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ALEXIUS "Ras" Dumisani was born and raised in Durban, in Kwazulu Natal. His father, of royal descent from Mtunzini, met his mother in Durban.
He grew up in a Christian home and took part in school and Sunday choirs at the early age. In his wild and unruly youth, Ras Dumisani discovered that he had remarkable talent and started playing Bongo drums. At the time he was also interested in a career as a football player.He decided to choose music,rather then sport, as he came from a musical background.
His father was a singer and used to compete with Ladysmith Black Mambazo, who were friends and neighbours of the family. Ras joined a group called Oneness, Love and Music. It soon became evident that he was a leader rather than a follower which led him to forming his own band called Afrikhaya. Then Ras Dumisani performed on percussions and lead vocals. With very limited opportunities in Durban, Ras moved his group to Johannesburg.
There he discovered that local promoters were not ready for the rhythm and the political lyrics of his reggae music. A rather nasty encounter with a producer finally convinced him to spread his wings. Ras Dumisani, the Zulu man, took his passion for reggae music and his love for life and people with him to the United States, Europe (London, Holland, Germany, Portugal, Switzerland), Israel, West Africa and finally to France.
Instrumentation:
percussion, vocals
Genre:
reggae
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In 1992, Ras Dumisani recorded his first album , Zululand Reggae, (Declic/Buesilver) with the great Mickey Dread (the only black musician who worked with the Clash) and the London engineer Denis Bovell (Linton Kwesi Johnson and Alpha Blondy’s bass player and sound engineer). In 1997, Mister Music (Declic/BMG), his second album, also made in collaboration with Afrikhaya band and Denis Bovell, came out .
They are warm, roots reggae albums, containing lyrics that the South African and worldwilde reggae fans will easily identify with.Though he is based in Paris, Ras Dumisani plays in many different countries. His talent was particularly appreciated in Italy for the Venezian Rototom Reggae Sunsplash 99, broadcasted by RaiUno (he performed there again in july 2000). In 1994, he performed in the big Socialist party in Le Bourget. Later he was in several big shows in Ivory Coast (Festa, Caravane de l ’Unit' Nationale, with his friend Alpha Blondy, and in Midem. There his whole show was broadcasted by the French TV channel, MCM, on CTV (Nigerian thre Cable International Télévision ) and on Rock Down Africa (South African International TV) .
This Biography courtesy Ras Dumisani, edited www.music.org.za
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