Khala My Friend - Amanaz #Zamrock

Amanaz was a Zamrock band founded in 1973 in Kitwe, Zambia. The group released their only album, the acclaimed Africa, in 1975. Amanaz drew influences from American and British rock of the late 1960s–early 1970s, especially the music of Jimi Hendrix, and from traditional Zambian music, identifiable in Watson Lungu's drumming and Keith Kabwe's vocals. The band's name is the acronym of "Ask Me About Nice Artistes in Zambia". In 1973, the band recorded in the Malachite Film Studios of Chingola their sole album named Africa. It was first released as a LP in 1975, and since then re-issued by the German label Shadocks Music in 2008 and by the American label Now-Again Records in 2015. Of the 12 songs of the album, three are performed in the Bemba language and the rest in English. The album continues to be influential as an embodiment of a strain of Zamrock. Pitchfork journalist Nate Patrin described it as "both behind and ahead of its era" and therefore uniquely "out of time". Music critic Mark Deming noted that Amanaz's music was based on "deep, bluesy grooves with a strong psychedelic undercurrent and thick layers of fuzz guitar". Amanaz split up in 1976. Keith Kabwe, the former band leader and main vocalist, then created the short-lived band Drive Unit the same year. By 2014, Keith Kabwe served as a Pentecostal pastor in Mbala and was working on the release of gospel songs. In 2016, Amanaz's song "Khala My Friend" was featured in Season 1 Episode 2 of The TBS show “People of Earth”. In 2021, Amanaz's song "Khala My Friend" was featured in the closing credits of Season 2, Episode 3 ("Do the Right-est Thing") of the Apple TV+ series Ted Lasso. In an interview with Davies Chanda of Times of Zambia in 2014 Keith Kabwe said Fame caused the demise of the group; “We caused mayhem in various night spots in Lusaka and the Copperbelt, but our instant fame made us crumble.” Amanaz made such a huge impact which also became destructive to itself, with every one feeling that, he was a star and that, without him, the band would be nowhere. These, according to Kabwe, were the differences that brought the band down and he (Kabwe). Khala my friend has over 20 Million streams on Spotify and Amanaz currently has over 400,000 Monthly listeners. #MusicAppreciation