Good Times Records is an independent record label owned by multi-award winning investigative journalist and music producer, Mzilikazi wa Afrika, and his business partner, Zakhele "Mzakesman" Shiba - one of the top journalist in South Africa and news editor for the Sunday World newspaper. Shiba has co-written songs for multi-award winning gospel diva Deborah Fraser, and has worked with different artists like Mzekezeke, Ntando, Izinyoka, Brown Dash and Vuyo Mokoena, as well as fellow gospel artist Babo Ngcobo. Mzilikazi, who is the Investigations Editor at Sunday World, was born and raised in Bushbuckridge, Mpumalanga Province, a former teacher, award winning poet and journalist. Good Times Records' head offices with three recording studios as well as CD and cassettes manufacturing plants are located at 38 Grant Avenue in Norwood, Johannesburg. MZILIKAZI'S ACHIEVEMENTS: 1) 1999 Nat Nakasa for Media Integrity Award Winner. 2) 1999 South African Courageous Journalism joint Award Winner. 3) 1999 Foreign Correspondence Association Runner-Up. 4) 1999 Sunday Times journalist of the year. 5) 2000 Sunday Times story of the year. 6) 2001 Harry Brittain Fellow [England]. 7) 2001 US Foreign Exchange Fellow for Investigative journalism [USA]. 8) 2001 Awarded Honorary Citizenship of Nebraska State [USA]. 9) 2001 Nat Nakasa for Media Integrity Award joint Winner. 10) 2001 Mondi Paper Newspaper Award: News Writing joint Winner. 11) 2001 Mondi Paper Newspaper Award: South African Story of the Year joint Winner. 12) 2001 Sunday Times Story of the Year joint Winner. 13) 2002 Vodacom Journalist of the Year joint Regional Winner. 14) 2003 John Manyarara Investigative Journalism Award joint Winner [Namibia]. 15) 2003 Lorenzo Natali Investigative Journalism Award joint Finalist [Belgium]. 16) 2003 Sunday Times Journalist of the Year joint Winner. 17) 2003 International Consortium of Investigative Journalism Award joint Finalist [USA]. 18) 2003 Guest Speaker at the International Conference for Investigative Journalism [Denmark] 19) 2005 Wrote a chapter on Investigative Journalism on the book titled Changing the Fourth Estate – essays on South African Journalism commissioned by the Human Science Research Council [HSRC].

DANCE OR DIE! PROJECT

Sunday World investigations editor and multi-award winning journalist, Mzilikazi wa Afrika, has released his most anticipated house album through Gallo Record Company. The album titled Dance or Die! is released as a product of Mzilikazi's independent record label Good Times Records www.myspace.com/goodtimesrecordz.

ARTIST: MZEE
ALBUM: DANCE OR DIE!                         
DATE: JULY 16, 2007

Mzilikazi wa Afrika - that is the name that you will hear most often as from July 2007 in the music industry.
Mzilikazi, who uses the stage name Mzee - your Highness in Swahili - has released his debut house album aptly titled Dance or Die!
This is not just an ordinary album, it's a project that features the best of this universe - from Ivory Coast's Meiway, who is a Kora All Africa Music Award-winner to the UK-based Lynne E and Brazilian producer Roger Benou. Mzee features the latter on the club song So Pra Voce.
Mzee, who is one of South Africa's underrated producers who definitely have a bright future in music, has done what some will term as the first. The Bushbuckridge-born producer features South Africa's Kora Award-winning musician, Pops Mohammed, on the T txoroca (pronounced Tiqorosa), which is a !Kwe language for We can dance. It features vocals done by Khoisan people recorded at the Kalahari Desert in Namibia.
He has a reason for featuring some of the top musicians from around the world.
"Music is a universal language understood by everyone from Brazil to Zimbabwe. As long as people feel the beat, the music and the groove, in my opinion, your language won't matter that much," he says.
Actually this statement supplements one of the songs, Nanan, which is sung by Paris-based musician, Meiway, who does it in style. The song has what is takes to make you either go down or dance serious kwasa-kwasa even if you're not a West African native.
South Africa's maskandi genius Ihashi Elimhlophe complements the album with his genius guitar wizardry when he collaborates with Mzee on the song Siya eDurban. The ever-green Ihashi is one of the musicians who are in demand to work with artists and add his touch to make it world class, as he has done when he works with the likes of Brothers of Peace, Mafikizolo or his children Amaponi.
It took Mzee three years to complete the album, and the first song that was done is Bomba, and "it's because I wanted to collaborate with the best people who understand and feel what I'm doing. I've recorded more than one thousand songs and collaborated with the best DJs and musicians from around the world, and only 15 songs have made it to this album.
"Other songs will be released in the near future. They will still be relevant because the music and the beats are matured, and some of them are not ready for release. I don't want to make new fans and then leave them behind in terms of my music," says Mzee smiling.
Mzee started music as a past-time, since he holds a professional job as an award-winning journalist at Sunday World. He is an investigative editor, and the calling to do music has clearly taken over, hence in between working, he has also managed to produce an album that will take the music world by storm.
In one of the songs, Mina Bengidzakiwe [I was indeed drunk], Mzee worked with Sabelo Simelane, a young up and coming producer from Swaziland, in making the song that is sung during the Marula drinking season. The catchy tune is one of those that you can dance to when you listen to the album even if you are sober.
Mzee also revives the spirit of Nigeria's export, Fela Anikulapo Kuti, who is also one of his favourite musicians of all time. In pairing with fellow Nigerian guitarist, the South African-based Kora Award winner Kunle Ayo, they collaborate on the song simple titled Fela.
Music lovers from Limpopo and Mpumalanga will immediately recognise the sounds of Mahuwelele, a song that is the mixture of different and popular sounds from those provinces.
Speaking of the north, Mzee also revives the popular song Neria, a classic number that is owned by Zimbabwe's superstar, Oliver "Tuku" Mtukudzi. The remix will be even more popular at dance clubs.
He also features a Paris, France based diva Clara "Felina" Creantor on the song Ma Faute, an indication that the album is world class, while at the same time some music critics have called it a fruit salad of house music.
The mixture of the different sounds from around the world makes this an exciting and worthy album - a collectors' item.          
Good Times Records is an independent record label owned by multi-award winning investigative journalist and music producer, Mzilikazi wa Afrika, and his colleague, Zakhele "Mzakesman" Shiba.
Mzee says: "Anyone who's found without the copy of the album must know that they are missing out big time."
His inspirations in the music industry comes mainly from Fela Kuti, Salif Keita, Youssou Ndour, Pops Mohammed, Busi Mhlongo and his friends,  Revolution [George and Joseph Mothiba], and Mega. His other inspiration is DJ Oskido of Brothers of Peace and DJ Fresh.

THE TRACK LISTING:

1. Mahuwelele
2. Off The Record
3. Nanan - feat. Meiway   [Ivory Coast]
4. Siya eDurban - feat Ihashi Elimhlophe
5. Mine Bengidzakiwe [Club Mix]   [Swaziland]
6. Fela [Afrika man original] - feat. Kunle  [Nigeria]
7. T txoroca - feat. Pops Mohammed
8. Neria remix  [Zimbabwe]
9. Ma Faute - feat. Felina   [France]
10. Mama Afrika - feat. Jeff Maluleke
11. Wedding Day
12. Let's Start A Revolution
13. Bomba
14. Huyai Tiyimbe  [Zimbabwe]
1 5. So Pra Vace - feat. Lynne E   [Brazil]