The Congotronics series is devoted to the strange and spectacular electro-traditional mixtures which are being concocted in the suburbs of Kinshasa, Congo.
Konono N°1, Kasaï Allstars, Ndara, Sobanza Mimanisa and Kisanzi Congo are what they call in the Congo "tradi-moderne" bands. Most of these musicians left the bush to settle in the capital. In order to continue to fulfill their social role and make themselves heard by the ancestors (and, more concretely, by their fellow citizens) despite the high level of urban ...
Konono track premiered on Rolling Stone, Wire cover story
"Wumbanzanga", a first (12-minute) track off Konono N°1's new album Assume Crash Position, was premiered this week on RollingStone.com.
Meanwhile, to illustrate their excellent, 8-page cover story on Konono No.1 and Kasai Allstars, Wire magazine have posted an exclusive live video of Konono performing live at the Saint Nazaire festival in France. This is an excerpt of a 52 minute film on Konono shot and directed by French filmmaker Jacques Goldstein during that festival.
The video is here
