington Post wrote: "When Mtukudzi trades lines with backup singers Mwendi Chibindi and Mary Bell, it seems possible that the entire world might come into sync with the sauntering cadence."

Dawuni burst on to the African reggae scene in 1996 with his debut recording "The Movement." His music explores social issues and spiritual consciousness and seeks to promote love, justice and righteousness.

"It's about hope in the human spirit and allowing God to empower us to attain the unattainable," he has said.

Dawuni produces the annual Independence Splash, the highly anticipated event held on March 6 every year in Ghana's capitol Accra. He also hosts a weekly soirÈe Afro FunkÈ at Zanzibar in Santa Monica.

Dawuni's latest album "Book of Changes" showcases his Afro Roots sound, blending elements of Afrobeat, Dub, Reggae, Hip-Hop turntablism and traditional African rhythms.