Crammed Discs 2010

kuin uusi

Flow festival 2010 suurin yllättäjä:

"Konono No.1's "Congotronics" album introduced the world to the strange and spectacular electro-traditional mixtures which are being concocted in the suburbs of Kinshasa, Congo. World music, electronica and avant-rock aficionados have all been equally amazed by this otherworldly music, which has driven the international press to come up with some surprising comparisons (from Can and Krautrock to Jimi Hendrix, Lee Perry and proto-techno!...).

The band was founded back in the 1960s by Mingiedi Mawangu, a virtuoso of the likembé (a traditional instrument sometimes called "sanza" or "thumb piano", consisting of metal rods attached to a resonator). By experimenting with magnets salvaged from old car parts, Mingiedi invented and gradually improved his own electrified likembe, which he plugged into a guitar amplifier. The band's line-up includes two or three electric likembés (bass, medium and treble), a rhythm section which uses traditional as well as makeshift percussion (pans, pots and car parts), singers, dancers and a sound system featuring these famous megaphones.

The release of Congotronics created a sensation. The band’s wild, hypnotic sound made it an instant success with media, and with indie rock & electronic music artists and audiences across the world. The press went hyperbolic, and the enthusiasm was as remarkable among musicians: Konono became a reference, and was quoted as a major source of inspiration by numerous artists, from Grizzly Bear, Andrew Bird, Wilco, CocoRosie and Animal Collective to Thom Yorke, Björk, Beck...?"

afro / Kongo / sähköinen sormipiano / maailmanmusiikki /