Title:
Live at Couleur Café
Artist: Konono No. 1
Label: Crammed Discs
Konono No 1 are
an extraordinary band – a mix of the rawest and most unpredictable
distorted sounds using whatever came to hand on the outskirts
of Kinshasa - from pots to car parts and the tight consistency
demanded by their soukous base. In a very few years in the public
eye they’ve captured audiences at festivals all over especially
in the US, UK and Belgium, recorded a track with Björk
and been aligned with Hendrix, Can and Lee Perry.
Originally seen
as a hindrance due to necessary improvisation and crude amplification,
the distortion and found-object percussion are an essential
part of K No 1’s sound, as they play in front of a wall
of speakers experimental rock style. Founder Mawangu Mingiedi
is a Likembé specialist (metallic thumb piano/Sanza)
and three of these are the core of K No 1’s sound alongside
compelling solo and call’n’response vocals that
seem to come from all sides, in a rougher mode than most current
Congolese product – think early Swede Swede meets dance
hall. Founded 30 years ago, the band makes its own rules!
This
album, recorded live at one of Brussels’ most exciting
festivals, is a celebration of K No 1’s emergence. It’s
mostly new numbers apart from Kule Kule and Mama Liza (featured
on their debut BBC world music award-winning Congotronics
album) and Nsimba & Nzuzi.(released digitally) which create
a recognition zone for fans. Producer Vincent Kenis (Zap Mama,Taraf
de Haïdouks & Koçani Orkestar - you get the
picture) has kept the live edges with a studio sheen, running
tacks into each other without a break. It’s hypnotizing,
with the set building trance-wise subtly changing the intrinsic
sounds and rhythms as it grows – the music originates
from Bazombo Trance music of the musicians’ home villages
near Angola/DRC border. In that respect it’s hard to identify
standout tracks as even a casual listen makes you dance literally
or mentally and an hour just goes! Zey Isa Langa just gets faster
and faster at the heart of the CD building out of the earlier
tracks and after that there’s no holding back.
This
repetition has divided critics, - some of whom much prefer Kenis’
studio-produced Congotronics – and it’s
true that’s hard to top, nevertheless Live at Couleur
Café earned a 2007 Grammy nomination for Best Traditional
World Music album. Intriguing as that recognizes that traditional
is now firmly electronically based! Seek it out to make up your
own mind - remember to play it loud!
©
Debbie
Golt
|
