Songlines, (Martin Sinnock), November 2007
(4 stars) An awesome reminder that traditional street music can be an infectious, raucous, trance-inducing experience.
Album Description
In the wake of their recent US tour, which included an
appearance at Coachella festival and two New York concerts with Björk (on whose Timbaland-produced "Earth Intruders" single they were featured), Konono N°1 are releasing a live mini-album containing 8 tracks and totalling over 56 minutes of music.
Aside from steaming versions of Kule Kule and Mama Liza (which were featured on the band's acclaimed Congotronics debut album) and Nsimba & Nzuzi (a version of which was released digitally), these pieces have never been released before. They were recorded at Brussels' popular Couleur Cafe festival by Crammed house produced Vincent Kenis, who rediscovered the band a few years ago and produced the Congotronics album.
Formed some 30 years ago in Kinshasa, Congo by Mawangu Mingiedi, the band plays electrified traditional music, largely based on the distortion-fuelled sound of three likembes (thumb-pianos) amplified with makeshift systems of their own device.
Their 'Congotronics album', which was released in 2005, has sold over 5,000 copies in the UK. International reactions it have been exceptional: world music, electronica and especially alternative rock aficionados have all been equally amazed by this otherworldly music, which has drive the press to come up with some surprising comparisons (from Can and Krautrock to Jimi Hendrix, Lee Perry and proto-techno!). The band earned a BBC Award for World Music in 2006, and prestigious publications ranging from Newsweek, Rolling Stone, The New York Times and The Times to the entire alternative music online community unanimously raved about their sound.