Twenty years on and the Revolution twins are still on the rise. Armed with a wealth of experience in the music industry, plus 16 albums under their belt, Revolution has stood the test of time.
Despite their two-year hiatus in music, Joseph, who is one half of Revolution, reveals the duo haven’t been idle. They’ve been hard at work.
“If you’ve noticed what it’s been going down, it’s been over 20 years into Revolution’s existence and we were never an ‘in your face brand’. We have always been behind the scenes. We produced the likes of Zola and the late TK (Tsakani Mhinga) in the early 2000’s. And recently we’ve done Heavy K’s Wena. We’ve also produced (DJ) Shimza Ukulalwa.”
Twins George Mothiba and Joseph Mothiba, who started as backing dancers for DJ and music producer Christos back in the ’90s, are set to release their 16th studio album, Moshito, this month.
“In this album, we feature the likes of Brenda Mtambo, Mbuso Khoza, Benny Mayengani Gazza from Namibia, and there’s a guy called Nseka from DRC. Moshito is an African Album, it covers the DRC, Nigeria and Kenya. “
Heeding calls from fans
The album took a year to produce and the brothers say they were heeding the call from their fans.
“From our previous album Moribo... there was a call from our fans, saying ‘guys we need a new Revolution album, we can see you guys are concentrating too much on TV, can you guys give us something’.”
On what can be expected from the album, George says: “The old Revolution sound is still there, but there is also the evolution of a new sound. We’ve collaborated with new artists, so we have the balance of the old with the new.”
Their new single Uyenzenjani ( What must I do), which features Mtambo, was released last week.
The brothers laugh when asked about the inspiration behind the song.
“It’s a love song. If you noticed over the years, all the Revolution songs have always been about love, from the days of Light of my Life, one of the amazing hits we did with Mavhuba.
“It’s a December song, but one thing with the Revolution songs is they continue all the way. They become classics but this is one that will instantly catch your ear. You will instantly pick up the Revolution sound (but) you will also hear the new sound.”
On why they chose to work with Mtambo on this particular song, Revolution explain: “ As a brand, we have collaborated with so many musicians from across the world.
Revolution. Picture: Supplied
“Brenda is an amazing musician and a very strong vocalist and we’ve always wanted to work with her. And what makes brand Revolution unique is that we can collaborate with someone who does any music genre; Tsonga music, Jazz or gospel.
The duo said it’s their passion for music, love for the craft and respect for their supporters that keeps them thriving in the industry.
“We live for what we do the love of music, the respect of the art. We’re not celebrities, to us this is a job.
“When you play at a gig and people lose themselves in the song - those are some of those experiences that money can’t buy.
“The fact that we have that talent to be able to touch people at that level is one of the important things and we don’t take that for granted.”
Don’t copy anyone else
And the secret to their staying power? “The secret is very simple - stay true to what you do. We don’t try and copy anyone - we focus on what we do and we do it well! The fact that we were able to do what we love and sustain it for this long - from 1999 to 2017, to be on the 16th studio album, that’s God’s grace,” says Joseph.
“The fans have also allowed us in the industry for this long and if it wasn’t for them there’s no way we will be doing what we’re doing,” adds George.
* Moshito is currently available for pre-order, the album will be released on November 24.