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 ...
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
