Flash Gordon
Flash Gordon is an award-winning Zimbabwean Urban Grooves producer. He won the 2005 Zimbabwe Music Awards (ZIMA) Producer of the Year award and established Native House Records, which has made him a prominent name on the Zimbabwean entertainment scene.
Background
He was born Tendayi Mutekedza on 7 January 1984 in Chivhu. He has four siblings, a boy and two girls. “We are a balanced family as you see.” He lived in Chivhu and attended Chivhu Primary School. He later moved to Harare where he went to Oriel Boys High School. “That is where my interest in music started. The whole school listened to me while I played the piano at morning assemblies." He pursued a social science major in Communication and Media at the Pontificia Università Gregoriana in Italy.[1]
Career
Flash Gordon’s career started while serving his apprenticeship at Pastor Kasi’s Gospel train in 2003. He was to carve his niche in the music that was later to be called urban grooves when he worked on projects for raga maestro Major E and Extra Large’s Ndinoda Kushamura Newe. He has undertaken projects for Maskiri, Nuclique, Otis Ngwabi, Plaxedes Wenyika, the Ndangariro compilation and many more.
Crediting his success to the mentorship of Delani Makhalima and the late music producer extraordinaire, Fortune Mparutsa, Gordon expressed his gratitude for the exposure and opportunities that he got through their efforts.[2]
He concedes that whilst fame can be easily attained in the local entertainment industry, fortune is a lot more elusive for the majority of artists. Quoting renowned American music producer Quincy Jones who said that there is a difference between music and music business, Flash expressed the sad predicament of most local artists.
Among the artists he has worked with are the late Andy Brown, late Oliver Mtukudzi, late Chiwoniso Maraire, Albert Nyathi, Roki, Otis Ngwabi, Tererai Mugwadi, Sebede, Mafriq, Extra Large, Alexio Kawara, Ras Jabu, Tambaoga and Dumi Ngulube.
He has also worked with international and regional artists from Wales, South Africa, Malawi and Botswana. Over the course of his career he claims to have recorded and produced over 500 songs so far.
